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The Ifra Trend Report: No. 74 (20 December 2000)
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The Ifra Trend Report is a weekly executive summary of global trends,
strategies and innovations influencing the future of news, newsrooms
and news publishing. It is an initiative of Ifra, the world's leading
association for media publishing, providing expertise in publishing
strategies and technologies to more than 1,800 members in 70
countries. The ITR is underwritten by Digital Technology International
and Adobe Systems Inc., two premier Ifra members setting the pace in
modern publishing systems and technologies.
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MANAGEMENT
Reflections On The Printed Newspaper
'Tomorrow's News' Gives Glimpse Of The Future
Journalists Predict Future Of Journalism
Everything Old Is New Again In The Newsroom
Newspapers Finding Success With Bricks-And-Clicks Strategy
U.S. Newspaper Are Starting To Cut News Staffs
MARKETPLACE
Cambodian Press Making Strides Toward Professionalism
Journalists Debate Role Of English In Asia's Future
PicSmart Launches Photojournalism E-Marketplace
The Web Enters The Middle Age
Latin-American Internet Editors Discuss Changing Roles
Online Journalism Awards Celebrate New Media
TECHLOLOGY
NewsML Toolkit Now Available Free Online
Kennedy Project Showcases Potential Of 'Web Specials'
Wireless Video Seeks Killer App
>>>>>>>>>>>> MANAGEMENT
REFLECTIONS ON THE PRINTED NEWSPAPER
(GERMANY) -- Print newspapers have nothing to fear from their
online
competitors, according to Wilm Herlyn, editor-in-chief of the Deutsche
Presse-Agentur (DPA) wire service. He shared his thoughts on the
future of print as part of celebration of the 100th anniversary of the
Emder Zeitung in Emden. The printed newspaper embodies competence and
authority, as well as journalistic credibility and accuracy, said
Herlyn. If these virtues are cultivated, the future of newspapers will
be assured. Indeed, newspapers can serve as a signpost amid the oft-
confusing flood of information that typifies today's media. (DPA 16
Nov 2000)
http://www.dpa.de/
'TOMORROW'S NEWS' GIVES GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE
(GERMANY) -- Editors in tomorrow's newsroom not only must juggle
and
organization a wealth of material in a variety of media for each
story, but also must master the technology necessary for
multi-platform news distribution. They must have a nose for what
constitutes a good news story, and also must be able to make the call
of whether to manage it actively or assign it to automatic handling.
And while automated news-handling is a sensitive subject with many
journalists, increased automation will be a high priority for future
newsrooms and news publishing systems. Something else that must be
resolved in future newsrooms is the editorial balance between mass
consumption and personalized content. Although early prototypes of the
so-called "Daily Me" have proven disappointing, "it cannot be ignored
that the news industry, like most industries, is moving from a
product-based business model to a service model under pressure of the
Information Economy," writes Kerry Northrup, who raised the issue in
producing Ifra's "Tomorrow's News" short-topic concept video this
year. "And good service requires some degree of personalization. The
publisher in 'Tomorrow's News' has profiled its readers, listeners,
viewers and users sufficiently that it knows their collective
interests and even individually where they work." Future publishing
efforts will require enormous computing power, not only for the
collection and sorting of customer-related information, but for the
storage and retrieval of all of the newsroom's resources with
instantaneous response times across multiple formats. Other issues
raised in the video include the speed vs. accuracy dilemma, and the
appropriate role that reader feedback, especially in the era of
real-time polling, should take in editorial decision-making. A copy of
the video's discussion paper can be requested from the author at
northrup@ifra.com. (Ifra newspaper techniques Nov 2000)
http://www.ifra.com/ifra7.nsf/newswatch
JOURNALISTS PREDICT FUTURE OF JOURNALISM
(USA) -- "There is a very important fact that all journalists must
bear in mind -- our future does not lie on the Web. ... Media outlets
that focus only on the Web will be concentrating on too little, too
late," said Tom Regan of The Christian Science Monitor and
CSMontior.com. "That's because the Web will be just one of many ways
that we will get the news to those who want it. Other methods will
include e-books, wireless cell phones, PDAs (personal digital
assistants, like Palm Pilots) and probably several other methods we
are not even aware of yet." His was among a handful of recent
predictions by journalists on the future of journalism. Robert Niles,
an independent Internet developer and online newspaper employee,
predicted that non-narrative news information * such as births,
deaths, police calls, fire runs, real estate transactions, etc. --
could be lucrative for those who learn to build applications that work
with new systems governments are building to electronically store this
information. (Editor & Publisher 6 Dec 2000)
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stop/stop.htm
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN IN THE NEWSROOM
(USA) -- Don't throw away the old standby, "Hello, sweetheart, get
me
rewrite...," just yet, says University of California/Berkeley Graduate
School of Journalism professor Cynthia Gorney. To succeed in the new
multimedia environment, journalism students (and working journalists)
need to brush up on a few old skills, as well as learn some new ones.
