Listen to the people formerly known as the audience
Martin Jönsson at Svenska Dagbladet blogs about a new book on media ethics that is being launched today. The book debates how to restore trust in journalism, but Jönsson misses a discussion about how to involve the audience.
"But one part is missing almost completely. The audience. Which is odd."
A perfect example of not listening comes today from Martin Bagge. He found that it was possible to hack his local paper's website and sent an email alerting the staff about the problem. After 8 hours without reply he decided to blog the thing instead. [Via Månhus Beta.]
Tags: media, hacking, media, etik. Ping.
"But one part is missing almost completely. The audience. Which is odd."
A perfect example of not listening comes today from Martin Bagge. He found that it was possible to hack his local paper's website and sent an email alerting the staff about the problem. After 8 hours without reply he decided to blog the thing instead. [Via Månhus Beta.]
Tags: media, hacking, media, etik. Ping.
Blogs beat big media by ten months
10 months. That's how long it took until Swedish media noticed that the management guru Peter Drucker had passed away. We who read blogs, we noticed this in November 2005. Small wonder that 37.5% of blog readers in my recent survey said they read blogs "to find news they can't find elsewhere".
N24: Aug 15, 2006 ("...den numera avlidne managementgurun Peter Drucker")
Footnote: Search made in online media only.
Tags: media, Peter Drucker, bloggsverige bloggosfären. Ping.
N24: Aug 15, 2006 ("...den numera avlidne managementgurun Peter Drucker")
Footnote: Search made in online media only.
Tags: media, Peter Drucker, bloggsverige bloggosfären. Ping.
The evolution of blog news
What is considered a news story in;
August 2004: There are blogs.
August 2005: XYZ starts blogging.
August 2006: XYZ quits blogging.
August 2004: There are blogs.
August 2005: XYZ starts blogging.
August 2006: XYZ quits blogging.
BloggSverige 2 - en undersökning av 700 bloggare och bloggläsare
Nu har jag sammanställt rapporten "BloggSverige 2 - en undersökning av 700 bloggare och bloggläsare". Förhoppningsvis ger den en liten inblick i vad som driver dessa personer att lägga tid och engagemang på att skriva och läsa bloggar.
I enkäten är kvinnliga bloggare i majoritet: 53,1% mot 46,9%. För ett år sedan var manliga bloggare i övervikt med 60,7% mot 39,3%.
Några utdrag ur enkäten:
Bloggare: Den typiska svenska bloggaren i enkäten är:
• kvinna
• 26-30 år gammal
• har högskole- eller universitetsexamen
• skulle rösta på socialdemokraterna om det vore riksdagsval idag
• har tillgång till bredbandsuppkoppling
• bloggar för att hon gillar att skriva
• uppdaterar sin blogg varje dag
• har inget emot att bli kontaktad av företag i sin egenskap av bloggare
• är anonym
• läser 6-10 bloggar dagligen
• spenderar 6-10 timmar per vecka med att läsa bloggar
• använder aldrig en RSS-läsare för att läsa bloggar
• läser helst bloggar om vardagsbetraktelser
• läser bloggar för få läsa ”vanliga människors” åsikter
• har aldrig klickat på en annons på en blogg
Bloggläsare: Den typiska svenska bloggläsaren i enkäten visar en liknande profil som bloggaren, men:
• skulle rösta på moderaterna om det vore riksdagsval idag
• läser 1-5 bloggar dagligen
Manliga bloggläsare läser helst bloggar om:
• Politik och samhälle (69,9%)
• Journalistik och media (59,3%)
• IT och bloggande (54,7%)
• Vardagsbetraktelser (35,6%)
• Litteratur och skrivande (24,9%)
• Ekonomi och företagande (24,6%)
• Reklam och PR (23,4%)
Kvinnliga bloggläsare läser helst bloggar om:
• Vardagsbetraktelser (74,7%)
• Mode och design (39,9%)
• Journalistik och media (38,8%)
• Litteratur och skrivande (38,5%)
• Politik och samhälle (32,2%)
• Föräldraskap och barn (31,3%)
• Mat och dryck (31,3%)
Hela rapporten hittar du här (pdf, 426 kb). Graferna i rapporten gör sig bäst på utskrift, men jag kommer efter hand lägga upp de flesta bilderna på Flickr under etiketten "bloggsverige". Du hittar dem här.
