• J-Source

    Krugman, according to Alternet

    Alternet has an interview with Princeton economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. The leader says it’s about how Krugman thinks “the right-wing media machine is destroying social progress.” Here’s Alternet interviewer Rory O’Connor’s introduction to his piece:  “It’s more than a bit surprising when the guy from the New York Times sounds more…

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    The Irvings and the courts

    A New Brunswick judge extended an injunction against a man trying to start up a community newspaper in New Brunswick, who is accused of stealing corporate secrets from the Irvings, reported Chris Morris of the Canadian Press on Oct. 26. An excerpt:Justice Peter Glennie of the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench extended a sweeping…

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    Kill the messenger!

    Al-Jazeera’s journalists have suffered bombings, expulsions, censorship, threats, beatings, routine jailings and controversial incarceration by U.S. forces. Now, says an Associated Press report, “Al-Qaida sympathizers have unleashed a torrent of anger against Al-Jazeera television. They accuse the pan-Arab TV network of misrepresenting Osama bin Laden’s latest audiotape in the excerpts it aired.” It’s often said…

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    Murdoch and the WSJ: a stumbling block?

    Finally: WASHINGTON – A federal communications regulator on Thursday said News Corp.’s proposed $5 billion acquisition of The Wall Street Journal’s parent company raises competitive issues nationally and in New York.Michael Copps, one of five commissioners with the Federal Communications Commission, is asking Chairman Kevin Martin to open a proceeding to study whether the deal…

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    Charter should protect journalists

    The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be enough to protect journalists from being forced to give up their sources, lawyers for Montreal’s La Presse argued in Federal Court. The newspaper is trying to prevent a Federal Court judge from ordering two of its journalists to disclose the source of a document containing allegations…

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    Trina McQueen award

    The Association of Electronic Journalists announced a new award for Best Television News Information Program, named after Trina McQueen. McQueen has been a reporter for Toronto’s CFTO; co-host of W5; a reporter and later executive producer for CBC’s The National; vice president of English Television News and Current Affairs at CBC and CBC Newsworld;  President…

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    To Be a Journalist in Iraq …

    Six Iraqi women who work in the McClatchy Newspapers bureau in Baghdad were honoured in New York with a “courage in journalism award.” Kudos to the New York Times for running the acceptance speech by Baghdad journalist Sahar Issa, speaking for the six, as an editorial. Excerpts: “To be a journalist in violence-ridden Iraq today,…

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    Reuters’ new mobile toolkit

    Reuters and Nokia have developed a new “mobile journalism” toolkit aimed at helping reporters file and publish text, photo, audio and video news stories from handheld devices, rather than laptops. An excerpt from the press release: Helsinki, Finland – Nokia Research Center (NRC) and Reuters are working together on a mobile journalism project that could transform…

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    Measuring online readers

    The growth of online advertising is being stunted, reports the New York Times, because nobody can get the basic visitor counts straight. An excerpt: Online advertising is expected to generate more than $20 billion in revenue this year, more than double the $9.6 billion it represented as recently as 2004. Nobody doubts that the figure…

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    Electronic media as the “fifth” estate

    William Dutton, an academic and British Internet expert, has some interesting ideas about how a ‘fifth estate’ could support greater accountability in politics and the media. He gave a lecture to the Reuters Institute; the summary is on the Reuters site: The media are often seen as central to democratic processes: a ‘fourth estate’ independent…