The Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday that Nigeria would be in space in the next 15 years. He said the goal was achievable if the momentum of current development drive was sustained.
“In 15 to 25 years, we will put Nigeria into space. We will get there. It is not as unattainable as it looks. And we have to do it. For if we are going to make progress, we are going to make it on the basis of commitment, service and sacrifice. And we are not going to be found wanting. We must not be found wanting. We are making efforts not to lag behind. We are not where we would want to be. But we must consistently and cumulatively industrialise. And to do this, infrastructure is a must. We just cannot do without it. Whether it is in terms of road, rail, energy or water. These are non-negotiable. Because of money, we may not be able to do everything at same speed and same time,” Obasanjo said.
The presidential qoute was to be found in most of the countries presidential newspapers…
I found this link at linkfilter.net: Someone suggested that Nigeria has been in space for 14 years…
UK entrepreneur ponders publishing success with expected launch of a free newspaper for New Yorkers.
Britain’s most iconic entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson, is eyeing the newspaper business as his next potential gold mine according to a source obtained by Forbes magazine.
The chairman of Virgin is reportedly considering the scope of unveiling a free daily publication in New York City, in what would mark a nostalgic venture for the entrepreneur who launched a magazine in his early teens.
The anticipated free newspaper, described by the source as still in the preliminary stages, would focus on show business and entertainment.
Richard and his clones from space
It is expected to be sponsored by the Virgin empire’s entertainment division, which includes the company’s showpiece, Virgin Megastores.
From: Freelance UK
First, some guidelines about how to “read” news stories. Never assume that a single article or report on a given day is the whole story. Journalism is a mosaic-like process. Good reporters create the mosaic by not starting with a preconceived design. Each story on a particular subject is but one tile, just a beginning-and maybe flawed. The next story on that subject adds a new tile, perhaps some new perspective-and so on until an intelligible picture begins to emerge. Think of the Karl Rove/CIA leak story. It’s now more than two years old and a number of pieces have fallen into place, but the mosaic still has large gaps and is not yet coherent. Why has it taken so long? Mostly, it’s because the case has been in the hands of a very tight-lipped federal prosecutor who holds most of the pieces. When he finally speaks, maybe the picture will clear. But there are other reasons, too, why a story may take a long time to come out of the fog. Government secrecy. An inattentive press. Or a press corps with a pack mentality that charges off occasionally on false leads. We’re human and fallible; keep that in mind when you’re getting your news of the day.
Source: Sydney H. Schanberg, The Village Voice
Bathroom humor isn’t going over well with a number of newspapers that carry the Doonesbury comic strip. The comics running Tuesday and Wednesday will show a caricature of President Bush referring to his top political adviser, Karl Rove, by the nickname “turd blossom.”
Nearly a dozen newspapers have complained to the distributor of Doonesbury, Universal Press Syndicate, some saying they would not run the comic at all and some will print and edited version, writes wistv.com.
Universal Press didn’t offer alternative strips to use, as it’s done in the past when there’s controversial content.
Update 28/07
Cartoonist Garry Trudeau comments the editor decisions to edit his work:
“The syndicate and I accept that from time to time individual editors may object to particular strips and decide to drop them. What’s not acceptable to us, however, is for editors to alter the content of a strip and represent it as what I sent them. In most cases, changing the dialogue compromises its meaning or rhythm or humor. Sometimes, the strip no longer even makes sense. Who benefits from that? We’d prefer that an offending strip be dropped altogether.”
Source: Dave Astor, Editor & Publisher
Q: What’s worse than getting scooped by a competing publication on a story you have been sitting on because you were afraid you might be get hauled into court to identify the source?
A: Running the story a day late and getting hauled into court, anyway.
“That’s how things went down – and I do mean down – at the Cleveland Plain Dealer,” writes Alan D. Mutter, on his blog Reflections of a Newsosaur. Read his post here..
From Reuters: “The Financial Times topped a list of the world’s best newspapers, according to a survey of executives, politicians, university lecturers, journalists and advertising professionals conducted by a Swiss-based consultant.
Among 1,000 respondents from 50 countries, 19.4 percent chose the FT as the best paper, according to the survey by Zurich-based Internationale Medienhilfe.
Following are the results of the survey. Figures in brackets show 2003 survey results:
1) Financial Times (U.K.) 19.4 (20.7)
2) Wall Street Journal (U.S.) 17.0 (7.5)
3) Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany) 16.2 (10.9)
4) Le Monde (France) 12.5 (2.1)
5) Neue Zurcher Zeitung (Switzerland) 12.1 (15.0)
6) New York Times (U.S.) 8.1 (21.3)
7) Intl. Herald Tribune (France) 5.2 (11.3)
8) Asahi Shimbun (Japan) 2.6 (0.4)
9) El Pais (Spain) 1.9 (4.8)
10) Corriere della Sera (Italy) 1.3 (0.7)
Thanks to Editors Weblog for this.
