links for 2008-05-05

"I toy occasionally with the idea of a news service that markets itself as providing 'news only when there is any'". Thoughts from Seamus on Lloyd's post about 'Slow News'

"Cheesbrough has been hiring additional technology staff including some who previously worked as journalists: 'The holy grail is someone who’s good at technology, who is good at journalism and who knows how to make the money'". More cool stuff in Victor

Gilligan's analysis of the Mayoral election media coverage, refuting the claim that Evening Standard billboards " somehow exercise occult control over Londoners' minds". Obviously not, else the city would be empty after that time they told us to flee...

"It's an intellectually bankrupt argument that won't stop their businesses from going bankrupt as well...it's long past time to move on from this bloggers versus journalists, 'new media' versus journalism debate. It's now a matter of urgency".

"When I write the post, I know more about that topic than the average person reading it. But I don’t know more about the topic than some of the people reading it - so if I can get them to contribute then everyone will have benefited". Amen to that.

Podcast figures from The Guardian - "hopefully these stats will give a much needed boost to UK podcasts. It would be nice to see some successful independent and home produced pods coming through, as has happened in the US".

"To illustrate its story, the Mail prints a picture of leggy female totty looking provocatively gorgeous. Of course, the paper has a childproof lock on it. How silly of us to forget that! Kids can’t pick up the Mail without their parents’ knowledge".

For me, the main problem Three isn't that it doesn't have enough science programmes, but that it is aimed squarely at the single demographic with the most appeal to advertisers. Why not a channel aimed at under-served audiences like the over 50s?

"The public are so enthusiastic about journalism that they even do it themselves - for free. Doesn’t it make sense to harness that through New Media technology?"