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19 April 2012 | AP

U.S. Internet ad revenue hits record USD 31bn in 2011

Revenue from Internet advertising in the U.S. hit a record USD 31bn last year, according to a study released Wednesday. That's up 22 percent from USD 26bn in 2010, the previous record. The Interactive Advertising Bureau, an industry group, conducted the quarterly study with PricewaterhouseCoopers. About half of the ad revenue, USD 14.8bn, came from the search category. Those are the text-based ads that are sold by Google and others and that are targeted to search terms and other keywords. The fastest-growing category was mobile, with revenue of USD 1.6bn in 2011, more than double the USD 600m a year earlier. It's still a small part of overall Internet advertising, however. David Silverman, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the growth in mobile should continue given its ability "to deliver timely, targeted, relevant and local advertisements in a manner that was not previously possible." According to the study, retail advertisers were the largest spenders, accounting for 22 percent, or USD 7.1bn, of the total last year.

Original source

19 April 2012 | Journalism.co.uk

UK: York hyperlocal launches online TV channel and magazine

Hyperlocal York news website One&Other announced its expansion this week with the addition of a free monthly magazine and online TV channel. Shortlisted for the 2012 Newspaper Awards for digital innovation, One&Other – which was set up in September 2011 – is working in partnership on the online local TV channel with Parashoots, a film company established by director and screenwriter Mark Herman which aims to help media and film graduates break into the industry. According to a press release the One&OtherTV will offer "a mix of local news, culture, causes and interviews". Paul Richardson, creative director of Parashoots, said the vision for the One&Other expansion is to "reflect a general resurgence in localism." The new magazine, focusing on news and culture, has an initial print run of 15,000 copies per month and launches on 1 May. The magazine is an open collaboration between One&Other's 75-strong network of contributors. "First online, and now in print and TV, piece-by-piece we are conceiving a local media brand and model fit for the 21st century – one that views the industry challenges as possibilities and simultaneously entertains, inspires, and empowers the communities for good", Goulden stated in a press release.

Original source

19 April 2012 | Reuters

Montenegrin journalist given prison term for libel

A court in Montenegro ordered a journalist to serve four months in prison for libel on Wednesday in a case that could damage the country's reputation for media freedom as it prepares for talks on joining the European Union. The case stems from a 2007 report in the Montenegrin weekly Monitor in which journalist Petar Komnenic alleged that authorities in the Adriatic country had placed a number of senior judges under illegal surveillance. Komnenic was convicted of libel in February 2011 and ordered to pay a fine of EUR 3,000 or serve four months in jail. He refused to pay the fine and appealed to a higher court, which ruled he should serve community service rather than a prison sentence. But the Podgorica magistrate on Wednesday reinstated the prison term. Rights groups in the former Yugoslav republic have expressed concern over the handling of the case. One of the judges cited in the report testified to the alleged surveillance and court files containing evidence went missing. Komnenic is an editor with Podgorica-based TV Vijesti and also works as a stringer for Reuters. The European Union has said it was following the case, and stressed that media freedom in Montenegro is a concern as it nears the start of accession talks in June this year.

Original source

19 April 2012 | BBC News

UK Phone hacking: journalist files sent to prosecutors

Four files relating to alleged offences committed by journalists have been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider if charges can be brought. The cases concern allegations of misconduct in a public office, perverting the course of justice, witness intimidation and harassment. Interception of communications, thought to be phone hacking, is also included. Four journalists, one police officer and six other people are allegedly involved. There are 43 people currently on bail in connection with police inquiries into alleged hacking. Some of the suspects referred to in the files have not been questioned by police yet, said the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer. The charge of misconduct in a public office relates to the police officer and one journalist. One journalist and six other people are linked to the charge of perverting the course of justice, while one journalist is linked to the witness harassment charge, and one journalist is accused of intercepting communication. Mr Starmer said: "These just happen to be the four files we have got, there may be others. We don't know."

Original source

19 April 2012 | The Guardian

Azerbaijani journalist attacked by oil company security

A leading investigative journalist in Azerbaijan has been hospitalised after being beaten by security officers from the country's state-run oil giant. Idrak Abbasov, who was awarded the Guardian journalism prize at the Index on Censorship's press awards last month, was left bloodied and bruised by the midday attack. Witnesses said security officers from the Socar oil company had singled out the journalist, who was covering a protest by local residents against the energy giant's demolition of their homes on the outskirts of the capital, Baku. "Several members of Socar's security team attacked Idrak. They took his video camera away, threw him to the ground and started to kick him," Abbasov's brother Roman, who was also at the protest, told Caucasian Knot, a news agency focusing on the region. "He was all covered in blood, his head was smashed and one eye was totally shut." Roman Abbasov said police refused to respond to the attack and he was forced to deliver his brother to hospital on his own. Doctors said his life was not in danger. Abbasov, who writes for the local Zerkalo newspaper and is a founding member for the country's Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety, has faced long-standing threats to his security.

Original source

19 April 2012 | Journalism.co.uk

US local newspaper launches paid-for HTML5 web app

Washington newspaper the Chronicle has launched an HTML5 web app for iPad, which is available as part of its paid-for website, print and app subscription bundle. Inspired by the Financial Times web app which launched last June, the Chronicle's app is integrated with the publisher's subscriber database offering a "seamless extension of the subscription model", said Scott Karp, CEO of Publish2, the platform behind the app. The web app offers a native-like iPad app experience and allows users to customise sections, save stories for reading in offline mode, and login with Facebook and Twitter. As with the FT's app, users access it via the iPad's Safari browser, bookmarking it to add the app icon to the tablet's home screen rather than downloading the app from Apple's iTunes Store. The publisher also bypasses Apple's restrictions, circumventing the 30 per cent levy and managing its own customer data. The Chronicle pays an annual licence fee to Publish2, which powers the app, rather than sharing revenue. Adverts in the Chronicle's app are served by the publisher's ad server and usage is tracked with analytics software. As the app is powered by its "platform for integrated digital-first publishing" and not by the Chronicle's web CMS, it is a distinct product from its website. The app also offers content from Publish2's network, including non-profit investigative news site ProPublica and TechCrunch. The Chronicle app has Facebook and Twitter integration, enabling social sharing.

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