Respondenterna har valts ut via bekvämlighetsurval och ej slumpmässigt urval. Läs mer i rapporten. Föregående års enkät hittar du här.
Med anledning av frågor som uppstod förra året så kan jag tillägga att undersökningen har varit anonym och att den har genomförts och finansierats av mig.
Tags: surveys, blogs, bloggar bloggosfären. Ping.
I enkäten är kvinnliga bloggare i majoritet: 53,1% mot 46,9%. För ett år sedan var manliga bloggare i övervikt med 60,7% mot 39,3%.
Några utdrag ur enkäten:
Bloggare: Den typiska svenska bloggaren i enkäten är:
• kvinna
• 26-30 år gammal
• har högskole- eller universitetsexamen
• skulle rösta på socialdemokraterna om det vore riksdagsval idag
• har tillgång till bredbandsuppkoppling
• bloggar för att hon gillar att skriva
• uppdaterar sin blogg varje dag
• har inget emot att bli kontaktad av företag i sin egenskap av bloggare
• är anonym
• läser 6-10 bloggar dagligen
• spenderar 6-10 timmar per vecka med att läsa bloggar
• använder aldrig en RSS-läsare för att läsa bloggar
• läser helst bloggar om vardagsbetraktelser
• läser bloggar för få läsa ”vanliga människors” åsikter
• har aldrig klickat på en annons på en blogg
Bloggläsare: Den typiska svenska bloggläsaren i enkäten visar en liknande profil som bloggaren, men:
• skulle rösta på moderaterna om det vore riksdagsval idag
• läser 1-5 bloggar dagligen
Manliga bloggläsare läser helst bloggar om:
• Politik och samhälle (69,9%)
• Journalistik och media (59,3%)
• IT och bloggande (54,7%)
• Vardagsbetraktelser (35,6%)
• Litteratur och skrivande (24,9%)
• Ekonomi och företagande (24,6%)
• Reklam och PR (23,4%)
Kvinnliga bloggläsare läser helst bloggar om:
• Vardagsbetraktelser (74,7%)
• Mode och design (39,9%)
• Journalistik och media (38,8%)
• Litteratur och skrivande (38,5%)
• Politik och samhälle (32,2%)
• Föräldraskap och barn (31,3%)
• Mat och dryck (31,3%)
Hela rapporten hittar du här (pdf, 426 kb). Graferna i rapporten gör sig bäst på utskrift, men jag kommer efter hand lägga upp de flesta bilderna på Flickr under etiketten "bloggsverige". Du hittar dem här.
Respondenterna har valts ut via bekvämlighetsurval och ej slumpmässigt urval. Läs mer i rapporten. Föregående års enkät hittar du här.
Med anledning av frågor som uppstod förra året så kan jag tillägga att undersökningen har varit anonym och att den har genomförts och finansierats av mig.
Tags: surveys, blogs, bloggar bloggosfären. Ping.
Advertisers are eating into editorial space
Innovation Media Consulting writes on their blog about a creative McDonald's ad in the Toronto Globe and Mail. The articles are real but the colour has been changed. "My points:
1. Good ad provocation for McDonald fries.
2. Bad choice: the A+ opinion page readers of the Globe and Mail are not the best target for fast food.
3. Do this in a standard USA bad color printing newspaper and readers will go nuts.
My final take:
Hire the creativity guy, fire the media planning one!"
Tags: advertising, ads, mcdonalds, reklam. Ping.
PR blogging doesn't pay the bills
Some miscellaneous stuff:
- The Internet is "the new battleground for Israel's image". CJR Daily about the PR war between Israel and Lebanon. Via Vassa Eggen.
- "To be a well-known PR blogger does not pay the bills", quote by John Wagner in an article about PR blogging from PRSA's publication the Strategist. Via Communication Overtones.
- Apple are claiming legal rights to the word pod, "arguing that other companies that use the word as part of their product names risk infringing the trademark of its popular iPod music player", writes FT. Apple Computer, as you may remember, is the company that has been sued by the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, for violating a 1991 trademark agreement by moving into the music business.
