Journalism masters degree gets 3m euros funding

An Erasmus Mundus masters degree focusing on journalism, media and globalisation offered at City University in London has been selected by the European Commission to receive approximately 3 million euros in funding over five years from 2012.

The financial support will mainly be used for student bursaries.

The degree, which is designed to offer students an international perspective on journalism and media has been developed through collaboration between City University and partners at the University of Amsterdam, the University of Hamburg, Swansea University and is coordinated by Aarhus University and the Danish School of Media and Journalism.

Hans-Henrik Holm, professor at Aarhus University in Denmark said: “The Eramus Mundus journalism programme was selected on the basis of it being a truly global training programme for journalists wanting to learn how to report global change. Those assessing the applications highlighted the academic quality of the institutions providing the teaching and the integration of universities around the world.”

Neil Thurman, senior lecturer in online journalism at City University said there was increasing demand for journalists with international skills.

“With the growth of social media and online reporting, the boundaries of journalism are no longer restricted by geography. There is increasing demand for journalists who have the ability to think, report and work on a global basis, for a global audience. We think the funding of this programme is significant as it recognises the value our international Degrees are offering the journalists of tomorrow.”

The funding will largely be used towards providing student tuition and maintenance scholarships. It will also provide faculty scholarships for incoming and outgoing staff exchanges with global partners at UC Berkeley, the University of Technology, Sydney and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

More information about the degree and thebursaries can be found at: www.mundusjournalism.com

Donny rally for striking South Yorks journalists

A rally is to be held in Doncaster on Saturday in support of striking journalists at South Yorkshire Newspapers who have started the 13th day of their indefinite action against job cuts and office closures planned by Johnston Press.

A march will start at Frenchgate, Doncaster at noon on Saturday before proceeding through Doncaster town centre before speeches in Doncaster market place near the offices of the Doncaster Free Press.

The NUJ wants Johnston Press group to use conciliation service ACAS to resolve the dispute. Journalists at the Doncaster Free Press, South Yorkshire Times, Selby Times and Epworth Bells.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: "Johnston Press owes it to the newspapers' readers and the local communities to enter into meaningful negotiations to resolve the dispute.

“We want to make sure local news reflects the communities it serves and this battle is about quality and resources. The impact of the cuts is a stark threat not simply to our members’ livelihoods but to local news and the future of the industry.”

Guide for journalists reporting the family courts

An official guide for journalists, judges and practitioners to explain the law on reporting the family courts has been published with the endorsement of the president of the Family Division Sir Nicholas Wall, the Society of Editors, and the Judicial College, the training body for judges.

In their preface, Sir Nicholas Wall, president of the Family Division and head of Family Justice and Bob Satchwell executive Director of the Society of Editors say: "There is no more difficult issue in family justice than the reporting of cases. There is a tension between concerns about 'secret justice' and legitimate expectations of privacy and confidentiality for the family. Both standpoints are valid, and the question is whether they are irreconcilable.

"Against this background, and under the wise tutelage of the Lord Chief Justice, a group of lawyers and journalists, including representatives from both the print and broadcast media, have got together to talk to each other. As part of these discussions, they commissioned a paper which would set out a statement of the current state of the law in this most complex area.

"The result is the document which follows this Preface. It has been drafted by two members of the bar, Adam Wolanski and Kate Wilson. It is an analysis of where we are at the moment: what we can and what we cannot do. It is, in our view, a substantial and very important piece of work.

"Its publication is all the more timely as the debate on increased transparency and public confidence in the family courts moves forward. It will serve to inform future consideration of this difficult and sensitive area, including the questions of access to and reporting of proceedings by the media, whilst maintaining the privacy of the families involved."

Bloomberg Businessweek plans to launch regional European and Asian editions early next year

Bloomberg Businessweek announced today that it plans to expand its reach in Europe and Asia with two new regional editions in early 2012, increasing the global weekly print circulation to 980,000 from 900,000.

The Europe edition will feature bespoke content, unique front covers and separate advertising pages. The European and Asian editions of Bloomberg Businessweek will also feature content from the global edition of the magazine combined with some additional regional reporting from more than 800 Bloomberg reporters in Europe and 500 in Asia.

