"You Love Your iPhone. Literally" - NYTimes.com

How do you suppose this compares with loving your newspaper?

"Pork Cutlets From Two Continents" - A Good Appetite - NYTimes.com

For those planning to eat while in Vienna, and perhaps have a little background thinking from the New York perspective - at least on one dish!

"Austria Approves Euro Bailout Fund" - NYTimes.com

FYI for those not following Austrian news.

"Tweets reveal worldwide moods" - Cornell Chronicle

I hope we will have a chance to talk about this study in the context of newspapers and news publishers. What actions might be worth considering as a result of this? Of course, no one can or should control the news, but are there some ways that newspapers could take advantage of this to serve customers better?

"Student Opinion | Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?" - NYTimes.com

It will be very interesting to see what students say in response to this post in The New York Times.

"OSCE Media Freedom Representative calls on Moldova to release Russian writer and journalist blogger - Representative on Freedom of the Media" - OSCE

I still don't know if the OSCE will be represented in any way at the Congress in the OSCE's home city of Vienna. Here's hoping that someone attends. These are critically important issues.

"Reporters' Worst Enemy Is Reputation" - NYTimes.com

Roy GREENSLADE, mentioned here, is scheduled to join us in Vienna.

"Why Magazine Publishers Like the Fire" - NYTimes.com

I hope we will be able to fill in the newspaper reaction to Fire in Vienna.

"Focus on Tablet Publishing at IFRA Expo 2011 in Vienna"

"Newspaper Confirms Release of South Korean Journalists in China" - NYTimes.com

Good news!

"Amazon Unveils Kindle Fire" - WSJ.com

How will newspapers exploit this?

"Google's Biggest Threat Is Google" - NYTimes.com

Good background thinking for the Congress.

"World’s Data Centers Expected to Grow, Survey Says" - NYTimes.com

Newspapers ought to be a lot more interested in what this means.

"Why Facebook Works for All, Twitter for Some" - NYTimes.com

Something for newspapers to learn here?

"INSEAD Knowledge: From Management to Leadership"

More Leadership session reading.

"INSEAD Knowledge: Leadership Crisis"

Wonderful reading for the Leadership session.

"INSEAD Knowledge: Rx for the Global Economy"

Good background for the Finance session at the Congress.

"‘Boomerang’ by Michael Lewis" - Review - NYTimes.com

It's a shame that the author is not planning to be with us in Vienna. What a fascinating discussion we could have with him. At least - throgh the miracle of our digital world - some people may read his book before coming to the Congress so that we can talk about it, even in the author's absence.

"Indian regulator sets 100-text limit to curb mobile-marketing nuisance" - guardian.co.uk

Restrictions on "speech" are always troublesome, and no less so in India. Let's talk about it in Vienna.

Dining after midnight

For those making a long evening (night) of it in Vienna.

Blickfang design fair

Another exhibit during, and slightly after, the Congress.

Contemporary art in the Leopold Museum

This exhibit opens during the Congress.

Wien Tour

This virtual Vienna tour may be of interest both as a visitor and as a newspaper executive.

Terra Madre

Note this event will be in the Vienna City Hall during the Congress. One or another Congress participant might want to grab a bite?

"Pew Media Study Shows Reliance on Many Outlets" - NYTimes.com

Good things and not-so-good things in this report for newspapers.

"Pentagon Extends Program To Defend Cyber Networks" - NPR

Do newspapers worry about cyber attacks? What worries them?

"Hearst and HGTV Enter a New Magazine in a Murky Market" - NYTimes.com

How often, other than program listings, television program reviews, and popular features on television personalities, have newspapers chosen to work cooperatively with a television channel or program(s) in order to yield mutual benefit? What are good examples, if any?

"Martha Stewart’s Halloween Magazine Brings Fan a Surprise" - NYTimes.com

Repurposing is a word that is central to the whole digital media world. How do newspapers choose to define it?