- In Sweden, it is ok to name a hockey team Frölunda Indians (question is why anyone would do that). In the US, the Washington Redskins are constantly under fire for use of a derogatory term. Now six Native Americans are filing a joint petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office asking for cancellation of the trademarked term "Redskins".
- They're here, Levi's jeans with built in remote control for iPods. Sigh.
Tags: apple, ipod, public relations, brands,mp3, ipod. Ping.
- The Internet is "the new battleground for Israel's image". CJR Daily about the PR war between Israel and Lebanon. Via Vassa Eggen.
- "To be a well-known PR blogger does not pay the bills", quote by John Wagner in an article about PR blogging from PRSA's publication the Strategist. Via Communication Overtones.
- Apple are claiming legal rights to the word pod, "arguing that other companies that use the word as part of their product names risk infringing the trademark of its popular iPod music player", writes FT. Apple Computer, as you may remember, is the company that has been sued by the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, for violating a 1991 trademark agreement by moving into the music business.
- In Sweden, it is ok to name a hockey team Frölunda Indians (question is why anyone would do that). In the US, the Washington Redskins are constantly under fire for use of a derogatory term. Now six Native Americans are filing a joint petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office asking for cancellation of the trademarked term "Redskins".
- They're here, Levi's jeans with built in remote control for iPods. Sigh.
Tags: apple, ipod, public relations, brands,mp3, ipod. Ping.
Here is the new Chief Editor of Dagens Nyheter - and these are his friends
This is fun. Yesterday evening Dagens Media broke the news that Thorbjörn Larsson is the new Chief Editor of Sweden's largest subscribed daily Dagens Nyheter. A blogger then found out that Larsson has a personal photo page at Flickr. Nothing unusual about that, except that public figures normally aren't that open with private photos. Especially people who have friends in the "elite" like Larsson does.
(There are 210 public photos today, let's see if it will stay that way when he finds out that we know...)
UPDATE: That didn't take long. All the 210 photos are now closed to the public.
Tags: Flickr, media, DN, media, foto. Ping.
(There are 210 public photos today, let's see if it will stay that way when he finds out that we know...)
UPDATE: That didn't take long. All the 210 photos are now closed to the public.
Tags: Flickr, media, DN, media, foto. Ping.
Define: editorial content
The Swedish free daily Metro lost a case in the Swedish Market Court in June this year. The paper had published a "wrap" - a front and back cover page - that was an advertisement in the form of an article. The Court set a fine of 500,000 kronor if Metro should continue the practice since there needed to be a clear distinction between ad space and editorial content.
But the paper continues to push the blurry border between ads and articles. Metro has a co-operation with the two Hachette magazines Elle and Café regarding a page with fashion news. Yesterday the top of the page contained two short paragraphs with information about the content in the latest editions of the two magazines. The articles were signed "Metro", as if they were news items. While some might argue that this is no big deal, the two magazines' logos are right next to the articles, it shows an attitude that it is ok to let advertisers or contributors influence the editorial space.
But the paper continues to push the blurry border between ads and articles. Metro has a co-operation with the two Hachette magazines Elle and Café regarding a page with fashion news. Yesterday the top of the page contained two short paragraphs with information about the content in the latest editions of the two magazines. The articles were signed "Metro", as if they were news items. While some might argue that this is no big deal, the two magazines' logos are right next to the articles, it shows an attitude that it is ok to let advertisers or contributors influence the editorial space.
One in four Swedish bloggers have been harrassed
I read today that journalist Isobel Hadley-Kamptz decided to stop blogging, among other things because of all the negative comments and nasty emails she received. (Read more at Sigge's blog.)
As some of you may know, I performed an online survey of 700 Swedish blog readers and bloggers recently and the report is almost finished. But I felt that I could give you a sneak preview to one of the questions - "Have you ever felt harrassed by what others have written about you on their blogs or in the comments on your blog?".
One in four bloggers (25.2%) in the survey answer that they have felt harrassed. (Click to enlarge the picture)
- 5.9% answer "yes, several times"
- 19.3% answer "yes, at least once"
Tags: blogs, bloggar, media, bloggsverige. Ping.
