A map of Norwegian papers using Youtube

Christoph Schmitz has created a map of Norwegian newspapers using Youtube.  With mine and Mark Luckie’s we could be on our way to a world atlas!

Update: Just checked my trackbacks and found this list of polish papers with you tube sites.

Update 2: Alex Gamela has created a map of Portuguese newspapers using YouTube. Great stuff.

The disposable medium - Picture by Pete Ashton via Flickr

I was on the train back from London last week and found myself sat behind a guy with a huge pile of newspapers. For the duration of the trip from London to Manchester he systematically went through the papers tearing out article and leaving a shredded mess behind him when he got off. By a quick reckoning he had left behind about 6 pounds worth of newspaper.

I was pondering this as I read a nice post over at Jo Geary’s blog where she ponders the ‘value’ of print. In, what she calls, Quick, incoherent thought #4: the power of print (I like the number thing, makes it sound like a series of artworks)she questions the value of print in world where digital is cheaper. Does digital mean that people value print less?

Well, the people who queued outside The Washington Post for their special edition on Obama’s victory would tell you there was a value to print and it has been argued that this is proof that newspaper is still the format of choice for important events. “People didn’t print out the news on their computers”, goes the argument.

In fact Jo argues that in some cases the content is so valuable that it could go in a hard back book.

I have some sympathy with that view (despite my link bait title), the transient nature of the web is often its least appealing characteristics. But I think there is one key factor that makes newspapers, rather than books, a valuable platform and one that should thrive and it isn’t the keepsake value.

Would you bin a kindle?

For me the man on the train proved to me that the compelling feature of newspaper as a medium is that we are prepared to throw it away. Bin it, shred it, leave it on the bus. Whatever we do we are happy to spend money on it and then leave it.

That’s why I think Jo’s book idea is a good one. But it’s also why I think that the newspaper industry excitement (or maybe that should be panic driven hope) for the development of e-readers and digital paper is so, so wrong. I have actually heard newspaper managers talk about how things will be ‘all right’ once digital ink is sorted.

Would you buy this and bin it?

Allowing people to download the daily newspaper to an e-reader or flexible screen may feel like it gives the industry back some of the monopoly on the distribution platform it thinks it needs to survive. But in reality it flies in the face of the way we consume and discard our daily news fix.

Maybe that’s just me. But I’m sure the man on the train would rather have his pile of paper.

Newspaper photo by Pete Ashton from Flickr

Liverpool Daily Post used democracy site "what do they know" for this story

Update: Alison has a great post on her blog about this story with some insight in to what a big cultural shift this has been for some in the newsroom

Alison Gow has just dropped me a tweet pointing me to a story on the Liverpool Daily Post website about the numbers of council workers going off sick.

The information for the story came via a website called What do they Know which facilitates the submission of Freedom of information requests by the public.  What’s esspecially pleasing is that full credit is given to the site at the end of the article

How the figures were revealed

THE figures were released after a member of the public made a Freedom of Information request.

Stephen Gradwick used democracy website www.whatdotheyknow.com to submit the enquiry.

The original request, all letters and emails and the council’s response can be found at http://bit.ly/14Xm6

Great stuff and I hope a lot more people pitch in to the site and the other great offerings from MySociety

On a personal note, I should say that I’m a bit peeved that Alison and the team have got a story from the site. I’ve been using What do they know in the training I’ve been doing with Trinity Mirror journos and now my secret weapon to wake people up as the afternoon session drags is out!

I’ve used Mindy McAdams’ Timeline of breaking news and Paul Bradshaw’s post asking “Are these the biggest moments in journalism-blogging history?” as the main sources. Alf Hermida also pitched in suggesting the BBC election coverage and Death of Diana as defining moments. I agree so I’ve added them as well.

I’ll add some more when I find them or , of course, if you want to suggest any.

View Larger Map

The map includes regional and national press and there may be some accounts linked to more than one paper as the publisher may only have one website for that area. There may also be some accounts listed that are no longer used or vary rarely updated. They still carry content so they i’ve kept them in as a ‘presence’.

I was interesting to find a number of individuals using their accounts to host the papers video. Nice in the sense that they were having a go but also a little disappointing in the lack of support. Still, I suppose that’s innovation for ya!

I’m slowly formulating a ’state of the medium address’ on video which I’m hoping to get headspace and time for before xmas and this has added a bit of food for thought. But, in the meantime, you can judge the quality and the effectiveness yourself by taking a look at the the latest 20 videos from these sites below (another pipe which takes a while to show up) which at some point I will try and append with view stats etc.

Michael Rosenblum has been doing his ’sky is falling in’ schtick again this time at the recent society of editors do. Thanks to some spiffing video from Paul Bradhaw Rosenblum’s view has been stirring up some nodding comments of agreements.