Today's reporters need to be able to "flip open their cell phones,
look at their notebooks and assemble the pertinent facts into a few
coherent sentences -- without taking the time to turn on a computer,"
she says. "For students who have grown up learning to think on
keyboards, this may require some practice." Further, they need to
learn to do it with a little panache, for those increasingly more
common times when they are thrust in front a camera. "You're not
allowed to flip frantically through your notebook and mutter, "Um, um,
oh hell, um," while a camera's trained on you," she notes. The new
breed needs not be so much "telegenic" as "telecapable" and
"telewilling," adds Chicago Tribune senior electronic news editor
Mitchell Locin. Today's journalists also need the ability to write
fast and accurately to meet multiple deadlines throughout the day.
"Despite the demise of afternoon dailies, early-version copy is back
in a big way," she says. (American Journalism Review, December 2000)
http://ajr.newslink.org/ajrgorndec00.html
NEWSPAPERS FINDING SUCCESS WITH BRICKS-AND-CLICKS STRATEGY
(USA) -- When Intel boss Andy Grove spoke to the American Society
of
Newspaper Editors (ASNE) last year, he predicted that the Internet
would devastate the newspaper business, gutting classified advertising
and siphoning readers by the millions. Grove seems to have been
mistaken. When principals of the U.S. newspaper industry met at Credit
Suisse First Boston's media conference in New York earlier this month,
the news was almost all good. The Web is turning out to be an
opportunity for newspapers to further dominate the local markets they
know better than anyone else. These players are building on their
newspapers' brand names, pushing local entertainment and business
directories, and teaming up with other local media to create viable
Web sites. They're cross-selling online classified with the print
publications, turning a potential threat into profit. Publishers are
using the resources of the print publications to add depth to the
online sites, they're using the existing sales force to sell Web
advertising, and they're promoting the online site in the newspaper.
As a result, newspapers are successfully crossing the digital divide.
(TheStreet.com 6 Dec 2000)
http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/comment/onthelevel/1202413.html
U.S. NEWSPAPERS STARTING TO CUT NEWS STAFFS
(USA) -- Facing a combination of a slowing U.S. economy and rising
newsprint prices, U.S. newspapers are beginning to trim their news
staffs. In an article appearing in the December issue of the American
Journalism Review, Kathryn S. Wenner discusses the changing economic
environment facing American newspapers in 2001 and beyond. Wenner is
reporting layoffs, buyouts and other cutbacks in newsrooms across the
U.S. as publishers deal with weakening ad revenues, rising newsprint
prices and an ever-present demand for profits by investors after four
years increasing profits. In several cases, media companies' share
prices are flat or falling. At least six major dailiesÑfrom Baltimore
to PhoenixÑare trimming their work forces through layoffs, buyouts or
both. At newspapers in Dallas and Minneapolis, they're leaving job
slots unfilled and cutting back on other expenses. At least two major
newspaper groups, Knight Ridder and Tribune Co., a re reducing the
width size of their editions in an effort to reduce newsprint costs.
Whether the current round of cuts indicates the start of a long-term
trend is not yet clear. But Ifra analysts note that this action is
coming at the same time that news Web sites are also cutting back or
even closing down. (Jules Tewlow, Ifra U.S. Correspondent 19 Dec
2000).
http://www.ifra.com/ifraV7.nsf/Index
>>>>>>>>>>>> MARKETPLACE
CAMBODIAN PRESS MAKING STRIDES TOWARD PROFESSIONALISM
(CAMBODIA) -- If it's true that the growth of a free and
professional
press generally coincides with the maturation of a democratic society,
then Cambodia's newspaper industry offers some signs of hope for the
Southeast Asian nation. Peter Eng, a former Associated Press
correspondent who frequently covers Southeast Asia, writes,
"Previously, you could expect little more than obscenities, libelous
invective, calls to violence and rumor-mongering when you picked up a
Cambodian newspaper. Now you can actually read a bit of, well, news."
