Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Google to launch $150 M. partnership with publishers

Ken  Doctor eporting:
In a move meant to blunt escalating European Union action against Google’s marketplace dominance, Google will tomorrow announce a $150 million partnership, to be spent over three years, in support of something called the Digital News Initiative (DNI), I’ve learned through several confidential sources.
...At least seven major European publishers have signed on to the initiative. They includeThe Financial Times, The Guardian, Italy’s La Stampa, France’s Les Echoes, Germany’sZeit, Spain’s El Païs and Netherlands’ N.R.C. Organizers consider the program an “open” one, so expect more publishers to join as well. It is a distinctly Eurocentric initiative, with no U.S.-based publishers as initial signatories, though the architects of the initiative expect its fruits to be globally useful for new companies.
...1) $150 million Google commitment toward news innovation. That’s, of course, the stream that will catch the most attention. The work will focus on product and platform improvement.
2) A “Product Council,” made up of publishers, will give direction to the initiative.
3) Google will also fund Reuters to widen news research in Europe. Expect to see more Europe-centric news research, à la the kind of analytic insights offered by the Pew Research Center in the U.S.

What are the boundaries of today’s journalism, and how is the rise of digital changing who defines them?

NiemanLab reporting:
In a new book, a group of academics look at how the big defining questions of the field — what is journalism? who is a journalist? who decides? — are changing.
...In other words, the study of boundaries provides a cartography of society. From this viewpoint, questions quickly spring forth: Where are boundaries around journalism drawn? Who makes these distinctions? How do boundaries get made? What are their consequences?
http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/04/what-are-the-boundaries-of-todays-journalism-and-how-is-the-rise-of-digital-changing-who-defines-them/?utm_source=Daily+Lab+email+list&utm_campaign=2bfe5cb592-dailylabemail3&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d68264fd5e-2bfe5cb592-384988165

Monday, April 27, 2015

2015 Pulitzer Winners

Journalism

PUBLIC SERVICE - The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING - The Seattle Times Staff
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING - Two Prizes: - Eric Lipton of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal Staff
EXPLANATORY REPORTING - Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News
LOCAL REPORTING - Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of theDaily Breeze, Torrance, CA
NATIONAL REPORTING - Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING - The New York Times Staff
FEATURE WRITING - Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times
COMMENTARY - Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle
CRITICISM - Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times
EDITORIAL WRITING - Kathleen Kingsbury of The Boston Globe
EDITORIAL CARTOONING - Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News
BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY - Daniel Berehulak , freelance photographer, The New York Times

Books, Drama and Music...

6-Month-Old Babies Are Now Using Tablets and Smartphones

TIME reporting:
Given the ubiquity of electronics, it’s not so surprising that children come across media and devices in the home. Still, the researchers note that the children in this study were often very young and that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) frowns upon television and other media exposure for kids under the age of 2. The AAP saysexcessive media use can contribute to school trouble, attention problems and obesity, according to studies, and that Internet and cell-phone use can be platforms for risky behavior.
The survey results also suggest that parents let their children use media or mobile tech as distraction. For instance, the study showed 73% of surveyed parents let their kids play with mobile devices while they were doing chores around the house. Sixty percent said they let children use them while running errands, 65% to calm their child and 29% to put their kid to sleep. Just 30% of the parents in the survey said they spoke to their pediatrician about media use.http://time.com/3834978/babies-use-devices/