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News From You

We receive dozens of news tips and press releases each week from ftm contributors. We want MORE. And we want to share the raw information as quickly as possible. NEWS FROM YOU is the forum for adding what you know to what we know. Share what you know...or what your hear. We will apply the light-touch of the editors axe for clarity. We will also accept NEWS FROM YOU in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese...without translation. (We do insist on being able to understand what you contribute.) You also must clearly indicate that your contribution is for publication in NEWS FROM YOU.

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Week ending February 10, 2007

AP and NowPublic.com announce a collaboration - February 9, 2007

from Alicia diVittorio/NowPublic.com

The Associated Press and NowPublic.com announced Friday (February 9) that they have agreed to an innovative initiative designed to bring citizen content into AP newsgathering, and to explore ways to involve NowPublic’s on-the-ground network of news contributors in AP's breaking news coverage.

NowPublic.com, based in Vancouver, is the world’s largest participatory news network with more than 60,000 contributors from 140 countries. The AP is the world’s largest newsgathering organization with a staff of more than 4,000 employees located in more than 240 bureaus in 97 countries.

The goal of the effort is to expand the world’s access to news as it happens, the companies said. In addition, it is designed to help NowPublic expand its rapidly growing network of worldwide contributors by exposing them to the opportunities they have to produce valuable news material.

"The Associated Press has a long tradition of pursuing citizen contributions in breaking news events worldwide," said Jim Kennedy, AP's vice president and director of strategic planning. "This relationship will make that connection even stronger and result in more news and images from people who are in the right place at the right time."

"NowPublic’s idea of a working relationship between the public as citizen media, and traditional reporters in the mainstream media started taking shape in 2006," said NowPublic co-founder and CEO Leonard Brody. "This collaboration is one of the initial endeavors."

Contributions to the AP news report from NowPublic’s network of participants could take many forms over time, said AP Deputy Managing Editor for Multimedia Lou Ferrara. "They could range from simple eyewitness accounts to originally produced content.”

In the early stages of the relationship, AP bureaus will work with NowPublic communities in selected locations on ways to enhance regional news coverage. National AP news desks also may tap the network in breaking news situations where citizen contributors may capture critical information and images. NowPublic also will help AP extend its coverage of virtual communities, such as social networks and contributed content sites, Ferrara said.

Budget Strengthens RFE/RL Programming To Iran, Ends Broadcasts To Romania, Macedonia – February 6, 2007

from Martins Zvaners/RFE/RL

The Broadcasting Board of Governors budget request for fiscal year 2008 renews additional funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) broadcasts to Iran, to expand news and information programming for Radio Farda, a joint service operated by RFE/RL and the Voice of America, and the Radio Farda web site.

The budget request also calls for RFE/RL to cease broadcasts to Romania and Macedonia. Broadcasts to Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other parts of the former Yugoslavia will be reduced under the budget requested for the BBG, the independent federal agency which supervises all U.S. government-supported, non-military international broadcasting, including RFE/RL. A proposed fiscal year 2007 reduction in broadcasting to Russia also is included in the budget request for 2008.

Reductions also will be made in RFE/RL support and administrative services.

These reductions still require action by the U.S. Congress.

"The budget request for RFE/RL is sufficient to support our continuing mission to promote freedom and democracy to peoples in Eastern Europe, Russian, the Caucasus, and Central and Southwestern Asia," said RFE/RL Acting President Jeffrey Trimble. "We are eager to continue to enrich our programming for Iran, and while RFE/RL programming to Romania and Macedonia remain popular in those countries, the elimination of these broadcasts and other proposed reductions are necessary to allow the BBG to achieve its stated priority of strengthening targeted programming to provide essential access to news and information to critical audiences," Trimble said.

RFE/RL currently broadcasts to 20 countries in 28 languages, 18 of which address primarily Muslim audiences.

See ftm comment:US Steps Up Broadcasts to Muslim Audiences, Cuba, North Korea and Iran

Ifra’s “Where NEWS?” project identifies dramatic changes in future communication – February 6, 2007<

from Cecilia Campbell/Ifra

The third report within “Where NEWS?”, Ifra’s research project on the future of news media launched in March last year, will be this year’s first and is published in the first quarter. Ifra’s research initiative, scheduled to run for at least three years, is backed by over € 1 million of funding.

The new report, “The Future Development of Media and Communication Technology”, has been produced through cooperation between Ifra and Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (DFKI – German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) in Saarbrücken. It is initially published in English, with Executive Summaries in different languages.

How people will communicate and use changing media:

The availability of personal computers, data networks as well as mobile computing and communication, has dramatically changed the way people communicate, entertain and inform themselves. Internet based services have become established as new channels in addition to the traditional media of newspapers, radio and television. In the next few years, Internet will increasingly change traditional media, influencing every stage of the media value chain. Content generation and aggregation as well as production technologies, distribution channels and media consumption will evolve. A set of major technology trends can be extracted from historical and current developments as well as from current R&D roadmaps of major technology companies and research institutes.

The most important changes in the media value chain will occur around the customer. Ubiquitous broadband network connections and digital devices that permeate every situation of daily life will allow people to use information, communication and services at work, at home and on the move. Users will experience the world as a digitally enriched reality. Intuitive multimodal interaction through personalized situation and context aware services will let users focus on content instead of technology. Background information about every selected piece of content will be readily available when broadcast media, interactive Internet, communication channels and services grow together.

Production technology will adapt to customers’ changing demands. The user will act as part of a media centered community. He will communicate with other community members and even significantly contribute to content production himself. Content production will become more user-centric. Tools for content generation and media production will have to incorporate means to realize this trend.

As content production becomes easier, information transfer speeds up and storage capacities grow exponentially, a true inflation of information will occur, leading to an increasing need to assess, select and authenticate media input. New tools for extracting relevant, validated and legal information will be available to filter a variety of information channels and sources.