Bloomberg Businessweek president Paul Bascobert said:"Bloomberg Businessweek has been consistently growing and we're building on this strong momentum and reader demand to expand our audience in the European and Asian markets.

"We're excited to be able to provide our readers and advertisers with new, regionally-focused products by tapping into Bloomberg's incredibly vast global network of editorial staff."

Guardian: 'Journalistic success but losses up'

Guardian News & Media, publisher of the Guardian and the Observer, has had another challenging year financially with a sharp fall in recruitment advertising and has reported an operating loss of £38.3 million, compared to £37.8 million in 2010, for the year to April 3.

Revenue declined from £221.0 million to £198.2 million.

The company says it achieved savings of £26.8 million from restructuring in the previous year. While display advertising revenues were resilient, the Guardian saw a sharp decline in recruitment advertising as a result of the difficult economic environment and unprecedented cuts to public sector spending.

It adds that digital revenues were robust, but did not offset the decline in print revenues.

Andrew Miller, chief executive officer of the Guardian Media Group, said: “The year under review was one of huge journalistic success. The Guardian achieved record audiences, it was named Newspaper of the Year at the British Press Awards, the partnership with Wikileaks produced one of the greatest scoops in living memory, and the shockwaves triggered by the dogged pursuit of the phone-hacking scandal will be felt for generations to come.

“However, the entire media industry faces serious challenges. The Guardian has been at the forefront of innovation in our sector, but the task of reflecting editorial and brand success in a sustainable financial model for the digital age is a demanding one.

“In this context we have begun to implement a new strategy, including a restructuring of senior management, a new approach to managing our portfolio of investments and the transformation of our core business GNM into a digital-first organisation.

“At GNM we are building a culture, organisational structure and business model that will support our journalistic ambitions and responsibilities for many years to come. While reshaping the cost base will be a critical element of the strategy, we will also invest further and draw upon our resources in order to achieve this transformation.

"This will have an impact on GNM’s profit performance and on our cash position in the short term, including in the current financial year.

“We are only at the beginning of our new strategy, but I am determined that we will carry through the changes necessary to fulfil our primary function: securing the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian.”

• Guardian Media Group Annual Review 2011
  

Honey, they've shrunk the MediaGuardian

The MediaGuardian does not appear as a separate section of the Guardian today.

Instead it is wrapped inside the paper with just two pages of editorial and two of jobs.

It could be just a summer break but there has been speculation that MediaGuardian may go digital only, following the Guardian's technology section which scrapped its print edition in 2009.

It is also a sign of the collapse in the job market for journalists.

The Independent dropped its Monday Media section in April 2010 when it had a redesign and introduced the Viewspaper centre supplement.

Update: The Guardian's media editor Dan Sabbagh has tweeted: "Standalone media section back Aug 22nd. Not much job advertising around. Same happening for society and education."

• In June, the Guardian said it wanted to be a "digital first"organisation.
  

NUJ strike action at BBC and in South Yorkshire

NUJ members at the BBC have today started a second 24 hour strike action against compulsory redundancies while industrial action is continuing at South Yorkshire Newspapers over job cuts.

A work to rule will start when the BBC journalists return to work on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, NUJ members in South Yorkshire are continuing an indefinite strike action which started on Friday 15 July against job cuts at the Johnston-Press owned Doncaster Free Press, The South Yorkshire Times, The Selby Times and The Epworth Bells.

The NUJ is calling on management to enter into conciliation talks with ACAS to resolve the dispute. The union has requested a meeting with the new CEO of Johnston Press Ashley Highfield to discuss the future of the newspaper group and for him "to bring forward a new focus and commitment to quality and resources".

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: "NUJ members across the UK are fighting for the future of our profession. Job losses are disastrous for quality journalism and democracy in the UK. Management should stop the job cuts and get round the table with the NUJ."

The BBC said: "We are disappointed that the NUJ has gone ahead with today's strike and apologise to our audience for any disruption to services. Industrial action does not alter the fact that the BBC is faced with a number of potential compulsory redundancies following significant cuts to the central Government grants that support the World Service and BBC Monitoring.

"We will continue with our efforts to reduce the need for compulsory redundancies, however, the number of posts that we are having to close means that unfortunately it is likely to be impossible for us to avoid some compulsory redundancies."