Steve Jobs on Journalism

Steve Jobs was asked if Apple, with the IPad, should assume a role in helping to save journalism, given the possibility to charge for newspaper apps.

"One of my beliefs, very strongly, is that any democracy depends on a free, healthy press," he said. "Anything that we can do to help the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal find new ways of expression so they can afford to get paid, so they can afford to keep their editorial operations intact, I’m all for it."

And he offered publishers advice: "The biggest lesson Apple has learned is: Price it aggressively and go for volume. And anytime we haven’t done that, we’ve had more attenuated success."

He continued: "I believe people are willing to pay for content. I believe in media, and in news content.

Read more at The Wrap.

Moody's: Newspaper Industry Looks Good

Moody’s believes U.S. newspaper revenues could finally turn positive next year -- although it warns that a “cyclical snapback” in advertising in 2012 could put the industry back on its long-term decline. Moody’s said it believes newspaper ad revenues, which fell 22% in 2009, are on track to decline in the 10% to 15% range this year. In 2011, the firm said, revenues could decline another 3% or increase as much as 2%. But that improving picture could subside in 2012, Moody’s said, as a long-term trend in advertising decline reasserts itself.

Read more here.

Free TV isn't Dead Yet

If you looked at the finances of the broadcast TV networks, you might not be optimistic about the future of free TV. Even though the profits may be slim on the broadcast segment alone, other areas of media companies enjoy the benefits. Spending money on new programs helps sister divisions such as TV production studios, which will own the rights to shows in perpetuity and can sell them in other countries, to other channels and on home video. That's partly why NBC is investing 40 percent more on new shows this year than in the 2009-10 season. The most expensive shows that generate the largest audiences are usually developed on broadcast TV before migrating to cable channels. The benefit of hitting a home run outweighs the cost of a few strikeouts. Mega-hits like "CSI" or "Lost" can be sold around the world and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees for reruns. Broadcast operators are now getting an estimated 50 cents or so per month for every pay TV subscriber. Broadcast TV, not cable, remains the easiest way for advertisers to get their message out quickly. Nothing yet beats the big audiences that broadcast TV can deliver at once.

Read more from the Associated Press.

Are Cameras the New Guns?

In at least three states, it is now illegal to record any on-duty police officer. Even if the encounter involves you and may be necessary to your defense, and even if the recording is on a public street where no expectation of privacy exists. The legal justification for arresting the "shooter" rests on existing wiretapping or eavesdropping laws, with statutes against obstructing law enforcement sometimes cited. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are among the 12 states in which all parties must consent for a recording to be legal unless, as with TV news crews, it is obvious to all that recording is underway. Since the police do not consent, the camera-wielder can be arrested. Most all-party-consent states also include an exception for recording in public places where "no expectation of privacy exists" (Illinois does not) but in practice this exception is not being recognized.

A few weeks ago, an Illinois judge rejected a motion to dismiss an eavesdropping charge against Christopher Drew, who recorded his own arrest for selling one-dollar artwork on the streets of Chicago. Although the misdemeanor charges of not having a peddler's license and peddling in a prohibited area were dropped, Drew is being prosecuted for illegal recording, a Class I felony punishable by 4 to 15 years in prison.

In 2001, when Michael Hyde was arrested for criminally violating the state's electronic surveillance law - aka recording a police encounter - the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld his conviction 4-2.

Read more here.

The most-watched TV channel in the Arab Word

THE Al Jazeera network is the most powerful news-and-current-affairs channel in the Arab world, well ahead of Al Arabiya, its Saudi-owned, more pro-Western rival. Al Jazeera claims to beam its main Arabic-language channel into around half of all Arab homes. Its English-language channel is said to reach 200m elsewhere, making waves in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Quite a lot of Europeans watch it, too. The emir of Qatar is said to put at least $400m a year into its coffers. It has 60 bureaus and ten more are expected to open by the end of next year.

The two language services are editorially separate. The English one’s choice of topics reflects the third-world interests of its viewers, concentrating more than its Western counterparts do on global poverty and the anger often felt towards America and the West. But it offers a wide range of opinion and covers Western politics well too. The Arabic service is a lot more controversial. Pro-Western Arab governments, particularly those of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which denies Al Jazeera a bureau, repeatedly accuse it of bias. Al Jazeera’s bosses deny bias but explain that Palestine and especially the plight of Gaza are bound to top the agenda for Arabs.

Read more here.

AP Stylebook Social Media Guidelines

The Associated Press has issued a new Social Media Guidelines section for its stylebook including information and policies on using tools like Facebook and Twitter, how journalists can apply them to their work and how to verify sources found through them. Also included are 42 separate entries on such terms as app, blogs, click-throughs, friend and unfriend, metadata, RSS, search engine optimization, smart phone, trending, widget and wiki.

"Web" remains a capitalized proper noun when used as a shortened form of World Wide Web, and e-mail, with the hyphen, remains unchanged for electronic mail, along the lines of similar phrases such as e-book, e-reader and A-list.

The official Twitter account for the AP Stylebook, http://twitter.com/APStylebook, has more than 44,000 followers.

Read more here.

Google Testing Google News Personalization

Google has been experimenting with personalizing Google News which places trending topics down the left rail with top stories, several in each category, in the middle column and local news on the right. Trending topics, which Twitter began using from the start, allow people to see the top searches at a glance. Click on a trending topic and the link takes you to a personalized page filled with news on the left and still images and/or videos on the right. About halfway down the home page, Google asks those signed in to choose their interests.

Read more at Media Post.

Michigan Considers Law to License Journalists

A Michigan lawmaker wants to license reporters to ensure they’re credible and vet them for “good moral character.” Senator Bruce Patterson is introducing legislation that will regulate reporters much like the state does with hairdressers, auto mechanics and plumbers. Patterson, who also practices constitutional law, says that the general public is being overwhelmed by an increasing number of media outlets--traditional, online and citizen generated--and an even greater amount misinformation.

He told FoxNews.com he wants to install a process that’ll help him and the general public figure out which reporters to trust. Critics say the proposed law will stem press freedoms and is bound to be politicized with disgruntles politicians going after reporters who don’t paint them in a positive light.

According to the bill, reporters must provide the licensing board proof of:

--"Good moral character” and demonstrate they have industry “ethics standards acceptable to the board.”
--Possession of a degree in journalism or other degree substantially equivalent.
--Not less than 3 years experience as a reporter or any other relevant background information.
--Awards or recognition related to being a reporter.
--Three or more writing samples.

Reporters will also have to pay an application and registration fee. The bill does not prevent reporters who are not licensed by the state from covering Michigan politics, and registering with the state would be voluntary. Patterson conceded that he didn’t actually think his bill would be enacted into law. He says he’s winding down his two decade political career and wants to provoke public discussion before he leaves office.

“What’s the definition of a reporter? I haven’t been able to find out? What’s a reporter? What’s a journalist?” Patterson said. “I thought you had to have a degree in journalism but apparently not. I could retire and be a journalist.”

Patterson said he wants a central place where members of the public can go to find out about reporters’ credentials, background and experience.

Read More at Fox News.