Eng is quick to note that the press in Cambodia still has a long way
to go, but progress is being made. While many newspapers are still
forced to accept subsidies from political parties to survive in the
nation's primitive economy, they are working to tone down evidence of
bias and report more on facts than rumor. Besides political stability,
several factors have contributed to the recent trend: Greater
commercialization of leading newspapers as they compete for
advertisers and readers; influence of more professional English-
language papers; training by foreign media groups; and greater
cooperation from government officials who are learning to value the
information they get from newspapers. (Los Angeles Times 10 Dec 2000)
http://www.latimes.com:80/news/comment/20001210/t000118101.html
JOURNALISTS DEBATE ROLE OF ENGLISH IN ASIA'S FUTURE
(JAPAN) -- "Japan is the only country in East Asia where people
still
do not reckon that English is necessary," said Kwan Weng Kin,
executive editor of The Nation. Kwan was one of eight journalists at a
symposium to discuss the need for Asians to become proficient in
English. In a world growing increasingly more dependent on the
Internet -- a medium whose main language is and will probably remain
English -- countries that do not adopt English as a second language
will be left behind, said Chan Yuen Ying, a professor and director of
the journalism and media studies center at the University of Hong
Kong. Several panelists agreed that among the major roadblocks toward
that end are problems promoting English to the government and the
populace, the struggle to find a "standard English," and the type and
quality of education. Another critical challenge is to retain
individual cultures while adopting a common communication vehicle. "We
should embrace English as a world language without having to
compromise our own tradition and culture. And by doing so we will
enrich the English language and contribute to the global culture that
is only beginning to take shape," Chan said. But, she cautioned, "It
(English) is not a magic wand that will turn us into a digital nation
overnight. English is one of the ingredients for (Asia's) growth but
not the entire recipe." (The Japan Times 7 Dec 2000)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20001207c1.htm
PICSMART LAUNCHES PHOTOJOURNALISM E-MARKETPLACE
(USA) -- A Washington, D.C.-based start-up is hoping to provide
newspapers with an alternative to the wire services for news-related
photographs. Called picSmart, the e-marketplace will match freelance
photographers with publications in the market for pictures. Buyers and
sellers will negotiate the rates, and picSmart will take a small
commission on each transaction. The beta site launched on December 7,
with 20 editors signed on. Co-founder Craig Herndon, a former
photojournalist at the Washington Post, said the site will allow
freelancers to control the rights and pricing of their photos, while
news editors will get a wider choice of images to use. "We see our
business model as a win-win for everybody," said picSmart COO Sanford
Morse. The company has so far registered 300 photographers from 10
countries. (Yahoo! News 8 Dec 2000)
http://sg.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/001208/technology/article.html?s=singapore/headlines/001208/technology/newsbytes/Photojournalism_E-Marketplace_L
aunches.html
THE WEB ENTERS MIDDLE AGE
(FRANCE) -- We're entering the age of realism on the Internet,
according to the Pfeiffer Report. The era of over-hyping the Web is
past, and users are now familiar with what it can and cannot do. In
this maturing phase, users are becoming increasingly aware of the
Web's limitations and shortcomings -- which aren't likely to change
any time soon according to predictions that the average user will be
living with bandwidth limitations for the next 10 to 15 years. At the
same time, Web sites themselves are not likely to change significantly
in the near future. By now users have figured out what they want to
use the Web for -- information gathering, community services, some
shopping and game playing -- and they want those things available in
more convenient packages. The market has changed from one of
starry-eyed newbies seeking novelty and gee-whiz flirtations to one of
experienced users focused on quality. Companies willing to question
and improve existing Web tools and services will be the next big
winners in the technology race. (Pfeiffer Report 12 Dec 2000)
http://www.pfeifferreport.com/trends/ett_internet.html
LATIN-AMERICAN INTERNET EDITORS DISCUSS CHANGING ROLES
(USA) -- Prompted in part by an Economist Intelligence Unit study
that
projected that the number of Internet users in Latin America will grow
from 17.2 million users in 1999 to 162 million in 2005, the Inter
American Press Association and Real Media-Latin America recently held
a first-ever "Mil 2000" conference in Miami. With a goal to "educate
the Latin American market," the three-day event covered such topics as
the changing role of online editors, e-commerce, and Web publishing
for Spanish-language Web sties. While many conference participants
were from Miami-area Internet operations, several came from such
countries as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. Attendee Nancy
Arroyave, editor for the online edition of the Guatemalan newspaper
Prensa Libre, said it is particularly important for today's multimedia
editors to consider their audience. For example, she said that
although the primary audience for the newspaper version of Prensa
Libre is in Guatemala, most online readers are Guatemalans in the
United States. (Miami Herald 30 Nov 20000)
http://www.herald.com:80/content/thu/digdocs/102893.htm
ONLINE JOURNALISM AWARDS CELEBRATE NEW MEDIA
(USA) -- While The New York Times and the Associated Press earned
top
honors at the Online News Association (ONA) Awards held earlier this
month at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism,
reminders of the changing face of journalism were not hard to find.