As some of you may know, I performed an online survey of 700 Swedish blog readers and bloggers recently and the report is almost finished. But I felt that I could give you a sneak preview to one of the questions - "Have you ever felt harrassed by what others have written about you on their blogs or in the comments on your blog?".
One in four bloggers (25.2%) in the survey answer that they have felt harrassed. (Click to enlarge the picture)
- 5.9% answer "yes, several times"
- 19.3% answer "yes, at least once"
Tags: blogs, bloggar, media, bloggsverige. Ping.
Googlers in the Googleplex don't google
According to an article in Independent Online, Google have sent a series of legal letters to media organisations warning them not to use the word "google" as a verb, meaning "to search the internet". The search company is worried that wrong usage of its trademark will harm the brand. In the long run a brand could degenerate into a generic term if it becomes synonymous with a product category or a term (like aspirin, or "to xerox"). This is of course a very unwise decision PR wise by Google and will only result in massive badwill. [Link via Micropersuasion.]
If they are that fond of protecting the brand, they shouldn't call themselves "Googlers" and their headquarters "the Googleplex". If you mess around with your own brand, others will too.
In Sweden it's called "googla". Can we still use that?
Tags: Google, internet. Ping.
If they are that fond of protecting the brand, they shouldn't call themselves "Googlers" and their headquarters "the Googleplex". If you mess around with your own brand, others will too.
In Sweden it's called "googla". Can we still use that?
Tags: Google, internet. Ping.
"Muppets" - invective of the summer
I'm not sure what the Muppets ever did to the Swedes, maybe we were insulted by the Swedish chef? Either way, "muppet" seems to be the invective of the summer. First Microsoft's PR Manager in Norway got called a press muppet by tabloid Aftonbladet's Olof Brundin. Now, the Swedish Minister for Justice, Thomas Bodström, apparently compared representatives of the opposition to muppets. At least the Muppets are more likable than the Fraggles or the Teletubbies...
2.42 wasn't high enough
Left: Election poster from Sweden's Liberal Party - "News from the future - Drug lord arrested".
Right: Swedish athletes in cocaine bust.
Tags: cocaine, friidrotts-em, Patrik Sjöberg. Ping.
Dell names blog after porn site
Branding rule 1: Don't choose a name that is a) taken, and/or b) taken by a porn site.
Dell has quietly launched a new blog to create a direct channel to consumers, named "one2one" which was also the name of a porn site. This site is #1 if you search the term in Google. Dell explains:
"We looked at the site in question before we launched. We were planning to use a sub-domain and felt it would not be an issue. We also were betting that the few Dell customers who ended up there would realize it’s NOT Dell’s blog. Other than that, we just admired their SEO skills."
Whether that is true or not, the blog has now been renamed Direct2Dell. Apparently Dell also linked to the adult website in question in the blog post above. That link has now ben removed.
Via BL Ochman.
Tags: Dell, public relations, PR, pr. Ping.
Dell has quietly launched a new blog to create a direct channel to consumers, named "one2one" which was also the name of a porn site. This site is #1 if you search the term in Google. Dell explains:
"We looked at the site in question before we launched. We were planning to use a sub-domain and felt it would not be an issue. We also were betting that the few Dell customers who ended up there would realize it’s NOT Dell’s blog. Other than that, we just admired their SEO skills."
Whether that is true or not, the blog has now been renamed Direct2Dell. Apparently Dell also linked to the adult website in question in the blog post above. That link has now ben removed.
Via BL Ochman.
Tags: Dell, public relations, PR, pr. Ping.
Ford advertises on 400 blogs
Ford recently purchased ad space on 400 blogs, such as Gothamist, via the BlogAds network. Henry Copeland of BlogAds is so excited over the initative that he sent an email to the owners of all the 400 blogs calling this the first "Cluetrain ad", a reference to the Cluetrain Manifesto. See the ad and the email at Jalopnik. [Via Micropersuasion.]
Tags: advertising, blogads, Ford, reklam. Ping.
Tags: advertising, blogads, Ford, reklam. Ping.