One of the things I like about seeing Michael talk is not because of what he is saying. I like it to see which arcane ‘industry’ from the past he’ll pick to compare the industry to.  Last time I saw him it was the ice industry. He’s great value.

But is that why people listen to Rosenblum?

Say what you like about Michael, his message is always pretty consistent and in the best tradition of a good sales pitch contains an unarguable truth - you can’t carry on as you are. But there is nothing unique about that message. A lot of people have been saying for a long time especially with respect to video.

So is it his success rate?

Well, there are certainly those who have benefited from his way of doing things but there are plenty of other projects that have had mixed reaction and success. Michael has as many doubters as fans.  I’m a fan but I don’t think he has an answer that works across the board.

So what is it? Here’s my theory.

Like for like

Micheal gets listened to, especially at events like this, because he looks like the majority of people in the room. He is a senior-management/executive talking to a room of senior-management/executives about what they should do.

Is that a poor reflection on Michael? Of course not. He has a view to pitch and aims it really well. It’s more a problem with his audience.

Many people are listening to Rosenblum because they are hearing the message for the first time. That doesnt mean Micheal has anything new to say. It means that, too their shame, the people in the room have not been listening up until that point.

As suprising as it may be to them, there are people in their organisations who are as knowledgable and passionate about video as he is. They may have more experience of the particular problems in their company and more direct suggestions to help solve them.

They may not give as good a show but they may give as good advice.

The fort dunlop sign, originally uploaded by Andy Dickinson.

As a brief reason (excuse) as to my lack of posting over the last month or so I present a view of a place I’ve been spending some time at training.

Normal services will be resumed at some point, I hope.

• The Digital Narrative - Find your story - A fantatsic site that has a number of resources for digital story telling and teaching through them
• Are we ready for the future news consumer? - A really interesting round up of research on news consumers - “We need to find ways to make online news appealing to both Net-Newsers and Integrators – perhaps even to Traditionalists”
• User-generated content as a form of newsgathering - Alf has a useful round up on the development of UGC via the BBC’s Pete Clifton. I think Alf’s last point about Multimedia is an interesting one. What’s the value of that word in the changing media landscape?
• Teaching Journalism Today - Thought provoking stuff on how and what we should teach in J-schools “The best journalism teachers are the ones who understand that talking is not teaching. The best journalism students are the ones who realize that listening is not learning.”
• David Talbot: Find your own journalistic tribe » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism
• YouTube Translate: So Your Babushka Can Get What Your Video Blog is About - Today YouTube unveiled a Translate feature for videos which include captions. Translates can be messy, but it’s better than nothing, we think!
• Couch Potatoes Sprout - Group citizen journalism is emerging in local communities as mainstream media reduces its reporting ranks. This book describes how community group journalism operates at adult and youth levels..
• BBC pledges to link out - but holds back the Google juice - Paul Bradshaw’s take on the BBC linking thing
• Final Cut Pro: HDV timecode offset with Capture Now - one of what seems to be a real flush of ‘problems’ with FCP
• Greedy BBC Blocks External Links - The original ‘critisicm’ of BBC’s linking policy
• Quick video explainers: An easy way to tell a complicated story » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism
• Now you can annotate Freedom of Information requests and responses - This stuff just gets better and better.
• Defining who the Knight News Challenge is for » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism
• The biggest deal for online video this year - “Anyone interested in video on the web - and particularly making money from video on the web - should pay close attention to the partnership between MTV and MySpace” I agree with Paul. But what’s the bet that a number of msm companies try and develop something themselves.

The Belfast Telegraph Crime map

Still, whilst exploring I noticed a slideshow of the recent homecoming parade of The Royal Irish Regiment in Belfast. It’s shame that the slideshow was the the bog standard html click and link job (very old school next to a sexy mashup). An audio slideshow with soeme sound from the event would have been really evocative.

Especially when you have such fantastic shots like this one

Great pictures still sell a story

She continues:

In fact, in today’s media reality many editors don’t dare to let their journos out of the office, as it might bring down their production due to time spent travelling etc, unless it’s to some big conference they know will generate plenty of copy (in which scenario, you might not find time to actually TALK to people while there).

So it was interesting and timley that Kristine posted a job ad she’d seen on:

Are you dreaming of traveling? Do you want to write long feature stories? Do you enjoy writing comprehensive profile interviews? Are you interested in writing about international politics? Do you think printed newspapers are more exciting than the web? Then you don’t need to apply for a job at Varden.

We are looking for a competent journalist for our newly created central news hub. You have to understand what readers are interested in; have good journalistic instincts and comprehensive local knowledge. High speed, a good attitude and an understanding of new media is a must.

She admits it was a hasty translations. Still perhaps in job ads, as in life, honesty is not always the best policiy.