links for 2007-12-28
-
"In the long run, of course, the facts will find you out. But who cares? We all know what we are in the long run."
« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
December 2007
December 28, 2007
December 27, 2007
links for 2007-12-27
-
profile of Larry Lessig
December 19, 2007
links for 2007-12-19
-
Brandon Butteworth - legendary BBC technologist - on the origins of the BBC website
-
History of blogs...
-
David Brain picks some great historic quotes about News from former SUn leader writer's new book
-
Dan Taylor on 5 great apps for iPhone/Touch
December 17, 2007
links for 2007-12-17
-
John Tusa in the S Telegraph
-
HT to Ben hammersley for this link. Astonishing pictures displayed in really interesting ways
December 14, 2007
links for 2007-12-14
-
COmpetitors or compelmentary?
-
Lloyd Shepherd's Messy Media launches it's second blog following Westmonster. "It's dark, it's sleazy, it's London".
-
Iain reflects on youth obsession. Strangely, didnt think it was a problem 20 years ago...
-
Director of the Media Standards Trust looks at the new international news channels
-
Bill writes about curiosity for BBC News website
December 13, 2007
BBC Front Page
Lots of gossip about the new BBC Homepage around - its due to be launched very soon.
Richard Titus explains the thinking on the BBC internet blog. Key points - widgetization, personalisation, aggregation and a better way of navigating the BBC's depth of content.
And as a consequence, a higher profile for BBC Blogs (although not yet other blogs or content) which is a significant shift of attitude speaking as one who has been pushing for it...
links for 2007-12-13
-
I missed LeWeb3 - but Bruno G has the best write up
Facebook, Politics and the Middle East
Analysis from BBC Monitoring:
When it comes to Facebook, most users think of "poking", adding random "friends" or perhaps spying on an acquaintance on the popular social networking site. However, in some Middle Eastern countries where governments' grip on the media is tight Facebook has acquired social and political significance. For many Arab governments it is proving to be a challenge.
Syria has taken the lead in blocking the website. Users in Gulf countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are worried that their authorities could follow suit. In other Middle Eastern societies with a tradition of a free but fragmented media, like Lebanon, Facebook has been turned into a political platform by supporters of rival parties.
Syria
Lebanese Al-Safir newspaper said on 19 November that blocking the website in Syria was due to fears that Israelis are enlisting in the Syrian network, of which users have the option to become members when registering for the site.
"I do not believe this" said blogger Joshua Landis. "Facebook has become a virtual civil society in Syria. Many civic groups sprung up overnight and became popular with thousands; groups about preserving the old city, getting back the Golan Heights, supporting civil marriage, women's groups, art associations, and you-name-it," he wrote.
Another blogger, Golaniya, says Facebook has facilitated a cultural stirring in Syria because "people are starting to organize their interests in concerts, galleries, conferences, plays and screenings". "Even though I am not a big fan of this website, I along with some users learned how to use it to promote my projects," said the blogger. The Damascene blog mockingly notes: "Facebook has joined the windmills that our leaders in Syria are fighting. They want Syria's face to remain black."
A quick glance at the Syria network, which has more than 29,000 members, finds a vibrant online community discussing sensitive issues in Syria. One group called "Syria without Iraqis" bluntly discusses and complains about the problem of the Iraqi refugee influx into Syria. Another online petition calls on the Syrian authorities to intervene and rescue a woman allegedly threatened with an honour killing.
Many are linking the sudden cabinet reshuffle, which replaced the communications minister on 8 December, to criticisms over banning an increasing number of websites in Syria, from YouTube to Facebook.
Gulf, Egypt
Thousands have already joined groups like "Say no to blocking Facebook in the UAE" or "We hope they don't block Facebook in Saudi Arabia". Many of the groups and postings in Arab networks, which are predominantly in Arabic, voice support for governments or are religious in character; however, a minority are raising very volatile topics.
Taboos are being broken, not only politically but also socially. Facebook is facilitating social and sexual freedoms in very conservative societies. The "Single and Looking in Saudi Arabia" group has more than 1,600 members. Several Arab gay and lesbian groups have mushroomed to advocate rights or just simply create a space for the outlawed community. There is even more than one group solely for Saudi homosexuals.
On the other hand, religious users have a strong presence on the website's pages. In Egypt for example the most popular groups seem to be of a religious nature. The "I am Muslim and Proud" group has more than 76,000 members. In groups such as "the Quran is the most perfect book" and "God willing, gain a million rewards from Allah" members share religious videos, articles and prayers. They discuss topics ranging from whether abstinence "is practical in this day and age" to the hijab to how realistic it is to establish a Muslim caliphate.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, Facebook has been used as a platform for propaganda and political bickering by supporters of rival political groups. While one group thanks former Lebanese President Emile Lahhud, another discusses how Lebanon misses assassinated leader Rafiq al-Hariri.A group called "Government versus the Opposition: The Race to 100,000" says that it is difficult to tell which political camp has more supporters in Lebanon. "No one can be sure but on Facebook we will find the answer," says the group's creator.