"Anticipated Amazon Tablet to Take Aim at Apple iPad" - NYTimes.com

So do newspapers have, as we say in the US, a "dog in this fight" between Apple andAmazon?

"Zuckerberg's Unspoken Law: Sharing and More Sharing" - NYTimes.com

I still hope someone from Facebook will show up at the Congress. It's in the best interest of all if that happens.

"China Detains Journalist for Article on Sex Slaves" - NYTimes.com

I hope protests will arise immediately, and then again at the Congress. Or....an explanation provided as impossible as it is to imagine one.

"Have Consumers Become More Willing to Pay for Content?" - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com

There ought to be many newspaper people involved in this debate, here and in Vienna.

"Facebook’s New Strategy to Turn Eyeballs Into Influence" - NYTimes.com

Lots to be assessed here!

"Facebook Unveils Timeline View and Media Partnerships" - NYTimes.com

I don't see any newspapers on this list of partners.

"'Ebony,' 'Jet' Parent Takes A Bold New Tack" - NPR

This is a very impressive story about a US magazine publishing organization, family owned, that appears to be doing very well after a challenging period. Newspapers elsewhere may find something to learn here.

"BBC, ITN and Sky News give riot footage to police " - guardian.co.uk

This is a worrying development for many, including me. News organizations cannot allow themselves to become the eyes, ears and video cameras for government and still retain either independence, or worse, credibility. Let's talk about this in Vienna?

63rd World Newspaper Congress & 18th World Editors Forum Participants

Now at 95 countries - getting closer to 100! If you know of someone from a country not yet on the list, why don't you contact that person and encourage her or him to attend the Congress? We all benefit when that happens!

"OSCE media freedom representative calls on Ukrainian government to allow independent Kharkiv broadcaster back on air" - OSCE

With the Congress set for Ukraine in September 2012, the Vienna meeting will provide an opportunity to talk with those attending from Ukraine about this and any other issues involving freedom of the media in Ukraine.

Printed newspapers to apps and back again....

This from The New York Times this morning. A great discussion of so many complex issues written from the most important perspective, the customer.

"QR Codes Provide Information When Scanned" - NYTimes.com

What is the new potential for newspapers with this technology?

"Who Is The Ultimate Game Changer In Media?"

And who would you say would win that prize if it existed for newspapers?

"Chinese Journalist Following 'Gutter Oil' Scandal Is Found Dead" - NYTimes.com

I hope we will learn more when we are in Vienna.

"London Police Relent on Demand for Reporters’ Sources in Hacking Scandal" - NYTimes.com

This is a good move, but surely not the end of the saga.

"French Papers Team Up to Break Apple Stranglehold" - NYTimes.com

I can imagine a lot of corridor conversations about this development in Vienna. Note that one of the people who will be in Vienna - Ken DOCTOR - is mentioned on the second page of the story. He notes one example of how media company cooperation in the face of Google did not work out, and we should not forget that there are many more, including one of the first - the failure almost 20 years ago of the New Century Network in the US. That included something similar to the French grouping - most of the big newspaper groups except The New York Times, as best I recall. Note also the last graf of this story. Is it true?

"The Platform: Thomson Reuters vs. Bloomberg" - The Century Foundation

The evolving competition among news agencies is well worth lots of attention. We'll give it some in Vienna.

"After Disclosures by WikiLeaks, Al Jazeera Replaces Its Top News Director" - NYTimes.com

We'll surely be talking about what this means in Vienna. What will be the impact on telling the truth?

"Cartoons Against Bloodshed in Mexico" - PRI's The World

Cartoonists everywhere face all of the challenges of everyone else, and in the process manage to help everyone understand so many problem so much more clearly.

""News of the World" versera jusqu'à 2,2 millions d'euros à une famille victime des écoutes" - Le Monde

Yet another chapter.....

"Russian media mogul in talk show brawl" - Telegraph

I am pretty confident that the discussions we will have in Vienna will be animated and energized but not to this extent!

