Since going monthly Press Gazette is no longer available on the newsstand – so to get hold of a copy you need to call 01858 438872 and quote WDO1 to order 15 issues for £115. Or click here to subscribe online.
Here are my highlights from the December issue:
We discover that Paul Dacre has support from across the journalism industry for his tirade earlier this month against the “backdoor privacy law” and the “ruthless” CFA lawyers – with exclusive comment from News of the World editor Colin Myler and Independent editor Roger Alton.
Myler warns that: “Our right to know is disappearing” and Alton says: “It is exceptionally odd that Eady appears to be trying to introduce a privacy law through the back door, when the entire population of the world seems to be forsaking its own privacy via networking sites.”
For our big feature “The Dogs of Journalism” – we track down the freelance journalists who have risked everything to report from the frontline of warzones often without even a byline to show for their efforts.
We investigate the technology which is being used as an excuse by some companies to sack journalists – content management systems. We profile the big technology providers and find out why companies could live to regret investing in multi-million pound one-size-fits-all solutions when in some cases, free blogging software might be just as good.
At the more every day end of the scale, we reveal the handy gadgets which make it easy to geo-tag your news stories.
Peter Sands has some timely advice for editors on how to deal with the trauma of making journalists redundant – and Daniell Morrisey has job-hunting tips for those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a P45.
Reed Business Information editorial development director Karl Schneider explains what the Sutton-based B2B publisher is doing to deserve so many awards from the Association of Online Publishers.
We take a tour of Global Radio’s new 30-strong London news bureau and find out why head of news Jonathan Richards believes he is creating a “Broadcasting House for commercial radio”.
In Media Law, Foot Anstey’s Tony Jaffa explains how editors can cash in on the 2012 Olympics – without landing themselves in court for breaching the new laws which have been passed to protect the Olympics brand.
In comment:
Grey Cardigan:
“In the corridors the beancounters gather in little groups like malevolent meerkats, nostrils twitching in search of more savings.”
David Banks:
“I am forming an organisation to be known as the Friends of Finnish Forests (FoFF), which will lobby proprietors and editors to reduce newspaper pagination to Second World War dimensions.”
Popbitch’s Camilla Wright:
“Just one swearword on a website’s home page is enough to deem you ‘unsuitable for advertisers’ – this is McCarthyite censorship.”
Media Money columnist Peter Kirwan reveals his predictions for 2009:
“After a certain point, over-capacity stops being funny. In this respect, we’re no different from the carmakers of Detroit.”
We also take a wry look back at the stories which made the headlines in Press Gazette in 2008: Remember when former Maxim editor Michael Donlevy dismissed all trade magazine journalists as “wankers” and when the Eastern Daily Press confused the Bishop of Norwich with serial killer Steve Wright?
And the final word goes to David Banks again, who as a former Murdoch lieutenant gives us his review of the latest biography of the News Corp boss – “The Man Who Owns the News.”
“It’s like asking Fredo to inscribe something tastefully clever and wonderfully witty on Don Corleone’s retirement card. Poor dumb Fredo.”
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