MySpace reached 100 million users
The social networking site MySpace today reached one hundred million registered users. The milestone was reached today at 2.41 PM CET and the last few hours the site got about 70-80 new members per minute, according to my own observations.
I watched the site to see when the magic number would be reached, unfortunately the page of member #100,000,000 seems to be invalid:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=100000000
In April this year, Aber Whitcomb, chief technology officer of MySpace, predicted that the site would serve 100 million members in January 2007, a goal the site now reached 5 months earlier. According to Wikipedia, MySpace is the most popular website in the United States and is currently growing with 500,000 new users each week.
(I registered a page too, but only managed to come as near as 100 million as number 99999927)
Tags: myspace, 100million, 100000000, bloggar. Ping.
I watched the site to see when the magic number would be reached, unfortunately the page of member #100,000,000 seems to be invalid:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=100000000
In April this year, Aber Whitcomb, chief technology officer of MySpace, predicted that the site would serve 100 million members in January 2007, a goal the site now reached 5 months earlier. According to Wikipedia, MySpace is the most popular website in the United States and is currently growing with 500,000 new users each week.
(I registered a page too, but only managed to come as near as 100 million as number 99999927)
Tags: myspace, 100million, 100000000, bloggar. Ping.
Mashochistic ads
Researcher points us to a new cool site that presents mashups of ads. Ad Mashup presents advertisments that are slightly altered to give them a new meaning.
Tags: advertising, mashups, ads, reklam. Ping.
Tags: advertising, mashups, ads, reklam. Ping.
Text 100 opens office in Second Life
Second Life is a very popular online social network, "a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents". I've never looked at the site myself but I have a tiny grasp of what the community is about thanks to the For Immediate Release podcast. Now PR Week reports that PR agency Text 100 is set to open an office on its private island in Second Life. Apparently more and more businesses are exploring the online virtual worlds in order to learn more.
Update: BL Ochman isn't convinced this is an entirely good idea.
Tags: Second Life, public relations, PR, pr. Ping.
Update: BL Ochman isn't convinced this is an entirely good idea.
Tags: Second Life, public relations, PR, pr. Ping.
Swedish athletes are blogging
The Swedish team at the European Athletics Championships’ in Gothenburg has an official blog, equipped with YouTube videos and everything. The blog is written by both PR people and the athletes.
Tags: athletics, friidrott, EM. Ping.
Tags: athletics, friidrott, EM. Ping.
Aftonbladet could need some help from the Muppets
Isn't it appalling how Olof Brundin at Aftonbladet refuses to apologize for calling Microsoft's PR rep a "press muppet"? N24 asks Brundin:
N24: "Initially Aftonbladet was very skeptical that the interview didn't happen and for example you called Microsoft's Norwegian Press Officer a press muppet. Will you apologize?"
- What I said was that some press people in Oslo don't decide what is written in Aftonbladet, then the words got a life of their own.
Umm, no, that's not what you said. The label press muppet was used to discredit the PR rep.
Resumé quotes Brundin:
"What the press muppet at Microsoft in Norway said, he must answer for. We have been in contact with Bjørn and the interview happened the way he describes it."
And in Dagens Nyheter:
"[Benkow] confirms that it all went down as he wrote in the article. If some press muppet in Oslo says anything else then it is his word against the other, and I can only relate to what the reporter have told me as long as Bill Gates himself doesn't call and says otherwise."
In addition, Resumé asks Brundin:
Resumé: Was it suitable to use the words press muppet?
- It was an unguarded word that got a life of its own. This story has gotten so serious consequences and millions of readers have been fooled. I won't rewind the tape and comment on a quote that's been taken out of context.
Yes, things do get a life of their own nowadays. It's called an online PR crisis.