Golden Pen of Freedom - Dawit ISAAK

Here is the slightly edited text of an e-mail that I just received about Dawit ISAAK, who will receive the Golden Pen of Freedom at the Congress in Vienna:

"23 September 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the incarceration of Dawit Isaak, an Eritrean-born journalist with dual Swedish nationality who was imprisoned in Eritrea for speaking out for justice. In 2001, Dawit's newspaper Setit published a number of calls for reform that resulted in his imprisonment alongside other critical journalists and opposition politicians. To date, his family has received very little news of his health or whereabouts.

On 23 September 2011 we call on you to highlight the plight of Dawit Isaak and countless other prisoners of conscience in Eritrea by republishing some of our exclusive content. Please use and diffuse our materials widely, and be sure to visit www.freedawit.com to see how you can get involved in the campaign to Free Dawit Isaak.

----

Free Dawit Isaak

Peter Englund is the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He used the opportunity of this year's World Press Freedom Day campaign to highlight the plight of WAN-IFRA's 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom laureate, Dawit Isaak, incarcerated for a decade without charge in a notorious Eritrean jail. In his essay, Peter explores how the right to dissent and question strengthens a nation, and why this universal of rights should not be taken for granted.

Eritrea's Silent Shame

Aspiring independent journalists in any war-ravaged, poverty-stricken country face a daunting task. If you add famine, military dictatorship, and the fact that the particular country in question is Eritrea, this task becomes nigh on impossible. In such a context the achievements of Dawit Isaak, co-founder of the country’s first independent newspaper and laureate of the 2011 WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom, are all the more remarkable.

Dawit Isaak, 2011 WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom

In October 2010, The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers named Dawit Isaak the 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom, WAN-IFRA's annual award that recognises individuals or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom.

Download and exclusive 'Free Dawit' cartoon by renowned French artist Michel Cambon."

"AP to Launch Mobile Ad Circulars" - WSJ.com

Newspaper "circulars" remain an important revenue source for papers in the US and in some other countries. Initiaitives like this will surely be worth discusssing in Vienna.

"Facebook Is Expected to Unveil Media-Sharing Service" - NYTimes.com

News?

"In E-Books, Publishing Houses Have a Rival in News Sites" - NYTimes.com

In an all digital world, more of these sorts of things become inevitable.

"Google’s to Face Congressional Antitrust Hearing" - NYTimes.com

It's not at all clear that much change will result from all this, but it bears watching.

"The world still thinks Americans are coolest - poll" - Reuters

I bet we could have some really energized discussions in Vienna about these ratings!

"Setting Boundaries for Internet Privacy" - NYTimes.com

Are newspapers sufficiently involved in this debate?

"Met's threats to Guardian are 'direct attack on free press', say lawyers" - The Observer

Yet another chapter in an apparent endless book.

"Online ID Verification Plan Carries Risks" - NYTimes.com

Surely a matter of huge strategic significance to newspapers.

"WikiLeaks Using eBay Auction to Raise Money" - NYTimes.com

Astounding.

"Peruvian Journalist Killed, 2nd This Month" - NYTimes.com

Exercising press freedom and reporting on corruption remains a high risk - and huge loss - undertaking.

"F.T.C. Wants to Update Rules on Children’s Online Privacy" - NYTimes.com

Are newspapers paying enough attention to the issue of children's privacy?

"Chris Roper to Speak At World Editors Forum" - AllAfrica.com

It's nice to see some attention being paid to the excellent speakers on the program for the Vienna events.

"Sinag bags int'l award for student training program" - » Best of the Philippines »

This sounds like a very impressive story.

Vienna outside the Congress

This is the latest calendar of what is happening in Vienna during the 717 October 2011 period.

Golden Pen of Freedom

Note the link to some background on this award and a list of previous winners.

"Executives May Be Too Confident on Cybersecurity, Survey Finds" - NYTimes.com

I hope we'll get a chance to discuss this thoroughly in Vienna.

