Media News
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
U.S. bill would require captioning for Internet video
Nearly two decades after the U.S. government began requiring television
networks to provide text captions for hearing-impaired viewers, there is
a move afoot to set the same standard for Internet video. Representative
Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, is backing a bill that would
require major producers of Internet videos to add captions as well as
‘video description’ soundtracks that describe the on-screen action for
blind people. The measure would also force changes in the design of
television and telephone equipment to make the devices more accessible
to the disabled. The bill would require TV networks in the United States
to provide captioning and video description tracks when they stream
their shows over the Internet. In addition, video description tracks
would be made mandatory for traditional TV broadcasts. About half of
U.S. Internet users now watch video online, according to the Pew
Internet and American Life Project. While many log on to watch amateur
videos at sites like YouTube, a growing number view prime-time
programming from the four major broadcast TV networks and many cable TV
channels. Few of these video streams include captions.
(International Herald Tribune)
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EJC Press Releases
Sixth ASEF Journalists’ Colloquium
The European Journalism Centre has partnered with the Asia-Europe Foundation to organise the annual ASEF Journalists’ Colloquium. The sixth edition of this two-day event will begin 1 June. It will immediately precede the official ASEM Interfaith Dialogue in Amsterdam.
The ASEF is located in Singapore, while the EJC operates out of Brussels and Maastricht, the Netherlands.
The subject of interfaith relations is one of the most salient in Asia-Europe relations today, and has seized the attention of leaders, societies, communities and various sectors of civil society in both regions. Preserving one’s faith and remaining loyal to it should not come at an expense. Yet, ‘interfaith conflicts and violence’ have become increasingly visible in recent years. The separation of relationship between religion and state manifests itself differently from country to country, while the expression of religious devotion and its influences differ from one community to another. The ASEF Journalists’ Colloquium, a closed-door, informal event, allows participants to openly discuss their perspective on the various complexities surrounding inter-religious differences as well as commonalities and their socio-political implications.
On Sunday, 1 June, the session will open to the public: 1) freedom of expression and interfaith relations, and 2) new media and its impact on interfaith relations.
There are 20 seats available for the open session.
Please note that any expenses including transportation will not be covered by the organizing partners. For registration, please contact at the European Journalism Centre.
Posted on May 13, 2008 by EJC
Filed under work.
Video for newspaper journalists
The diet of news consumers has changed. Readers have turned online, away from broadsheets. Content providers are rapidly integrating video coverage into their daily offerings.
Too many times, though, a newsroom’s multimedia strategy consists of tossing hand-held cameras or mobile phones to reporters and telling them, “Go get video.”
To help newsrooms become “video literate”, the European Journalism Centre now offers video training courses for newspaper journalists.
These seminars target both field reporters and editors who want to learn what it takes to produce professional video with the latest generation of cameras and editing equipment. By the end of the course, participants will have a basic understanding of video as the language of the 21st century.
Course dates: 21-25 April / 16-20 June / September, TBA
Raymond Frenken, the founder and chief editor of EUX.TV, will lead these “Video literacy” training sessions. Prior to EUX.TV, Frenken worked for the Dow Jones, Bloomberg and Financial Times news services as well as broadcaster CNBC Europe.
A course overview:
* Monday afternoon: Introduction to convergence and new media storytelling. Introduction to terminology and tools. Introduction to workflow. Analysis of best-practice examples.
* Tuesday: Hands-on equipment session. Story development for the web: concrete learning from best-practice examples and preparation of Wednesday’s production.
* Wednesday: Shooting video, editing new and “repurposed content.”
* Thursday: Post production. Distribution platforms and delivery systems. Legal and copyright issues.
* Friday morning: Lessons learned. The big picture – where from here?
The five-day course will be held at the head office of the EJC in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The course fee is €1,200, with a 10 percent discount for each employee from the same media outlet. The course is offered in English, Dutch and German. It begins midday Monday and ends midday Friday. The EJC will supply all equipment, two lunches and a dinner. For more information, please contact the European Journalism Centre at .
Posted on March 6, 2008 by EJC
Filed under announcements.
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Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Museums are for history. Or art, but often not unless its creator is, well, history.
So it can’t be a good sign for the newspaper industry that a museum recently opened to pay it homage.
The Newseum opened in early April in Washington, DC, to mixed reviews. So even though the weak dollar means museum visits in the States are cheaper than a visit to your local friture, there might be better places for media wonks to spend their holidays.
Journalism enthusiasts interested in the future of the news industry are better to traverse up the East Coast to the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, which is part of Harvard Law School. In fact, on 15 May, the Boston-based Center will host Berkman@10, a two-day anniversary conference.
Input2008
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