Innovation and Journalism

The Economist is the world's leading quality journalistic magazine, often ahead of the other ones like emphasizing the importance of innovations. This is the seventh time the British magaziner is seeking the best innovations in seven different categories.

The Economist: The Economist Innovation Awards and Summit

Scientific Publishing

So, Harvard did it. Being more precise - Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) voted for open access scientific publishing.

Ars Technica tells this and the short history of democratization of knowledge.

Future has come to Journalism

Normally, news, and journalism is about very recent developments in our societies. Accelerating competition has transfered the focus of journalistic work more into future. The world´s leading journalistic magazine, The Economist was among the first to figure out this with its next years special numbers. Now it is The New Yorkers turn. As we all so called media industry insiders know, it is more profitable for media companies to organize thematic conferences than publish, let´s say magazines. After paying $ 2000, it is somewhat possible to see into the future, or is it. Anyways, here are the previous year´s predictions - for free, of course. You´re under the influence of Internet effect.

Silicon Valley Reporting

Finally, one of the news media giants got it. The future of many businesses is created in the Valley, but the corps of the foreign correspondents still work only in the East Coast, or Hollywood.

The Guardian: BBC appoints US tech reporter

Scientific Publishing

Can the world´s leading research university, Harvard, change the way scholars publish their research. That is the question.

Under a new proposal Harvard would deposit finished papers in an open-access repository run by the library that would instantly make them available free on the Internet. So, no more long waiting times, and costly payments for the commercial scientific niche publishers.

The New York Times: At Harvard, a Proposal to Publish Free on Web

Open, free access for all instead of closed, expensive monopolies, is the way Internet has changed media businesses. As Google, and others, has showed, quality can be defined through algorithms and wisdom of crowds. Interesting to see, if the intelligentsia is ready for this kind of rankings, too.

Silicon Valley and the Meaning of the Words: Case 'Open'

Words are the main tools for communicating new ideas. In the Silicon Valley, and other places as well, words can also be used quite innovatively as marketing tools. After critical inquiry some of these words can be later identified, and called as buzz words.

Mass media, classical or new, are the main forums for presenting new ideas, and new infomation. Therefore it is really important that especially the journalists are aware of the very meaning of words.

Financial Times has a great supplement called Digital Business, which is continuously dealing with new, emerging technologies. It was most excellent to find out that Chris Nuttall in San Francisco has realized that "open" is the latest word with which you have to be very carefull.

Obviously, there are several different levels of openess.

Innovation - Already Vol 7.

Sustainable energy and health seems to be on the top of the themes when reporting about innovations, especially in a Singaporean magazine called Innovation. It is a joint publication of The National University of Singapore and World Scientific Publishing Co.

BBC at Silicon Valley

BBC News Online: Inside the Silicon Valley tech bubble

"Silicon Valley and the Bay Area around San Francisco have long been a crucible for technology innovation. In decades past it led the world in chip development, and more recently it has been at the forefront of web applications."

Science Journalism/U.S.

Knight Science Journalism Tracker: The decline in daily US newspaper science writers

EU & Science Awareness

European Comission: Commission launches call for analysing public perception of science programmes on European TV and radio stations

"A special edition of DG Rearch's quarterly was dedicated to European attitudes on research.The European Commission wants to improve public awareness of science among the largest number of European citizens possible, including young people, and mass media are an important tool in achieving this goal."

Science Journalism

SciDev.net: How journalism can hide the truth about science

"The process of science is far less linear than the media's image of a neat series of breakthroughs suggests."

Innovation Editor

E&P: 'Trib' Sports Editor Adee Named to New AME/Innovation Position

Chicago Tribune is pushing forward innovations in news room. The paper created a new position of associate managing editor for innovation that will focus on internet and digital journalism.

Media & Techno Hype in 2005

CIO Asia: Technology Predictions - Failures and Futures

"Much technology was hyped for success in 2005, but many did not deliver to the levels expected by technologists, media and industry.The reality is that many companies are not yet mature enough in terms of process, governance and understanding of the business value of IT—resulting in a lack of business drivers and delays in adoption. But the fundamental reason is much simpler—despite the outwardly expressed desire to adopt such technologies, in many cases neither business nor technology is ready."

Trust & Science Journals

NY Times: Reporters Find Science Journals Harder to Trust, but Not Easy to Verify

"Now news organizations say they are starting to look at the science journals a bit more skeptically."

The Future of the News Media

CNNMoney.com: Is Slashdot the future of media?

"If you want to see the future of media, go to Slashdot.org. Two things distinguish it - it's the most popular news and information site with the tech cognoscenti, particularly programmers and engineers. And all of its content is created by its users. They submit about 700 stories per day, which staff editors vet and reduce down to the 30-35 that get published. Of the site's 5.5 million unique visitors per month, about 25 percent post comments about those stories."

Internet TV start-up

MediaDailyNews: New York Times Co. To Unveil Online Video Channel

"In a move that signals an intention to significantly expand its online video offerings, The New York Times Co. has tapped Internet TV start-up Brightcove to facilitate distribution of online video content, the companies will announce today. Brightcove will help the Times Co. syndicate video content to other Web sites via its customized video player. The company also will facilitate production of videos submitted by consumers.The deal will roll out in the next several months with the New York Times Co.'s About.com's new "About Gadgets" videos, which focuses on technology."

UK/Business Journalism Awards

Silicon.com: silicon.com wins online business journalism award

Silicon.com has been named as online business publication of the year at the annual Work Foundation media awards in London this week.The Work Foundation (formerly the Industrial Society) WorkWorld awards, sponsored by Amec, celebrate excellence in print, broadcast and online journalism on subjects of work, business, management and economics.Other winners on the night included Dow Jones, the Economist, the Financial Times, BBC Radio 4's Today programme, The Money Programme and BBC Two's Newsnight.

Internet & People & Products

Fortune/CNN Money: Internet people and products to watch

"Ever since a few college kids at the University of Illinois invented the Web browser in 1993, the Internet has never been boring. But it just gets livelier and livelier. What happens on the Internet matters more every year."

The visionary: Jimmy Wales

The hottest product: The iPod

Hottest product runner-up: The Firefox web browser

Hot technology: Voice over Internet Protocol

Hot site: Flickr

Hot Hire: Ray Ozzie

Mogul of the moment: Rupert Murdoch

Alliance to watch: Google and AOL

Thinker to watch: Jay Rosen

Japan & Innovations

The Economist: The future of Japanese business Competing through innovation

"Japan's style of innovation failed it in software and biotechnology in the 1990s. It might work better in robotics, aerospace and other burgeoning technologies."

Tech Innovatios and Company Co-operation in Research

NYT: Three Technology Companies Join to Finance Research

"With federal funds for basic computer science research at universities in decline, three of the industry's leading companies are joining to help fill the void. University of California computer scientists plan to announce on Thursday that the companies - Google, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems will underwrite a $7.5 million laboratory on the Berkeley campus. The new research center, called the Reliable, Adaptive and Distributed Systems Laboratory, will focus on the design of more dependable computing systems. The Berkeley researchers say that under the terms of their agreement with the three companies, the fruits of the research will be nonproprietary and freely licensed. Each company has agreed to support the project with $500,000 annually for five years. Although the companies are frequently rivals and only occasionally allies, they have concluded that they can operate most effectively by bringing technology innovations to market quickly."