Overall Aftonbladet has handled the Benkow case without any clear strategy. It's not easy for a paper to guard themselves against a journalist that fakes an interview, so the guilt would not really be on Aftonbladet's side. I don't hear anyone chastising Mann, who apologized immediately after comments from Microsoft. So by early on betting on the wrong horse, by being so hard-necked and disrespectful to the the people that got phony quotes published, the paper put itself in a really bad position PR wise. On top of that they now refuse to take back the hard words and the apology wasn't exactly overwhelmingly enthusiastic. And now the tabloid handles the PR issue "tabloid style" which means that they portray themselves as the victim and investigate if they can sue the journalist. Since Benkow claimed he faked the stories because of a weak economic situation and bad health, Aftonbladet hardly scores any points of sympathy. Time to call a PR agency?
(Bonus comment: the Swedish paper that used the word mock ("håna") most times during 2006 is -- drumroll please --, Aftonbladet (257 times), followed by Expressen (129) and Dagens Nyheter (73).)
Tags: media, pressmupp, Aftonbladet. Ping.
N24: "Initially Aftonbladet was very skeptical that the interview didn't happen and for example you called Microsoft's Norwegian Press Officer a press muppet. Will you apologize?"
- What I said was that some press people in Oslo don't decide what is written in Aftonbladet, then the words got a life of their own.
Umm, no, that's not what you said. The label press muppet was used to discredit the PR rep.
Resumé quotes Brundin:
"What the press muppet at Microsoft in Norway said, he must answer for. We have been in contact with Bjørn and the interview happened the way he describes it."
And in Dagens Nyheter:
"[Benkow] confirms that it all went down as he wrote in the article. If some press muppet in Oslo says anything else then it is his word against the other, and I can only relate to what the reporter have told me as long as Bill Gates himself doesn't call and says otherwise."
In addition, Resumé asks Brundin:
Resumé: Was it suitable to use the words press muppet?
- It was an unguarded word that got a life of its own. This story has gotten so serious consequences and millions of readers have been fooled. I won't rewind the tape and comment on a quote that's been taken out of context.
Yes, things do get a life of their own nowadays. It's called an online PR crisis.
Overall Aftonbladet has handled the Benkow case without any clear strategy. It's not easy for a paper to guard themselves against a journalist that fakes an interview, so the guilt would not really be on Aftonbladet's side. I don't hear anyone chastising Mann, who apologized immediately after comments from Microsoft. So by early on betting on the wrong horse, by being so hard-necked and disrespectful to the the people that got phony quotes published, the paper put itself in a really bad position PR wise. On top of that they now refuse to take back the hard words and the apology wasn't exactly overwhelmingly enthusiastic. And now the tabloid handles the PR issue "tabloid style" which means that they portray themselves as the victim and investigate if they can sue the journalist. Since Benkow claimed he faked the stories because of a weak economic situation and bad health, Aftonbladet hardly scores any points of sympathy. Time to call a PR agency?
(Bonus comment: the Swedish paper that used the word mock ("håna") most times during 2006 is -- drumroll please --, Aftonbladet (257 times), followed by Expressen (129) and Dagens Nyheter (73).)
Tags: media, pressmupp, Aftonbladet. Ping.
Benkow admits - Gates interview was fake
More on GatesGate, the Norwegian journalist Bjørn Benkow now admits that he faked interviews with Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Schumacher "to pay the rent".
A related matter is the doctored Reuters photo from Beirut. Notice the tone and lenght of the article where Aftonbladet reports about the photoshopped photo and Reuters apology, compared to the short statement where they commented on the fake Gates interview in Aftonbladet.
Aftonbladet discredits the photographer further. Compare Aftonbladet's comment below with the one from Reuters:
Aftonbladet: "The freelance photographer who sold the photo has previously attracted attention for selling photos of dead children in Lebanon."
Reuters: "He was among several photographers from the main international news agencies whose images of a dead child being held up by a rescuer in the village of Qana, south Lebanon, after an Israeli air strike on July 30 have been challenged by blogs critical of the mainstream media's coverage of the Middle East conflict.
Reuters and other news organizations reviewed those images and have all rejected allegations that the photographs were staged."
Oh, and the next person who claims that blogs don't influence mainstream media, is grounded:
"Reuters withdrew the doctored image on Sunday and replaced it with the unaltered photograph after several news blogs said it had been manipulated using Photoshop software to show more smoke."
Tags: Reuters, Beirut, photo, media, bloggar. Ping.
