INSIDE

Finals countdown British Press Awards newspaper of the year and journalist of the year finalists are announced. Could The Observer could make it two years in a row as newspaper of the year? Sun editor Rebekah Wade, The Guardian’s Nick Davies and the late Bill Deedes are finalists for journalist of the year. 3

NatMag in profile “A lot of magazines look the same –we need to fix that”. Interview with NatMag chief exec Duncan Edwards. 16&17

Multi-tasking “Is it now the TV reporter’s job to shoot as well as shout questions?” BBC technology correspondent Rory CellanJones on using mobile video. 22

CONTENTS

News

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Flat Earth News debate 7 Latest ABCs 9 Global news 11 Insight 11 Leader 12 Feedback 12 My Week 13 Grey Cardigan 13 Reporting finance 14-15 Profile: Natmag 16-17 Expert Eye 19 The Knowledge 20-22 People 24-25 Essential services 25 Freelance directory 26-27 News contacts 27 Jobs 28-29 Axegrinder 30-31

‘Our presentation of Northern Rock was balanced’ BBC’s Robert Peston says economic meltdown is not his fault –special report on reporting recession 14-15

14.03.08

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Journalists ‘suspend disbelief’ on text story

by Patrick Smith

A story claiming that lampposts in an East London street had been fitted with pads to protect text-messaging pedestrians – covered across UK and foreign media – led journalists to “suspend their disbelief”, it was claimed this week. Journalists across the world reported that Britain’s first “safe text” street had been created via the creation of a pilot scheme which could be extended across the country. But locals in Tower Hamlets have said that the padding –put in place by a PR firm working for directory company 118188 –were only on a few lampposts and only there for a day and a half. Data from a study of more than 1,000 people for 118118 and charity Living Streets was used to claim that 6.5 million people in Britain were injured while sending messages in the last year. And in separate research – based on the amount of complaints the charity had received in the past year – Brick Lane was labelled as the most dangerous street in the country for texting. The phone directory company said in a press release, written by PR firm Resonate, that “safe text” rubber pads, similar to ones used on rugby posts, were being put on lampposts in the street to minimise harm. It claimed the “trailblazing” scheme

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A press release issued on behalf of telephone directory company 118118 saying that Brick Lane in East London was the most dangerous place for texters was picked up on by media in both the UK and abroad

would be monitored before it was decided whether to expand it to other parts of the country.

‘Safe text’ The story was covered in papers including The Guardian, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Star, Daily Express, Daily Mirror and in newspapers as far away as New Zealand, Australia and the USA. The Daily Mailsaid: “Britain’s first safe text street has been created – complete with padded lampposts –to pro

tect millions of mobile phone users from getting hurt in street accidents while walking and texting.” Architect’s Journalsaid: “Landscape architects take note. The lampposts of Brick Lane in London’s trendy Hoxton have been padded after the street was branded an ‘accident blackspot’ for drunken skinny-jeaned texters.” The East London Advertiserquoted one Brick Lane trader, who said that the pads were taken down after five minutes. Tower Hamlets Council said

it was unaware of the scheme and that it had “nothing to do” with the council. East London Advertisereditor Malcolm Starbrook said: “In general the media coverage was a suspension of disbelief. They wanted the story to be correct and they never went into it. To be fair, 118118 is an accredited business and it did say the research was being done with a reputable charity and in many ways it was a story that hung together. “It was putting the cushions

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‘JP share-price dip won’t curb investment’

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by Dominic Ponsford

As Johnston Press’s share price plunged further this week, chief executive Tim Bowdler (pictured left) has insisted the dip will not harm investment in content. All media shares have taken a pounding on the stock market in recent months and regional press giant Johnston has been among the hardest hit. Despite making a pre-tex profit of £178m in 2007, the current share price-based valuation of Johnston is around £450m, a third of what it was worth a year ago.

Bowdler told Press Gazette:“The share price is hugely disappointing but it is not a reflection of the underlying trading of the business “We did see advertising revenues go down by 4.2 per cent in the first three months of the year. It’s the downturn in advertising and the market’s expectation of what might happen to advertising through the year that’s driving share prices.” Bowdler said the problem was being exacerbated by “short selling”, or traders effectively betting on the share price going down further. “That is a situation which is not in the control of the company – they

are taking a bet on the way in which the advertising markets are going. It’s not a reflection of the underlying performance of the business.” He said: “In terms of the business we continue to invest in the business, in content, in trying to improve the newspapers and trying to drive revenue and that remains the case.” When asked what the share price plunge meant for Johnston staff, Bowdler admitted that it was not “not an easy time” for employees who may have acquired shares under the company’s “save as you earn

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