BabyCenter.com won in the service journalism category, and Janice
Castro, editorial director of Britannica.com, was a speaker. Matt
Drudge, champion of tabloid-style Internet news, called to complain
that he had not been named a winner. Mention of Drudge, who won
notoriety when he broke the Monica Lewinsky scandal, was a flashpoint
for ONA members. Commenting on Drudge's non-membership in the group,
Castro said, "Maybe it would be better if Drudge joined. He might
learn something. We need to stand for a voice for integrity and
editorial independence for journalists who work on the Web. If all we
manage to do is uphold traditional values on the Web, we will have
accomplished something huge." A number of speakers touched on the
challenges of building a successful Web news site under constant
pressure from investors, noting that many successful print
publications took years to turn a profit. (Poynter.org 4 Dec 2000)
http://www.poynter.org/offthenews/120400.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>> TECHNOLOGY
NEWSML TOOLKIT NOW AVAILABLE FREE ONLINE
(USA) -- Reuters, Wavo and XML expert David Megginson recently
announced the launch of NewsML Toolkit to help news producers receive,
process and redistribute news in the NewsML format. It can be
downloaded free at http://www.xmlnews.org/NewsML/toolkit/. The
recently released NewsML standard is a computer encoding for the
creation, transfer, deliver and archiving of news material that can be
used across all current media. The initial version of the Toolkit
allows news providers to bundle compound news objects in different
media (such as text, video, photographs and graphics) into a single
package for electronic distribution. It's likely to be of great
interest to anyone examining XML for newsroom use. Reuters, the
leading architect of NewsML, will continue to develop and refine the
Toolkit, with future versions featuring such functions as simple
NewsItem editing and indexing and retrieval functions. It also plans
to offer Toolkits in other languages, such as C++. (Seybold Reports 6
Dec 2000)
http://www.seyboldreports.com
KENNEDY PROJECT SHOWCASES POTENTIAL OF 'WEB SPECIALS'
(USA) -- A recently launched special section on the Dallas Morning
News Web site (http://www.dallasnews.com/jfk/) demonstrates the
enduring power of the press to record and commemorate significant
historical events. Focusing on the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy in Dallas in 1963, the site is an excellent example of
effective use of archived material, as well as media convergence and
the Internet's ability to extend the shelf life of special projects.
Editors promise to avoid one common pitfall of "Web specials" by
keeping the information fresh. Besides footage from a local TV station
and archived news stories, the site also includes eyewitness accounts
from reporters, and "Where were you?" recollections from readers.
While the site attracted 150,000 visitors the first week, that figure
is bound to drop over time. To keep reader interest high in special
features, editors are urged to regularly add new material, and to let
readers know when they do. (E&P E-Letter Online 12 Dec 2000)
http://www.editorandpublisher.com
WIRELESS VIDEO SEEKS KILLER APP
(USA) -- Now that mobile phones are moving beyond telephony into
computing, a handful of technology companies are pushing wireless
networks to the next level -- delivering video streams from the Web to
mobile phones and PDAs. Last week saw the launch of two new services:
PacketVideo Corp. launched the first Web site that delivers video over
any U.S. wireless network to handheld computers, and a few days later
SolidStreaming Inc. debuted its wireless video player and links to
several Web-based feeds, ranging from traffic cameras to shopping
services. Meanwhile, Europeans are wirelessly tuning in to cameras on
the set of the original "Big Brother" TV show in the Netherlands,
using Compaq handheld computers and technology from Geo Interactive
Media Group of Israel. And in Japan, NTT DoCoMo's Personal Handyphone
System network can deliver 64,000 bits per second, resulting in
smoother and more detailed wireless videos. The nascent industry is
still seeking killer applications, but high on the list are games and
video-based communications, such as video conferencing and greeting
cards. Other possibilities include wireless streams from traffic
cameras and other forms of surveillance. One application favored by
bar-hopping college students are wireless video feeds from
neighborhood watering holes to see who's there. ("Wireless Web Video
Rapidly Becoming the New Hot Thing" Los Angeles Times 12 Dec 2000)
http://www.latimes.com/business/20001212/t00011875
******************* ANNOUNCEMENT ****************
This is the last edition of the Ifra Trend Report for 2000. The next
edition will be released on January 3, 2001. The staff of the Ifra
Trend Report wishes to thank all our nearly 10,000 subscribers and
thousands more readers for helping to make this a very successful
year. And a special thank-you to our sponsors, Digital Technology
International and Adobe Systems, who have agreed to continue
underwriting this service through 2001 so that it can continue serving
those who serve the news publishing industry. Happy Holidays!
********************** SPONSORS ********************
The Ifra Trend Report is made possible through financial support from
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL and ADOBE SYSTEMS INC. Neither has
any influence over, nor any responsibility for, the editorial content.
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********************* ABOUT THE ITR *******************
COMMENTS & CONTRIBUTIONS: Do you have an analysis or comment on one of
the trends or developments cited in the Ifra Trend Report? To submit
it for possible inclusion in a future edition of the ITR, or to point
us toward material pertaining to the future of news, newsrooms or news
publishing, contact Kerry J. Northrup, Ifra Centre for Advanced News
Operations, mailto:northrup@ifra.com, fax-to-email +1.209.254.5862 or
+49.69.25577648.
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