links for 2010-06-02

 by Martin Belam, 2 June 2010
  • "Though I’m a traditionally trained reporter, most of my journalism has been online, where documenting how a story has been found is easily done (through links) and often done. Bloggers generally explain how they discovered a news item. As a results, bloggers also set themselves up for accusations that they’ve just “ripped off” some traditional news outlet. By carefully listing an originating source, and sometimes a “via” source, they expose how news flows. In contrast, a traditional media outlet typically does not document how a story came to life. It’s all a mystery. News just seems to emerge magically out of thin air in the middle of a newsroom. Or, it’s down to all those hard-working reporters out there defending democracy despite newspapers earning less these days because of all those rip-off bloggers". Includes another Daily Mail blatant online image theft.
  • Get's to the nub of the Danny Sullivan "MSM stole my story blogpost". Any analysis *proving* that blogs only regurgitate stories from the MSM and don't do original reporting or break stories is currently rendered virtually valueless if the mainstream media obliterate mentions of blog sources.
  • Includes this quote from Mike Hughes: "To be as frank as possible about it, some jobs previously done by two or three people can be done by one. New technology makes it possible with the likes of story templates for reporters and page templates for designers, but it has to have a new attitude as well, from management as well as the workforce".
  • "The official Iraklis website announced that the 'the war has started' and following the decision being made known between 4 - 6,000 supporters, many on motorbikes and scooters paraded through the centre of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city chanting that the town would burn if their team was relegated". Perhaps the Crystal Palace website needs to start taking a more militant tone?
  • "This is a bit of an open-and-shut case, right? Cheryl Cole appeared in an advert for Nestle L'oreal, punting some hair gunk which said could give her hair like hers. Except it couldn't, because she had hair extensions in. Oh, and you can't even use the product if you've got hair extensions. Not the worst piece of duplicitous advertising, but still, worthy of a reminder not to fib, eh, Advertising Standards Authority. Apparently not". Oh, it appears I have to stop saying 'look, if advertising can get self-regulation right, why can't we. Bonkers decision by ASA.
  • "Anyway, it is a lot more interesting and fun blogging in opposition". Nail. Head.
  • "The South African Muslim groups have done something quite remarkable. They have transformed what was merely a very good cartoon into a brilliant piece of situational art. The cartoon claimed Mohammed’s followers had no sense of humour, and they played their role to perfection – demonstrating the essential truth of the original by their reaction, and doubling its impact as a work of satire. And, of course, ensuring that it reaches a far greater audience than it ever would have had they simply ignored it. Brilliant. Just brilliant."
  • "Europeana’s first White Paper looks at the key role linked data will play in Europeana’s development and in helping Europe’s citizens make connections between existing knowledge to achieve new cultural and scientific developments. Without linked data, Europeana could be seen as a simple collection of digital objects. With linked data, the potential is far greater"

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