Mark Lewis: Libel law?s ?killing effect?

Mark Lewis, the solicitor-advocate in Manchester who currently represents Dr Peter Wilmshurst (see background here),  has written an excellent piece on the need for libel reform, in the Solicitors’ Journal. “When the law is so bad that it leaves you speechless it needs changing,” he writes. The law of defamation is expensive to pursue and even [...]

Ofcom revokes Teletext licence

The Teletext goodbyes have already been done, but Ofcom has today revoked the Public Teletext Licence with immediate effect [PDF at this link]. Teletext Limited, which ceased supplying national, international and regional news in December 2009, is now in breach of its public service obligations, so the broadcasting licence has been revoked by the broadcasting regulator. [...]

Police visit blogger: a new use of the 1997 Harassment Act?

As noted here earlier this week, blogger Joseph Weissman has been reported to the police for ‘harassment’, after maintaining a website dedicated to scrutinising a Church of England vicar. Rev Stephen Sizer, of the parish of Virginia Water, lodged a complaint about the site and its author was visited by the West Yorkshire police. The police [...]

Director of digital newspaper Factual.es resigns two months after first edition

Arcadi Espada blames irreconcilable differences with the management structure after resigning two months after the launch of his Spanish digital newspaper

#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk ? creating slideshows

Multimedia: Think about using images and audio to create audio slideshows. Adam Westbrook has some great advice in this post on the power and the challenges of creating them. Tipster: Laura Oliver.

To submit a tip to Journalism.co.uk, use this link - we will pay a fiver for the best ones published.

Wikileaks temporarily closes due to lack of funds

WikiLeaks.org, the whistleblowing and transparency website, has temporarily shut its site, citing lack of funds. It promises to be “back soon”. WikiLeaks, part of the Sunshine Press, is calling for donations to support the publication of “hundreds of thousands” of pages from “corrupt banks, the US detainee system, the Iraq war, China, the UN and many [...]

Guardian names three new Beatbloggers

Yesterday afternoon Guardian News & Media announced its three new beat bloggers, part of the Guardian Local initiative. The Local project is an “experimental small-scale community approach to local newsgathering,” according to launch editor Sarah Hartley. Hartley writes: We had a tremendous response to the advertised positions and, as the Local launch editor, I’m delighted to announce that [...]

Journalism?s future at the Frontline: ?The snails attacked us!?

“Aagh, it’s the attack of the snails!” is how Kevin Anderson, digital research editor at the Guardian described the news industry’s reaction to revenue destroying online technology – just what were publishers doing in the mid-90s when the web was first growing, he asked. Anderson, who describes himself as a digital native since the web’s earliest [...]

Why the Third Sector offers a new way for journalists

Why did you go into journalism? For lots of us, it probably had something to do with the chance to tell stories that matter, uncover unreported tragedies, make a difference to society ? and make some money too. It doesn’t take long at any news desk for this fantasy to be beaten out of most of us; [...]

Charlie Brooker on how broadcast journalism works

Charlie Brooker on the latest episode of his satirical masterpiece Newswipe sends up the ‘visual language’ of a typical standard TV news report. Watch with the sound turned off and you will realise just how close to the bone he cuts. Similar Posts: #FollowJourn: @FredHatman/blogger Guardian: Perez Hilton to blog for ITV Job cuts at the London Evening Standard? Baldy blogger’s [...]

Cit-j site AllVoices plans to develop hyperlocal markets

AllVoices, the US-based site that describes itself as ‘the leading source for credible citizen reporting’ has raised $9m in funding overall since its birth in 2007, with the latest $3 million from VantagePoint Venture Partners (as earlier reported by paidContent / TechCrunch). Forthcoming plans include focusing on developing hyperlocal and global markets, COO Aki Hashmi has [...]

Irish Mail on Sunday responds to air controller blogger?s complaint

We reported earlier this week that air controller and blogger Melanie Schregardus had lodged a complaint with the Irish Mail on Sunday, after the newspaper ran an article about her last Sunday. Online users rushed to her defence, via Twitter and in the comments on her reinstated blog. The editor of the Irish Mail on Sunday, [...]