Media

More than 400,000 unlicensed copies of articles from major US news websites were republished online between March and July this year, according to new research published this week by copyright tracking service Attributor. Attributor's Graduated Response Trial for News monitored 70,101 news articles during the period and discovered that in more than 400,000 cases 80 per cent of the original article had been illegally copied. In all, 44,906 websites were involved in republishing content, the...

A Russian court has convicted of slander a journalist who is confined to a wheelchair and brain damaged after a savage attack two years ago. He has, however, been spared the punishment. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Mikhail Beketov, editor of the weekly, Khimkinskaya Pravda, was on trial for slander for accusing the local mayor of being involved in an abortive attempt to blow up his car. Beketov had made the allegations against the mayor of Khimki, Vladimir Strelchenko, in September...

The Japanese journalist detained for illegally entering Myanmar (Burma) has been deported. Toru Yamaji, a journalist with the video and photo agency APF News, had been arrested during Sunday's election in Myawaddy on the eastern border with Thailand. An unnamed official told Agence France-Presse (AFP), "We released him and deported him. We did not take any action against him because of the complicated situation." Yamaji, who had initially be charged under the Immigration Act, crossed over back...

Amazon will start paying publishers more when they sell magazines and newspapers on its Kindle reader. It will pay publishers 70 percent of the retail price - compared to the current 30 percent - for each magazine or newspaper sold at its store. "We are constantly working at improving the Kindle magazine and newspaper experience for both customers and publishers. Building on the recent introduction of Wi-Fi-enabled Kindles and the upcoming availability of newspapers and magazines on Kindle Apps...

The clashes between Moroccan forces and rebels in the disputed region of Western Sahara has taken a toll on reportage. Morocco has been accused of increased hostility towards Spanish journalists trying to cover the conflict. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 10 Spanish journalists were on Monday prevented from reaching the city of Laayoune in the conflict zone. Their tickets on a Royal Air Maroc (the official carrier) flight from Casablanca were cancelled...

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted substantial libel damages from The Daily Telegraph over a claim that he put his injured ankle at risk by "living it up" in a Hollywood nightclub. An article published in the British newspaper in July 2008 had alleged that on arriving in Los Angeles to attend a sports award ceremony Ronaldo, who was on crutches at the time, "headed straight" for a trendy nightclub. Ronaldo's lawyer, Allan Dunlavy, told London's High Court on Monday that that the...

US News & World Report magazine will cease printing its monthly magazine in 2011, an internal memo from editor Brian Kelly posted to journalism website Romenesko has revealed. Kelly said in the memo on Friday that the publication would cease printing the regular monthly magazine for subscribers. Instead, it would publish only a series of single-topic issues that will be available on newsstands and for “targeted distribution.” The December issue would be its last print edition. US News & World...

Prime-time anchor Keith Olbermann of MSNBC will return to the air on Tuesday night after being suspended for making political contributions to Democratic candidates. He had been penalised for violating NBC policy on contributing to political candidates. Olbermann had been suspended on Friday last without pay for contributing $2,400 each to three Democratic candidates in the midterm elections without prior approval from the network. Olbermann had contributed to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate...

A second reporter who wrote about a controversial road-building project outside Moscow has been badly beaten up by unidentified assailants. The assault came two days after another leading journalist was attacked in a savage assault. Anatoly Adamchuk was attacked by men outside his newspaper's office and was being treated for head trauma at a hospital, according to colleagues at the Zhukovskie Vesti newspaper where he is employed, the Associated Press (AP) has reported. The paper is based in...

A Japanese journalist has been arrested in eastern Myanmar (Burma) for illegally crossing over the border from Thailand. Toru Yamaji, who sneaked into Myanmar to cover Sunday's elections, has been charged under the country's Immigration Act. Yamaji, a reporter with the APF news agency, was detained on Sunday itself in Myawaddy, on the country's eastern border with Thailand, the Associated Press (AP) reported. APF is a Tokyo-based news organisation relaying photos and stories, including online...