"With No Amazon as a Rival, FlipKart Moves Fast in India" - NYTimes.com

Is this an opportunity for newspapers?

"AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft Are Said to Reach an Ad Deal" - NYTimes.com

An idea that has captivated many newspaper companies in the past. Perhaps this will spur more than captivation.

"Algeria ends state monopoly of broadcast media" - guardian.co.uk

This looks like an important advance in press freedom in Algeria. We'll have a couple of opportunities to talk about this in Vienna, including with our Algerian colleagues.

"Cute six month old Baby Playing with Newspaper" - YouTube

It's hard to imagine anyone getting more enjoyment out of a newspaper page than does the star of this one minute video!

"Dell Cautiously Optimistic on Europe and Asia" - NYTimes.com

Newspapers have become increasingly dependent on technology intermediaries between what the newspaper does and the customer who receives and uses that newspaper service. Thus, how those companies in-between are doing, and the sales they are making, is very important.

Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media

This report was released today and is likely important background reading for the Congress.

"Vitrue Lands Across the Pond with European Expansion" - Vitrue

He'll be joining the Congress.

"Google Bought Me! The First Two Days [Dave Reisner]"

An amusing look at life at a company as it gets acquired by Google (for anyone who was wondering about that).

"Forbes Update: A New Editor Comes Aboard as We Re-Imagine a Journalistic Enterprise" - Forbes

Newspapers have much to learn from other news publishers and from other media of all kinds.

"An-Environmental-Vision-for-the-Newspaper-Industry" - Editor & Publisher

A good source of background for discussion during the sustainability session at the Congress.

"“Print media expanding its presence in South Asia”" - The Hindu

Jacob MATHEW, of course, will be kicking off the World Newspaper Congress in Vienna.

"Multiple media-based newsrooms in a decade: Larry Kramer" - The Hindu

Another lesson in repositioning.

"Metro’s Peter Holmlund joins the 4th International E-reading & Tablet Conference"

Another one of the attractions for World Newspaper Week!

"News Consumption Tilts Toward Niche Sites" - NYTimes.com

If there ever was a poster "child" for repositioning, this column is it.

"Campaign Trains Viewers for ‘TV Everywhere’" - NYTimes.com

Are we doing all that we can to promote the notion - and the fact - of "Newspapers Everywhere"?

"YouTube Founders Aim to Revamp Delicious" - NYTimes.com

It's too bad that YouTube will not be present in Vienna; perhaps this will change in coming weeks. One can hope!

"Raid on Egyptian Al Jazeera Affiliate Is Criticized" - NYTimes.com

I sense that we know very little about the state of press freedom and newspaper enterprises in all of the countries in and around the Arab Spring. Perhaps those attending the Congress will help educate all of us.

"Hacker Rattles Internet Security Circles" - NYTimes.com

Another reminder of this ominously looming issue of security.

"Computer-Generated Articles Are Gaining Traction" - NYTimes.com

Are we reaching a point where better journalism will be produced by machines than by humans? What a scary notion!

"An Ergonomics Challenge in New Electronic Devices" - NYTimes.com

"Kenya Magazine Robbed - Corruption Files Stolen" - NYTimes.com

The winner of the 1991 Golden Pen of Freedom, Gitobu IMAYARA, founded this publication. Many Kenyan newspaper people will be with us in Vienna. For anyone interested in reviewing the names of previous winners, one hopes that this Wikipedia list is accurate.

"Hackers Take Over NBC Twitter Account" - NYTimes.com

One of the great challenges facing newspapers as well.

Plan Your Visit!

If you are planning to come to any of the events during World Newspaper Week, this appears to be a really useful online organizer that you can create according to your own program choices.

"Blame the iPad for Slow PC Sales" - NYTimes.com

David ROMAN from Lenovo will be participating in the Congress and I am sure we will have a lot of other people in Vienna intently interested in what devices people will use in the future to access newspaper services and everything else.