All these Newspapers have free online editions. Find them here: www.newspaperindex.com
New York Times editor Bill Keller, who knows a thing or two about newspapers losing credibility, says that the line between newspapers and blogs continues to blur:
“We’ve only got two things that distinguish us from blogs. One is we have reporting staffs who actually go out and see stuff and are trained professionals. And we have standards which are enforced by editors — you double-check things, make sure it’s right — and all that costs money. If you aren’t giving people the basics — good reliable news, smart analysis and in-depth investigations — then all they’re going to see is the same stuff they can get on cable TV.”
From www.corante.com
Best US. Newspapers
The top ten catchphrases on mainstream newspapers in the first half of this year were released on July 18 at Beijing Language and Culture University, among them are “harmonious society”, “Thousand-hand Bodhisattva” and “Lien-Soong’s mainland visits”.
The hot words are jointly released by the National Monitoring and Research Center of Language Resources, Beijing Language and Culture University, China Association of Press Technicians and Chinese Information Processing Society of China, writes “Peoples Daily Online”
These words are selected under computer aid from articles of 15 mainstream newspapers from January 1 to June 30– a corpus containing 190 million Chinese characters. They fall into categories as comprehensive news, international events, domestic events, economy, education, science and technology, culture, United Nations and security.
Each category contains the hot words as follows:
Comprehensive news: harmonious society, food security, keeping the advanced nature of Party members, Thousand-hand Bodhisattva, Lien-Soong’s mainland visits, etc.
International events: 60th anniversary of the victory of world anti-Fascist war, World Economic Forum, tsunami early-warning etc.
Domestic events: workplace safety, ice-breaking tour, etc.
Economy: RMB revaluation, crude oil price, economic census etc.
Education: equal education opportunity, College English Test reform.
Science and technology: South Pole Scientific Expedition, stem cell etc.
Culture: Figures Who Moved China Deeply, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty.
United Nations special report: the 60th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, UN Security Council expansion etc.
Security: Sudan I, man-made milk etc. (What?!?)
Read the best chinese online newspapers here
-Or read todays printversions right here in full text and in original layout:
L.A. Times issues ethics guidelines for reporters,
The Los Angeles Times has issued a set of ethical guidelines designed to encourage the newspaper’s journalists to limit the unnecessary use of anonymous sources, avoid conflicts of interest and write in precise language. The nine-page set of standards - sent to reporters and editors at the newspaper this week - comes not after a scandal, as at some other publications, but at a time when waning circulation and public trust in the news media have led many newspapers to codify their standards. The Times previously has issued rules for reporters, but mostly in a hodgepodge of memos and directives - many of which were not available to everyone.
Now, all employees will be asked to review the guidelines, said Editor John S. Carroll.
So can you, the guideline is now online here:
Link: Los Angeles Times Ethics Guidelines (PDF)
I am afraid I have broken one or two of the rules…
Source: James Rainey, The Los Angeles Times (Via SPJ.org) Link.
Read the entire issue of LA. Times online here:
Read newspaperindex.com´ choice of the best online newspapers in USA here.
The newspaper of the future has been revealed by a team of Paisley scientists who have developed a new iPod-style computer for reading, writes the Scotsman.com.
The creation has been developed by scientists at Paisley University’s Thin Film Centre.
The team behind the three-year study have developed a working prototype - the first of its kind. This means that people could download their newspapers in the morning and receive up-to-the minute news throughout the day.
Professor Frank Placido, who heads the centre, said: “Electronic paper reflects light off its white background making it easy to read outdoors, in bright light and at virtually any angle.
“Many new applications can be opened up from this including interactive posters, greetings cards and electronic books. It has the potential to replace newspapers, but one of the biggest problems we have is that people like the feel of handling a book or newspaper.
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Link to Paisley University pressrelease
..and here we go again. Spain was great :-)
International free expression groups today launched a new website detailing the state of free expression in Tunisia and challenged the government to end Internet blocking in the lead-up to the November 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
The free expression organizations have documented systemic Internet censorship by Tunisian authorities. According to the TMG website - http://campaigns.ifex.org/tmg - government censors routinely block access to at least 20 websites that provide independent news and analysis about human rights and political issues in Tunisia. They include kalimatunisie.com, tunezine.com, tunisnews.net and reveiltunisien.org.
