links for 2006-12-30

Freelance photographer Sion Touhig says “User Contributed Content should be more accurately termed ‘Audience Stolen Content’, because media groups rarely pay for Citizen Journalism images and more often than not, either claim the copyright …”

Journalists no longer scramble to the National Archives on New Year’s Eve since the FOIA replaced the 30-Year Rule for the release of classified historical files. But Ben Fenton notes that piecemeal release under FOIA means journalists have to proactively

“The role of the media is particularly important in the unusual circumstances of Northern Ireland, where all the major parties hope to be party to the same executive. … In the absence of an official opposition, a special responsibility devolves to the m

Forrester Research: only 2% of online consumers use RSS — and more than half of that group is 40 years old or younger.

“The photos and videos of the hanging no doubt will be readily available somewhere on the Web. To not make them available (with appropriate warnings) just marks you as an anachronistic editor who’s still trying to enforce his/her own sensibilities on a

The New York Times rang round the US television networks to ask how they would handle any graphic images of the Saddam Hussein execution that might have become available.

A Reuters report looks at a few angles that seem to be missing everywhere else, particularly the potential symbolism of executing Hussein at the start of Eid.

“Within minutes of former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein’s execution Saturday morning, Baghdad time, [Wikipedia] had more than 700 words worth of details on the subject.”

Kevin Anderson: “There is nothing mystical about the printed word, radio or television that
makes the journalism presented via it somehow more valid. … Do you ask if paper is a valid form of journalism? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?”