Other than groups, the 166,984-member Lebanon network has an active discussion board. Supporters of Lebanese parties exchange insults about their leaders. Even leaders' wives have not been spared the obscenities. The sectarian divide cannot be missed, with Sunnis accusing Shi'is of betrayal of Islam and Christians accusing Muslims of seeking to eliminate their role.
No such thing as Palestine?
A form of cyber warfare has also been fought on the pages of Facebook. As the Jerusalem Post reported on 9 October, there was confusion by Facebook administrators on whether to include "Palestine" on the list of countries from which users could choose when registering for the site. Facebook included it on the original list of countries "but mysteriously took it away in October 2006", said the newspaper.This led to the fury of Palestinian supporters. Tens of thousands signed petitions and reacted by joining groups like ""Israel" is not a country! De-list it from Facebook" and "No Such Thing as Palestine?.. REALLY!?"
Facebook "re-added Palestine to the list of countries in early 2007. No press release was ever issued by Facebook regarding either the elimination or the reinstatement of Palestine", said the Jerusalem Post.
Facebook remains mostly a social networking site to write short messages, share photos and play games about pirates and zombies. The significance of the website's impact on cultural and political life in the Middle East is debatable.
Facebook defines itself on its homepage as "a social utility that connects you with the people around you". There is evidence that users in many Arab countries do not think their governments share the same goal.
Monitoring research 11 Dec 07
December 12, 2007
Quotes of the Year
Some of the quotes I noted through the year - feel free to add your own favourites..
Newspapers, including at least a few very good newspapers, will survive, simply put, because of that basic law of market economics: supply and demand. The supply of what we produce is sadly diminishing. And the demand has never been greater.
(Bill Keller - Hugo Young Lecture)
-----------
"It seems to be a great time to be starting out in journalism. Just don’t ask advice from anyone who has been in the business for more than five years."(Saul Hansell - NYT Blog)
----------
You can get junk food on every high street. And you can get junk journalism nowadays in(David Leigh - inaugural City Uni lecture)
every outlet there is. But just as there is now a movement for Slow Cooking, I should
also like to see more of a demand for Slow Journalism
----------
The adjustment we’re being asked to make is to a world of increased access, new competition and different business models. It’s not about easing onto the obit page.(Tom Curley - speech)
The journey to the next generation news begins with us believing in ourselves and what we do.
-----------
the people of Burma "demonstrated that the tools of information technology can have a strong impact on the global coverage of events as they are unfolding and sometimes on the events themselves. The events in Burma also provide a chilling example of the limitations of the internet, access to which was ultimately vulnerable to the unilateral choices of a repressive regime.."(OpenNet report into internet shutdown in Burma)
----------
we are too willing to surrender privacy for an illusory sense of emotional connection and security. Perhaps we will realise what a poor bargain we have struck only after it is too late.(Jeffrey Rosen - Spiked Online)
---------
It's not an appeal to better standards, it's not an appeal to quality or tradition. It has no aspirations to honour. It's disingenuous to the core, manipulative of the people, anti-progressive, cynical and hypocritical.(Tom Coates on Andrew Keen)
--------
I lived through things which before I would have struggled to imagine and maybe, in the end, I will be stronger for that. I have gained too a deeper sense of the value of freedom. Perhaps only if you have ever been some kind of prisoner, can you truly understand its worth.(Alan Johnston on his release)
---------
the fear of missing out means today's media, more than ever before, hunts in a pack. In these modes it is like a feral beast, just tearing people and reputations to bits. But no-one dares miss out.(Tony Blair speaking at the Reuters Institute)
----------
"Online is where the action is...print is there to amplify. Social networks are the new cities;most news breaks very quickly on these networks."(Mario Garcia - World Editors Forum)
----------
"News stories should answer questions and tie up loose ends. Blogs should pose questions and leave some ends dangling to encourage debate."(Kevin Anderson - The Innovation Forum)
----------
Our sense remains, too, that traditional journalism is not, as some suggest, becoming irrelevant. There is more evidence now that new technology companies have had either limited success in news gathering (Yahoo, AOL), or have avoided it altogether (Google). Whoever owns them, old newsrooms now seem more likely than a few years ago to be the foundations for the newsrooms of the future. But practicing journalism has become far more difficult and demands new vision. Journalism is becoming a smaller part of people’s information mix. The press is no longer gatekeeper over what the public knows. Journalists have reacted relatively slowly. They are only now beginning to re-imagine their role.(State of the News Media 2007)
----------
the internet is "a mass medium providing mostly illusory interactivity and mostly illusory diversity....(Leeds University research into dominance of news agencies on the internet)
"The evolution of the online news agency has laid bare the news industries' near total dependence on a few wholesale news providers and the limitations on public discourse that it inevitably yields."
----------
"Bloggers suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, journalists suffer from Attention deficit disorder."(Arianna Huffington at WEF)
links for 2007-12-12
-
Robin in the Free to Speak season
-
Roy Greenslade in World Service Free To Speak season
Subscribe:
The Music Blog
Categories
Journalism News
BBC News
![BBCi: Javascript is not available
on this browser](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/bsp/hi/services/htmlsyndication/img/synd_js_error_js-inactive.gif")
.