"Apple wins German court ruling on Samsung tablets" Reuters

"More, not less media freedom needed to combat terrorism, says OSCE media freedom representative" - Representative on Freedom of the Media

This from one of the two most important organizations impacting newspapers and the media based in Vienna - the other being, of course, the International Press Institute. The IPI will be participating in the program, and I hope that OSCE will as well.

Q - If I register for the Congress, may I attend Forum sessions?

I hope to have an answer to that question soon....

Dress

Here are the events where some "dress code" seems to be in order:

19.30 - 22.00 Welcome reception in the Vienna Town Hall at the invitation of the Mayor of Vienna, Michael Häupl
The gothic-style town hall, built between 1872 and 1883, is a symbol of beautiful Vienna. Located in the city centre, the Rathaus serves as the seat of both the mayor and city council. The welcome reception provides a unique opportunity to visit this magnificent structure.
Dress code: business attire

19.30 - 22.00 Local evening and dinner
Heuriger is the name given to eastern-Austrian wine taverns where local winegrowers present their wares. Heuriger means “this year’s wine”, and the taverns offer a way for winemakers to offer tastings of their wine, along with good meals and traditional Viennese Schrammel music played on the accordion and violin. A well-known area for these Heurigen restaurants has been reserved exclusively for the Congress and Editors Forum.
Dress code smart casual

19.30 - 22.00 Gala Dinner
with entertainment in the Art Nouveau building of the Wiener Konzerthaus as
the networking highlight at the end of the Congress. Musical entertainment with KK Strings, a string quartet of another kind, bringing the international music charts of the last three centuries, from Strauss to Falco, from Figaro to The Third Man.
Dress code: cocktail attire

--
It's still not clear to me what the recommended dress is for the rest of the time. I will raise it again.

"The Press Release Gets Poetic" - NYTimes.com

The challenges of technology, especially digital, come from all sides and all parts of the business process.

Development - Wednesday, 12 Oct 2011

09.30 - 14.00 The Annual Media Development Round Table

Shaping Media Assistance Policies: Supporting the Media Sector When Markets and Governments Fail

Over the past 60 years, an entire industry has grown up around the enterprise of media assistance – training journalists, modernizing infrastructure, and most recently, offering management support. Yet even the most experienced practitioners are hard-pressed to define what constitutes success or failure in their domain. Shaping Media Development Policies aims to further the conversation on how donors, investors and media executives can re-examine their goals and their toolkits, and take the lead in making financial viability compatible with quality journalism. The session will consider new avenues to support quality content and the public’s right to know in emerging and developing markets.

• Gordana Jankovic, Director, Network Media Program, Open Society Foundations (OSF)
• Helena Bjuremalm, Senior Policy Specialist, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
• Marguerite H. Sullivan, Director, Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)
• Anne Nelson, Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University/ WAN-IFRA Research Consultant
• Harlan Mandel, CEO, Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF)
• Troy Etulain, Senior Advisor for Independent Media Development, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

"Iraqis mourn slain journalist amid protests" - Al Jazeera English

"Twitter Reaches 100 Million Active Users" - NYTimes.com

"World economy: PMI data add to fears of downturn" - Economist Intelligence Unit

There is little hope that the global economic/financial situation will not be top of mind in Vienna.

"Google reveals its global electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions" - San Jose Mercury News

We do not often think about cyber companies, like Google, as having too many sustainability issues, but that surely is not merited.

"In Malaysia, Freedom of the (Virtual) Press" - NYTimes.com

We are still hoping that someone from Malaysia will join us in Vienna to discuss this and other Malaysian issues.

"Weymouth explains Washington Post bureau closures: We want reporters on the streets" - Poynter

We are very sorry that personal circumstances prevented Katharine WEYMOUTH from joining us in Vienna, but I hope others there will be able to discuss this and other issues related to the Washington Post Co. and some of its strategic decisions. I hope that her "rain check" for Vienna will permit her to be with us in Kiev in 2012.

