Poynter Online

Eight McClatchy papers win the chain's President's Award for journalism excellence

McClatchy press release
The Miami Herald won two awards -- one for its iPhone apps and the other for an investigation into county spending. Jonathan S. Landay of McClatchy's Washington Bureau was honored for his account of an ambush he survived while embedded in Afghanistan

UK newspapers challenge free BBC iPhone apps

paidContent UK / Digital Spy
An industry group of UK newspapers is challenging the BBC's plan to release free apps for the iPhone and other mobile devices, saying the effort will "undermine the commercial sector's ability to establish an economic model in an emerging but potentially important market." The BBC, which is funded via licensing fees levied on television sets, is regulated by an oversight board to operate in the public interest. The Newspaper Publishers Association is appealing to that regulator, the BBC Trust, to reject the free apps based on the "Public Value Test." But the Trust told paidContent UK that it doesn't see a problem with the BBC's apps.

UK newspapers challenge free BBC iPhone apps

paidContent UK / Digital Spy
An industry group of UK newspapers is challenging the BBC's plan to release free apps for the iPhone and other mobile devices, saying the effort will "undermine the commercial sector's ability to establish an economic model in an emerging but potentially important market." The BBC, which is funded via licensing fees levied on television sets, is regulated by an oversight board to operate in the public interest. The Newspaper Publishers Association is appealing to that regulator, the BBC Trust, to reject the free apps based on the "Public Value Test." But the Trust told paidContent UK that it doesn't see a problem with the BBC's apps.

iPad pricing debate exposes digital divide at New York Times

Valleywag
Following up on its story about the debate at The New York Times over how much to charge for the Times on the iPad, Gawker reports that the internal struggle for control over digital strategy is not a new one at the Times. "The dispute goes at least to the launch of Times Reader three years ago ... [which] was originally supposed to cost $6 per month, but the price was raised to $15 before launch because Times Company executives feared too many print subscribers would cancel at the lower number."

Richmond alt-weekly fires reporter for using obscenity in e-mail misdirected to PR man

Richmond Times-Dispatch
Style Weekly reporter Chris Dovi referred to a blind motivational speaker as a "blind [expletive]" in an e-mail he meant to send to an editor. Instead, the message went to the speaker's PR man, who had been repeatedly calling and e-mailing Dovi about getting him to cover an event.

Apple gives itself room on e-book pricing

New York Times
Despite the recent iPad-induced price war, e-books sold via Apple's iBookstore may not cost as much as first thought. The New York Times reports that while Apple is allowing publishers to set e-book prices between $12.99 and $14.99, best-sellers will be required to sell as low as $9.99, equal to what Amazon.com now charges for most new releases. Apple shook up the pricing structure of e-books by announcing that it would use an "agency model" that returns 70 percent of book revenues to publishers. Amazon, which had been purchasing books wholesale and setting its own prices, has since been forced to reopen negotiations with major publishing houses that prefer the agency model.
> Why Amazon Cannot Afford To Lose The e-Book Wars To Apple (TechCrunch)
> iPad, Google may cut Kindle market share by 55% (Mobile Media)
> iBooks to come with DRM protection (Mobile Media)
> Murdoch: Amazon ready to deal on e-book prices (Mobile Media)

Apple gives itself room on e-book pricing

New York Times
Despite the recent iPad-induced price war, e-books sold via Apple's iBookstore may not cost as much as first thought. The New York Times reports that while Apple is allowing publishers to set e-book prices between $12.99 and $14.99, best-sellers will be required to sell as low as $9.99, equal to what Amazon.com now charges for most new releases. Apple shook up the pricing structure of e-books by announcing that it would use an "agency model" that returns 70 percent of book revenues to publishers. Amazon, which had been purchasing books wholesale and setting its own prices, has since been forced to reopen negotiations with major publishing housesthat prefer the agency model.
> Why Amazon Cannot Afford To Lose The e-Book Wars To Apple (TechCrunch)
> iPad, Google may cut Kindle market share by 55% (Mobile Media)
> iBooks to come with DRM protection (Mobile Media)
> Murdoch: Amazon ready to deal on e-book prices (Mobile Media)

Gillmor: Kudos to NYT for posting Olympics results as they come in

Mediactive.com
The fact that the Times' ombudsman has to explain to readers why his paper reports actual news as it happens "is a depressing commentary on our nation's entertainment-driven culture," says Dan Gillmor. "Any news organization holding back on news because entertainment consumers want to live in their fantasy worlds deserves utter contempt."

More tablets on the way to compete with iPad

Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) thatcompetition for the tablet market is heating up as Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Sony, Dell and Microsoft look to compete with Apple's iPad. H-P already has announced its offering, the Slate, which will run a version of Microsoft's Windows 7. The open questions seem to be, what is the best operating system for a tablet device, and how will consumers want to use it?Electronista addressed this in an iPad vs. Slate comparison last month: "A stock version of Windows 7 may include multi-touch, but most of its interface isn't at all designed for fingers. ... The iPad's more limited interface may actually be a blessing." Another possible competitor: tablets based on Google's Android OS, which was designed for mobile phones but could be adapted for devices with larger screens.
> HP's Windows 7 Slate device revealed by Steve Ballmer(Gizmodo)
> Android tablets resurface at the Mobile World Congress(VentureBeat)

Ebert: "I got a jolt" from my Esquire portrait, but...

Chicago Sun-Times

Ethan Hill

"I am not a lovely sight, and in a moment I thought, well, what the hell. It's just as well it's out there. That's how I look, after all," writes Roger Ebert. "Running it that big was good journalism. It made you want to read the article." Chris Jones' piece, he says, was well written. "He's good. You sense the person there. He's not holding his subjects at arm's length."