Good Morning Perugia! Alliances are possible, Internet’s navel, digital editorial standards and the death of foreign affairs

Good morning from Perugia!

 

THE AGE OF COLLABORATION Publishers control content, not distribution any more, comments Mathew Ingram. Facebook is experimenting with the possibility of publishing content straight from news websites (Nyt) and wants to “shift news experiences to mobile platforms in particular”, says Andy Mitchell, Facebook director of news and media partnerships (him). How? By seeking “collaboration with publishers, not competition” (Repubblica). Ditto for Madhav Chinnappa, head of news partnerships at Google: “An alliance between Google and publishers? Definitely yes”.

There could be casualties… but certainly not as far as users are concerned. 88% of Millenials, and 71% of young Italians read news on Facebook. Andy Mitchell can therefore rebut accusations made by publishers: “Providing the fastest possible access to content is our priority and benefits everyone”.

Challenge taken up The director of the La Stampa daily, Mario Calabresi, makes a proposal: “Enough of thinking that what is posted on social media cannibalizes news websites; enough of just pasting links. The content published under my brand has to get out there” (La Stampa). “Sharing advertising revenue sharing and user information exchange could be conditions for an agreement. After all “Facebook and Google have grabbed users at a molecular level. Newspapers have failed to do that”. (Twitter).

*No more kittens The most shared news on Facebook in the past months (Twitter)
*Keynote speech by Andy Mitchell (You Tube)

Real world Parlando di Google… Speaking of Google… The European Union has officially accused the search engine of abusing its dominant position in promoting its e-commerce services. Furthemore, a separate complaint has been filed for Android. What now? Google now has 10 weeks to respond to the statement of objections (Wired).
Miss the point Markets regulate businesses better than politics ever could, writes the New York Times.
Google’s stance In two posts: one on Search, the other on Android.

 

HOW TO AMAZE COWORKERS DURING COFFEE BREAKS
Internet’s navel
According to Dan Gillmor we are now in a re-centralization stage of the internet, because “users are collectively choosing convenience over freedom”. Gilmor had spoken of the need to re-decentralize the net in a long article on The Atlantic, quoting the inventor of the World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee (Ars Technica).

What to say when talking about CSMs The Washington Post is developing its own CSM (Content Management System) – as stated by Greg Barber, the daily’s director of digital news products –  and is hoping to place it on the market for use by other news publishers.

Digital or anarchy Accuracy, independence and impartiality: that’s how Kellie Riordan, journalist at ABC Radio sums up editorial rules for the digital world (her speech at ijf15).

Foreign affairs no more? “Soon there will be even fewer foreign correspondents covering news such as wars and elections, but there will be more and more space for stories” says Anna Momigliano, who has written this about the role of foreign affairs in present day journalism.

 

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
*The writer who doesn’t have to try too hard
Alessandro Baricco: “First I look up comments on Torino football fan forums and sometimes in the evening I also take a look at reader’s comments on Amazon. The worst ones aren’t the ones that criticize but the positive ones, like those saying the have two favorite authors: myself and Coelho”. *If information matters to journalists alone My wishes for the Festival (Luca De Biase).
*Adjectives for a Festival (You Trend).
*Wanted Do you wonder why the free network #ijf15 (thanks!) was “slow” yesterday? Someone had disconnected the modem in the news room to recharge their camera.

 

THE WORLD OUT THERE
Where journalists die 
A well know Ukrainian journalist, Oles Buzina, was killed in Kiev yesterday.  Russia’s president Putin has has spoken of a political murder: Buzina was renowned for his pro Russian and anti Maidan stance (ANSA).

 

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SNOWDEN? For the first time in Italy there will be a debate with the protagonist of Datagate, the scandal about the mass surveillance system by the National Security Agency: Edward Snowden and the discourse on surveillance and privacy (Sala dei Notari, 6 pm)

TODAYS’ (OTHER) EVENTS
*Keynote speech by Aron Pilhofer, executive director of digital at The Guardian (Sala dei Notari, 12 pm)
*User-generated content in online new: the good, the ugly and the real bad (Palazzo Sorbello, 3.15 pm)
*Why journalist should be activists by Dan Gillmor (Teatro della Sapienza, 3.30 pm)
*Gazebo Live! (Sala dei Notari, 10 pm)

 

THE WORLD OUT THERE IS TALKING ABOUT… Greece is flat broke; the “civilization” carnage on a boat of migrants; Renzi’s visit to his American friend; Asia moves ahead; Putin puts on a reassuring face.

Good Morning Perugia is provided by Good Morning Italia for the International Journalism Festival. Find out more about Good Morning Italia and try it free of charge on www.goodmorningitalia.it.