Europe:Campaigners call for web freedom
Friday, July 9th, 2010The danger posed to human rights by internet censorship was the main topic under discussion by the Parliament’s Human Rights Sub-Committee on 2 June in Brussels. Finnish politician Heidi Hautala chairs the sub-committee. In a committee room in the European Parliament building – surrounded by 16 booths, each holding up to three translators – the sub-committee first heard from a representative of Global Solutions, a company who were commissioned to undertake an investigation of human rights abuses on the internet. Representatives from Nokia, Siemens and Google were in attendance. Examples...[full story]
Meet the media:Diana Rusk
Friday, July 9th, 2010Political correspondent with the Irish News, Diana Rusk has had a “baptism of fire” since she took up the post in January this year. She joined the Irish News as a full-time news reporter in 2007 after a stint as a freelancer for them. Prior to that, Diana began her career in the Impartial Reporter in 2005, following a journalism degree in DCU. How did you get started in journalism? I was perhaps around eight years old when I began thinking about my career. A bit of a daydreamer, I spent many an afternoon creating my own fictional radio show. I was its presenter, newsreader, entertainment,...[full story]
Meet the media:Thomas Kane
Friday, June 4th, 2010A graduate in electronic and electrical engineering from Queen’s, Thomas Kane didn’t take the typical route to the TV screen. After a stint for NBC in California, he is now a regular feature on BBC Northern Ireland’s sports coverage. What is unique about sports journalism? I think it is the access. Let’s face it, every sports journalist is someone who grew up wanting to be a top level athlete, but wasn’t good enough! This job gives you a chance to get within touching distance of the action and talk to the stars of the sport. I particularly enjoy working pitch side at matches....[full story]
People:Photographer John McVitty on variety is the spice of life
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010Winner of last year’s BT Northern Ireland Regional Press Photographer of the Year award, John McVitty has been a lenseman for the Impartial Reporter for 28 years. Described by the judges of that competition as having “dedication, commitment and an intuitive eye for the perfect picture”, McVitty says the main challenge for a newspaper photographer is “creating different pictures for different stories.” He enjoys having “plenty of variety” in his job and contends that “in the media world, every day is different.” Since beginning his career 28 years ago as a darkroom technician,...[full story]
Telecoms:A message from Europe
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010European telecoms regulation rules have been in place since 2002 and are now acknowledged to be dated. A reform of the way the sector is overseen was agreed to in principle in November last year and must now become law in all 27 member states by May next year. The industry is worth around €290 billion across the EU, and 4 per cent of the jobs throughout the union exist directly from the sector. One criticism of the European project has often been that decisions are taken too far away and have little effect on residents here. However, the European Commission suggests that as business...[full story]
Telecoms:Digital disappointment
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010The wide-ranging Digital Economy Bill, introduced by Labour during the ‘washup’ period before Parliament was dissolved, means that the Government has the power to block certain websites, implement speed blocks and suspend the accounts of internet users suspected of copyright infringement by illegally downloading music, films, photos or software. Fines up to £50,000 could be imposed and Government would be able to install its own manager at internet domain name registries that are considered to be failing. Royal assent for the Bill, which is a follow up to Labour’s June 2009 ‘Digital...[full story]
Meet the media:Lindsay Fergus
Friday, May 14th, 2010Lindsay Fergus is the business editor of the Belfast Telegraph. She has been a journalist for 15 years and has worked for newspapers including the Mourne Observer, News Letter, Sunday People, Daily Mirror and Ireland on Sunday. How did your journalistic career begin? From my early grammar school days journalism had always been one of my top career choices, probably because I had the gift of the gab, enjoyed meeting people and other people’s stories. I did my workplacement with the Down Recorder in Downpatrick and after that week I knew newspaper journalism was definitely for me. After...[full story]
Policy:Broadcast plans
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010Two station closures and a halt to regional news websites are the main results from the BBC’s strategic review. Peter Cheney looks at what lies ahead for the Beeb. The BBC’s reach within the UK cannot be denied. Ninety-eight per cent of adults click, listen or watch it each week. A third of the population goes to the website each month. Where its quality is good, particularly in news and natural history, its reputation extends worldwide. However, critics claim that the BBC has overstretched itself by going into magazine publishing and extra digital channels. Free access to BBC News...[full story]
Corporate agenda:A media snapshot
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010Downward financial trends for print and broadcast outlets do not cancel out some good news. Gary McDonald gives a survey of the state of Northern Ireland’s media after a tough year for the sector. The last 12 months have been the most challenging for the media sector in Northern Ireland for decades. Radio, TV and newspapers have had to cope with falling advertising revenues, down by more than a third in some cases, and the rise of digital media and the increasing choice and competition that brings. Belfast-headquartered UTV Media is a bellwether for the sector, operating across all...[full story]