"Google Buys Zagat, Crushes OpenTable" - Deal Journal - WSJ

Connecting people to local businesses and restaurants (and food!) has historically been a job that newspapers would have said was theirs. Can newspapers hope to be core players in the lives of consumers who make these choices, and in the case of food must make these decisions, every day?

"After WikiLeaks: Daniel Domscheit-Berg and editors to discuss the controversial whistleblower at World Editors Forum"

One of the nice advantages of the Vienna meetings is that leaders of all parts of newspaper operations will be mixing and mingling outside the more formal sessions. In this case, for example, this means that all of the knowledgeable people appearing at the Wikileaks session at the World Editors Forum will be equally accessible to all those participating in the Congress.

"Papermaker Owned by Cerberus Files for Bankruptcy" - NYTimes.com

Traditionally, newsprint - its availability and price - have been big subjects at newpspaper executive meetings. Is this piece of the newspaper strategy puzzle becoming more difficult to fit into place? Where does the business stand in relation to all of the companies that provide newsprint and other paper (as in the above case) to newspapers?

"The Lifespan of a Link" - NYTimes.com

This strikes me as an especially good subject to discuss in Vienna. How do newspapers respond to what this study found? Does the study speak to what it is that newspapers see as their highest value propostion to cusotmers?

"Data Points: Tablets Take Off" - Adweek

Between a third and a half of tablet users seem to be doing things that ought to be well within the capabilities of newspapers to provide. In Vienna, we'll talk about how well newspapers are doing in trying to expand their tablet market penetration.

"Three U.K. Seeks to Block British Telecom Collaboration" - NYTimes.com

I wonder if newspaper companies are paying enough attention to some of these sorts of telecommunication industry maneuvers?

"Once a Leader, Yahoo Now Struggles to Find Its Way" - NYTimes.com

Yahoo, like most newspaper companies, is faced with the challenge of responding to a market that evolves so fast that change is more blur than clear decision points.

"Journal Register And MediaNews Group Join Forces Under Digital First Media"

Jim BRADY will be with us in Vienna.

"An Outlet for Afghan Women Online" - NYTimes.com

It's too bad that we do not yet have any colleagues from Afghanistan registered for the Congress. Perhaps someone will sign up in coming days as that would add so much to our discussion to these sorts of issues.

"Time for a sales tune-up" - Reflections of a Newsosaur

Some newspapers around the world run their own advertising sales operations; some farm it out to others. The newspaper's interest in the final result remains the same. Do newspapers look more like energetic service providers or decrepit dinosaurs? The piece linked points our thinking in the right direction, it seems to me.

"Guardian journalist questioned over alleged phone-hacking leaks" - guardian.co.uk

There appears to be no end to new chapters in this continuing tale.

"CMO Survey: Marketers to Significantly Increase Their Investment in Social Media" - Duke's Fuqua School of Business

Trends like this will define a lot of social media strategies, whether those are deployed by newspapers or by the companies on which newspapers depend for advertising and other support.

"Carol Bartz Out at Yahoo; CFO Tim Morse Named Interim CEO" - AllThingsD

"Abramson faces toughest test of any NYT boss" - Reflections of a Newsosaur

A wonderful piece on the repositioning options facing the New York Times Company and the editor of its flagship newspaper.

"Closed in Error on Google Places, Merchants Seek Fixes" - NYTimes.com

Telling the truth is hard, even for Google.

"Turkish hacker group diverts users away from high-profile websites " - The Guardian

Another assault on the computer-dependent lives of huge companies, possibly including newspapers. Computer security, whether relating to telephone calls or passwords, encompasses tremendous risks to all companies and newspapers are among the most vulnerable.

"In Internet Age, Postal Service Struggles to Stay Solvent, and Relevant" - NYTimes.com

The situation of the US Postal Service is a both a concern for many newspapers who still depend on it to deliver their printed products, but it is also a cousin of newspapers in so many ways, and the issues that define its current plight are hardly unknown to newspapers as well. It's a problem repeated generally in many other countries.