A related matter is the doctored Reuters photo from Beirut. Notice the tone and lenght of the article where Aftonbladet reports about the photoshopped photo and Reuters apology, compared to the short statement where they commented on the fake Gates interview in Aftonbladet.
Aftonbladet discredits the photographer further. Compare Aftonbladet's comment below with the one from Reuters:
Aftonbladet: "The freelance photographer who sold the photo has previously attracted attention for selling photos of dead children in Lebanon."
Reuters: "He was among several photographers from the main international news agencies whose images of a dead child being held up by a rescuer in the village of Qana, south Lebanon, after an Israeli air strike on July 30 have been challenged by blogs critical of the mainstream media's coverage of the Middle East conflict.
Reuters and other news organizations reviewed those images and have all rejected allegations that the photographs were staged."
Oh, and the next person who claims that blogs don't influence mainstream media, is grounded:
"Reuters withdrew the doctored image on Sunday and replaced it with the unaltered photograph after several news blogs said it had been manipulated using Photoshop software to show more smoke."
Tags: Reuters, Beirut, photo, media, bloggar. Ping.
Memo about leaking leaked
Very meta. Australian police have been called in to investigate a series of leaks coming from ACT (I guess this is the Australian Capital Territory?) public servants. And in an internal memo, a chief executive of the ACT's public service threatened his staff with jail if they leak confidential information to the media, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. But the internal memo about leaking leaked to the media. How ironic.
So we're muppets now?
A muppet, that's what a PR professional is to Aftonbladet's Head of Insults, sorry, Head of Information, Olof Brundin. There is currently a kerfuffle about an interview with Bill Gates done by Norwegian journalist Bjørn Benkow on a plane between London and Munich. The following article was published in both Mann in Norway and in Aftonbladet in Sweden. Only problem is that the interview apparently is faked. After Microsoft's Corporate Communications Manager Eirik Lae Solberg made sure the interview never happened he contacted Mann, who then apologized. But Aftonbladet, the paper that thinks "bloggers have completely different demands for truth than we do", considers the article to be true because Benkow insists the interview is bona fide (no, really?).- [Benkow] confirms that it all went down as he wrote in the article. If some press muppet (pressmupp) in Oslo says anything else then it is his word against the other, and I can only relate to what the reporter have told me as long as Bill Gates himself doesn't call and says otherwise, Brundin said.
Yeah, that's going to happen. "Well, hello mister Brundin, this is William H. Gates calling. I just sneaked out of a board meeting to have a chat with you."
Anyway, Brundin continues to say that "if anything turns out to be wrong, we will apologize immedeately". Except, it seems that Aftonbladet are the judges as to what is wrong and not. Later today Dagens Nyheter publishes a new article where the Swedish PR contact Johan Furestad says:
- We have called Bill Gates' office and can conclude that [the interview] never happened. Turns out that Gates didn't even fly a scheduled flight between these cities at that time.
Was that enough for Aftonbladet to apologize? Of course not. So, who's the press muppet now?
UPDATE: It's not easy being green, it's not easy being at Aftonbladet. The muppet won, Aftonbladet apologized for the faked Gates interview.
Zidane head butt - it's in the game
Back in town after more than three weeks in the summer house I wanted to catch up with the thousands of blog posts that lay waiting in my Bloglines account. But the Bloglines database was down and I accidentally clicked on a link that I shouldn't have, so all my unread blog posts were erased (actually the site listed them all in a long list, but only a couple of hundred were visible). Then I realized, maybe that was for the best. I would never have had the time to sort out the good from the bad and starting the new blog season with a clean slate might take some of the blog stress of my back.
So I went and checked some of my favourite blogs and stopped by at the Media Orchard blog, always a source of amusing and inspiring stuff. They link to this new game from EA Sports, featuring Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi - the FIFA Fighter.
No, it's not actually. It is from a Photoshop contest of video games that never got made. Some of the entries are really creative.
So I went and checked some of my favourite blogs and stopped by at the Media Orchard blog, always a source of amusing and inspiring stuff. They link to this new game from EA Sports, featuring Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi - the FIFA Fighter.No, it's not actually. It is from a Photoshop contest of video games that never got made. Some of the entries are really creative.
