TresSugar

Front Page: Fees For Online Newspapers Coming Soon

TresSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:16 -0700

Rupert Murdoch announced plans yesterday to charge for all News Corp newspaper websites by next summer. - The Guardian
Iraqi troops have taken control of Baghdad's Green Zone, which has been controlled by the US for the past six years. - MSNBC
By 2011 half of American mortgages will be underwater, meaning that homeowners owe more than their homes are worth. - AP
The Senate is likely to confirm Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court today. - AP
Hillary Clinton told Kenyans yesterday that it is a "great regret" that the US is not a member of the International Criminal Court. - Washington Post

Front Page: UK Papers Accused of Spying on Famous People

TresSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:50 -0700

British police are investigating the tabloid News of the World and other papers for allegedly paying private investigators to obtain private phone numbers, bank statements, and voice mail messages from top celebrities and politicians. - AP
Violence erupted across Iran, as Iranians held a new wave of demonstrations. Baton-wielding police officers broke up the protests. - BBC News
Last week, US jobless claims dropped to the lowest since the beginning of last year, signaling that layoffs may be slowing. - New York Times
A new study shows that obesity is hitting California's economy. - LA Times
The Feds have busted a huge dog-fighting ring, rescuing about 350 dogs. - CNN

Front Page: Domino's Workers Arrested For Spitting in Food

TresSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:14 -0700

Two Domino's employees have been charged with felonies after they filmed themselves contaminating food with spit and snot and posted the videos on YouTube. - New York Times
President Obama will head to Mexico today, his first stop on his Latin American visit. - Los Angeles Times
Spain's attorney general has come out against his country's attempt to prosecute six US officials for torture. - BBC News
Texas Governor Rick Perry suggested at yesterday's tea parties that Texas might want to secede from the union. - Dallas Morning News
A Senate panel will investigate whether the NSA has been violating wiretapping laws in recent months. - AP
The Obamas' tax returns show that the first family made $2.66 million in 2008, gave $172,050 to charities, and spent $933,000 on taxes. - Reuters
The sailors aboard the Maersk Alabama, which escaped pirates last week, have returned to the US. - ABC News
Nadya Suleman is seeking a trademark for the name "Octomom" so she can sell baby goods and a TV show. - E! Online

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Briefing Book! Newspapers in Europe Make Money

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:30:55 -0700

Newspapers in Europe aren't failing because they're making money off something other than news. - Gawker
A lawyer trying to sell tape of Ashley Biden (Joe Biden's 27-year-old daughter) allegedly doing cocaine has been withdrawn the sale. - Huffington Post
Facebook gets family-friendly with new private groups. - geeksugar
Women create award-winning virginity video game. - Lemondrop
College admission officers dish about how to get off the wait list. - The Daily Beast
Secretary Geithner was 98 lbs. of solid nerd until he became: the Toxic Assets Avenger! - Indecision Forever

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Newspaper Revitalization Act: Tax Breaks, No Endorsements

CitizenSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:01:11 -0700

The Newspaper Revitalization Act would classify newspapers as nonprofits with educational purposes. That sounds about right - papers seem incapable of being profitable, but they do report a bunch of educational information. The bill could be what papers need to survive.

If the act passes, the nonprofit status would tax exempt advertising and subscription revenue. Participating newspapers would still report any type of news, but they couldn't run political endorsements.

So far the bill's sponsor, Senator Benjamin Cardin, hasn't found any cosponsors. Would you like to see your representative get on board?

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Newspaper Asks For Donations - Would You Chip In?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:00:36 -0800

Seattle residents might not be able to read a paper over their morning Starbucks for much longer. Thanks to its inability to make money, the Seattle Post Intelligencer's days in print are numbered. But staffers want dedicated readers and philanthropists to keep it alive online. While there are already many online news outlets, reporters hope that the community values journalism that provides more than a superficial survey of local events.

The Seattle P-I is using MinnPost as an example. That outlet makes money from philanthropic support, membership contributions, and advertising. The paper (can we call it that, still?) operates on the assumption that high-quality journalism is not a consumer good, but a community asset.

Would you be willing to donate money for reports, until traditional newspapers figure out a business model?

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Would You Care If Your Local Paper Stopped Home Delivery?

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:00:25 -0800

Detroit's major newspapers the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will no longer greet residents on their front porches every morning, as these papers are the first in the US to end daily home delivery. The newspapers decided to cut service down to three days a week, thanks to the cost of ink, fuel, and paper. Since 2002, both papers have seen about a 20 percent decrease in circulation.

Newspaper delivery boys and girls (or adults) will still be able to make a dime on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In addition, print addicts can pick up a tangible copy at the newsstand. For $12 a month, subscribers will get the three day delivery service, as well as a daily email delivery. The papers can also be read online. It doesn't sound so bad!

Considering the popularity of email, maybe home mail delivery will be the next to go, requiring everyone to go to the post office when they need to pick up an item.

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What Will Happen To Newspapers? Are They Going Extinct?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:00:38 -0700

Do you get a newspaper thumping onto your front porch? If you do, chances are the number of people creating that paper has been considerably slashed. A new study shows that 85 percent of daily papers have cut newsroom staff in the last three years. Fewer journalists, means fewer stories - the papers surveyed have cut foreign news by two-thirds and national news by half.

Part of the reason for the shrinkage, is the move toward the web. No longer able to cash in on the lucrative classifieds and ads that fueled a traditional paper, the speed with which the news happens online is causing quite a vortex of information and people to produce it. The study shows that while editors realized the advantages of the web, the energy to produce the material leads to a limited scope of questionable value - not a great trade-off.

And about that move to the web. Traditional once only-paper news sources, like the New York Times now allow comments on certain stories. It's a welcome mat of reader input following in the example of blogs and nonprint media like CNN - allowing unprecedented - and sometimes questionably thought out commentary, once screened by an editorial staff. Should newspapers allow comments on their news stories? Can the sunset of the newspaper trade be buoyed by adopting more web-friendly tactics - or should newspapers stay insular and impartial? What's the future of the black and white and read all over?

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Study: Young People Check Email While Checking News, Duh!

LibertySugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:00:38 -0700

The AP conducted a study in an attempt to figure out how best to get the news to young adults. The international study found that young adults are experiencing news fatigue, and overall information overload thanks to the Internet. Participants were also distracted from focusing on news because they were almost always multitasking with activities like reading email.

In order to get readers to see through the sea of headlines and facts, and eventually select the in-depth stories they actually crave, the AP will begin using a "1-2-3 filing" system.

To find out what that means, read more.

Here's how it works: first, there is a news alert or breaking news headline. Next, comes a present-tense short piece on the story, easily picked up by websites and broadcasts. Finally, details and analysis will be added to the previous skeleton. Voila! Easy news for the ADD generation!

When I read about a study that finds there is a lot of information on the Internet and that people check email while accessing other info, I think - duh! But, I guess it's good that AP is putting in resources in trying to find a sustainable model for getting information to a new generation.

Is the Internet making us more or less informed? Will tightly packaged news bites lead young'ns to in-depth analysis? Do you have news fatigue? . . . I hope not!
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Who Says Newspapers Aren't Any Fun?

GiggleSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:00:00 -0700

We usually ask you to guess whether certain headlines are real or fake, but we'll let the cat out of the bag and assure you that these are all real - we've got the newspaper clippings to prove it! Whether the following headlines mean what they say or don't say what they mean, they're all pretty darn hilarious. The headline featured above is fine, but the quoted statement below it is just too good to pass up. In the mood for more funny newspaper clippings? Click here.

View 9 Photos ›

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