"Naming Names on the Internet" - NYTimes.com

There is a very strong argument to be made, and I would make it, that newspapers ought to require real names of people in dealing withe them digitally, with the sole exception of confidential sources in the normal course of news reporting. The pendulum fell off its rocker quite a while ago and newspapers have the opportunity not only to put it back in place, but to do so with care and professionalism, something that has been sacrificed in large measure as we bury ourselves in trivia from unknown sources.

"Malaysian journalist killed in Somalia" - CNN.com

We are fortunate to have several colleagues joining us from Somalia, and there will be much to discuss, including this tragic incident. Registered Somalian participants so far:

Mohamed Mohamud MOHAMED Journalist and Reporter C SOMALI UNION OF JOURNALISM DEVELOPMENT
Omar Ahmed QEYLOW Editor C SOMALI UNION OF JOURNALISM DEVELOPMENT
Abdikadir Ali SAID Reporter and Photographer C SOMALI UNION OF JOURNALISM DEVELOPMENT

"China Increasingly Uses Tactic of Making Dissidents Vanish" - NYTimes.com

The WAN part of WAN-IFRA has a long history of supporting press freedom in China, including freedom for individuals who practice that freedom. We will have a chance to discuss this with Chinese colleagues in Vienna:

Shu Ping CHEN Editor in Chief C CHENGDU ECONOMIC DAILY
Eric Yigeng LI President C MIH PRINT MEDIA

"Mass-Market Paperbacks Sales in Decline" - NYTimes.com

Something to consider as newspapers reposition themselves? (Be sure to note the printed newspaper in the photo!)

89 countries and climbing!

Colleagues from 89 countries are now scheduled to be in Vienna. Help us break 100?

"Liveability Ranking August 2011" - Economist Intelligence Unit

Vienna came out 2nd best in the world, just behind Melbourne, Australia, and ahead of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

"New Arrest in Britain’s Phone Hacking Scandal" - NYTimes.com

This case seems to be a time machine of new developments.

"Alina Cho of CNN - What I Wore" - NYTimes.com

Newspaper people, unlike television presenters, tend to worry about other things, at least from my experience! We'll see in Vienna, won't we?

"Retired police official charged in Politkovskaya murder" - Committee to Protect Journalists

No arrest ever makes up for the crime committed, but I imagine that our Russian colleagues take some solace from this arrest. We'll be able to talk with them about this and other Russian newspaper matters in Vienna. Among those joining us are:

Damian KUDRIAVTSEV CEO S CJSC KOMMERSANT PUBLISHING HOUSE
Tatiana ALEKSANDROVNA IVANOVA Editor-in-Chief C EKONOMICHESKAYA GAZETA, PUBLISHING HOUSE
Alexander GERASIMOV Project Manager C EKONOMICHESKAYA GAZETA, PUBLISHING HOUSE
Igor MOLODTCOV General Director, Editor-in-Chief C LLC "GAZETY PROVINCII"
Galina GAVRILINA General Director C LTD AGENCY KOMSOMOLSKAY PRAVDA - KALGUA
Vasily GATOV Managing Director S RIA NOVOSTI MEDIA LAB

Leadership - Saturday, 15 Oct 2011

14.15 - 15.30 Session 10

Leadership

The job description of newspaper publishers is changing rapidly, as newspapers have gone from ink-on-paper to multimedia publications. Traditional leadership and management styles often can’t keep pace. Finding and managing the right talent is as important as rethinking audiences, products and services. This session will provide advice from leading industry experts on how to develop the leaders of the next generation of media companies.

• Ulrik Haagerup, Head of News, Danish Broadcasting Corporation, Denmark
• Jonathan Hustler, Managing Director, Archant Regional, UK
• Anna Kirah, Senior Architect, Microsoft, Norway
• Tom Cummings, Author and Co-Founder, Executive Learning Partnership, USA
• