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Daily News Summaries of presentations and other news from the 53rd World Newspaper Congress, 7th World Editors Forum and Info Expo 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 11-14 June 2000 For more information -- including copies of the presentations and WAN's soon-to-be-published Congress and Forum reports, contact WAN, 25 rue d'Astorg, 75008 Paris France, Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00, Fax +33 1 47 42 49 48. E-mail: contact_us@wan.asso.fr
Press
release posted13/06/2000 Newspaper Publishers Demand Stronger Copyright Protection English French Spanish Brazilian President Sees a Digital Future English Summary
posted 13/06/2000 Internet Market Dynamics Are Good for Newspapers Gavin O'Reilly, Managing Director, Independent Newspapers, Ireland The internet is no longer unknown territory for newspaper companies. "We know it. We know its limitations. We know its virtues. We no longer see business-destroying demons. What we see is measured promise, brave new competition, and a vision of ourselves," says Mr O'Reilly. Mr O'Reilly doesn't believe the internet is revolutionary. Instead, he believes it is evolutionary -- "it will in no way replace our present business -- it will greatly augment it." Mr O'Reilly described a company strategy which makes brands the key to maintaining reader loyalty and trust in the digital age. "The market dynamics are positive for newspapers," he says. "As the Time Warnter/AOL merger confirms, content has increasing currency in this Cyberworld. Though we live in a global village, the villagers still want to know what's going on in their own village. Need convincing? - Just try and sell The Los Angeles Times in Edinburgh or our Irish Independent in Capetown." 24x7: The Challenge for Newspaper Companies John Perriss, Chairman, Zenith Media - Worldwide, UK Newspapers will need to change further and faster despite the strength of their core business if they are to compete in a media world that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, says Mr Perriss. "There is a lot of work to be done to deliver value added packages to our clients which exploit the unique relationship a newspaper enjoys with its readers," he says. Mr. Perriss provided an overview of how newspaper companies are trying to create acess to their clients' potential customers on a "24x7" basis via all communications platforms. Among other things, he said: the consumer is becoming more literate, more mobile, more techno friendly, wealthier and individualistic; the world population watches more TV, sees more billboards, but reads less newspapers; advertising expenditure continues to grow; marketeers are seeking 24x7 approach to media communications; and media agencies are moving to become media communications advisors. Reporters for All Media: The Case of the Orlando Sentinel Keith Wheeler, Deputy Managing Editor for Multimedia, and Debbie Salamone Wickham, multimedia reporter, The Orlando Sentinel, USA Mr Wheeler and Ms Wickham let their newspaper speak for itself. A video explained the concept: reporters at the Orlando Sentinel work for all media in the group, -- radio, television, internet -- and not just the newspaper. So a multimedia desk was created where key editors -- a deputy managing editor for local news, an online editor, a graphics editor, a photo editor, and a deputy managing editor for multimedia who coordinates information between these key editors and the group's radio and TV partners. "When I started my job with the Orlando Sentinel, the buzzword was synergy, not convergence. But whichever word you choose, I feel the future depends upon which company delivers its news and information to as many places, in whichever forms, the public demands," said Mr Wheeler. After a very short introduction, and the video, Mr Wheeler opened the floor to questions, which led to a two-hour, standing-room-only, sometimes contentious discussion about the pros and cons of the multimedia newsroom. Covering the Religion Beat: The Moral Dimension of News Richard Scheinin, religion writer, San Jose Mercury News, USA In the past ten to 15 years, newspapers have arrived at a new understanding of the importance of the religion beat, says Mr Scheinin. "For years, reader surveys have indicated a thirst for more religion coverage. People have wanted to know how religion relates to education, parenting, or business. Editors are now listening to them," he says. It is, in fact, impossible not to write about religion these days, what with ethnic and religious strife and abortion controversies. But there is another side of the story -- the importance of writing about "etchical" or "moral dimensions" of news stories. "To give you an example, when President Bill Clinton considered sending troops to Bosnia and Somalia in the early '90s, I wrote stories about what constitutes a "just war." I spoke to peace activists, theologians, policy makers, and ordinary people about whether a military action can also be a 'humanitarian intervention.' What emerged were stories that gave voice to many interpretations of significant news events. It was a good, healthy discussion that got printed on our pages, and it prompted scores of letters and phone calls from readers." |
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