Media News - Wednesday, July 23, 2008

New York Times, LinkedIn enter content partnership

In a brilliant move that's sure to make both newspapers and social networks around the web jealous, the New York Times and LinkedIn, the leading US social network for professionals, are announcing a content partnership that could substantially increase the value for users of both sites. LinkedIn users are now being shown personalized news targeting their industry verticals on the Business and Technology sections of NYTimes.com and will then be prompted to share those stories will professional associates. Though a wide open developers platform has yet to emerge, moves like this are an important step beyond the previous integration of sharing hooks on NYTimes.com from other services. LinkedIn has 25 million registered users and the NYT sees 17 million + unique visitors per month, but the partnership will need none the less to introduce more people to LinkedIn in order to really be a home run. See this NYT page for an "introduction to LinkedIn." That's pretty classy, though it's unclear yet when that link will be displayed and when it won't. There has been extensive discussion around the web of late about LinkedIn using partnerships as a revenue source and it wouldn't surprise us if the NYT is paying for this integration. LinkedIn may not be a huge social network, but its user demographics are some of the most financially desirable in the world. For more: Online Journalism Blog. (ReadWriteWeb)

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National Press Day in Azerbaijan brings little cause for celebration

Tuesday was National Press Day in Azerbaijan, but independent journalists in the South Caucasus country have little reason to celebrate. Three of their own remain in prison. Eynulla Fatullayev, editor of the newspaper "Realny Azerbaijan," is serving an 8.5-year sentence on charges related to terrorism, inciting ethnic hatred, and tax evasion. Qanimat Zahid, editor of the opposition "Azadliq" newspaper, is serving a four-year sentence on hooliganism charges. Mirza Sakit, a satire writer and poet who also worked for "Azadliq," is serving a three-year sentence on drugs charges. The three journalists are regarded in the West as political prisoners. The charges against them are widely believed to have been fabricated. International and local watchdog groups, nongovernmental organizations, and political parties have applied to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, requesting pardons for the three, to no avail. But six other journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan have been pardoned in the past six months or so. Meanwhile, Aliyev is expected to soon sign a decree offering print media outlets in the country $2 million in financial assistance, including low-interest loans. Some editors, including Azer Ahmedov, deputy editor of "Azadliq," believe the money is a way for Aliyev to buy the favor of the country's print media on the eve of the elections. The program is also aimed at making Azerbaijani journalists dependant on state money, he added. (Radio Free Europe)

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Minsk says Internet to stay free

Authorities in Belarus will not use a new law on the media to restrict the Internet, an aide to President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday. The new law, approved by parliament in June, does not specifically require Internet sites to be registered, but allows their regulation to be overseen by government decisions. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the continent's leading rights watchdog, called for rejection of the law before its passage. Independent journalists in the country of 10 million had expressed fears that websites could be closed down. Since Lukashenko came to power in 1994, many independent publications have been closed down, leaving the Internet as the chief means of information on the country's small, and often divided, liberal and nationalist opposition. State media in the country, wedged between Russia and three European Union states, report at length on the president's activities and heap lavish praise on his initiatives. Opposition figures are given little air time apart from brief spots, as required by law, during election campaigns. (Moscow Times)

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Two journalists charged for libel in Mauritania

The managing editor of the Arab weekly newspaper El Houriya, Mohamed Nema Omar, and a reporter with the same organisation, Moham e d Abdel Latif, were arrested and remanded in custody here Monday, a source here said Tuesday. The two journalists are accused of abuses and defamation by three Supreme Court magistrates who lodged a complaint against them. In an recently released article, El Houriya accused the three magistrates of corruption, saying they had shared FCFA25 million ouguiyax (the local currency) in h andling a case referred to the Supreme Court. The journal had urged the country's highest authorities to sack the three magistrates. The El Houriya managing editor was arrested last June following a complaint for libel filed by the Senate vice-president. Referred to a correctional tribunal, this case is still pending in court. (Africa en Ligne)

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Taiwan: Journalists urge China Times to offer protection for its staff

The Association of Taiwan Journalists and various media protection groups urged Tuesday the embattled China Times to "protect the interests of its staff," while downsizing as a tabloid next September. Activists from Taiwan Media Watch and the Campaign for Media Reform exhorted the paper's board of directors to "manage business democratically" and guarantee that the 60-year-old daily would "remain a tool at the service of the community," not a scandal sheet. Kuang Chung-hsiang, president of Media Watch, recommended China Times' white-collar workers join labor unions without delay, to manage the outcome of a proposed memorandum on protecting their rights and the quality of the publication. China Times President Lin Sheng-fen cited on June 18 the effect of rising cost of operations and shrinking advertising revenue for the company's financial troubles, while disclosing that the newspaper would be transformed into an "elite" daily. Lin, however, declined to comment on reports that the paper would eventually lay off 450 to 600 employees, and stressed that personnel adjustments would be made in keeping with the law. China Times ranks with the Liberty Times, United Daily News, and Apple Daily (Taiwan) as one of the four top newspapers in Taiwan in terms of circulation. (Asia Media)

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Web addresses to have more variety

Internet users will soon have more options for selecting the name of their web site. Traditional endings like ".com" or ."org" will soon be supplemented with many new ones, such as ".sports," ".perfume," or ".paris." Companies or individuals who can show a compelling interest will be given priority, reports the industry association BITKOM from Berlin. That means that users with relatively uncommon last names who live in Berlin have a good chance of acquiring a related web address, such as http://www.janedoe.berlin. That phase will come in early 2009 at the earliest. The introduction of these new endings, known as top level domains, was approved by the Internet administration committee ICANN in Paris. Starting in early 2009, cities, regions or companies can apply for the domains but have to pay hefty fees in some cases. Private internet users will probably not have a chance to apply for the new endings, BITKOM indicates. (Expatica)

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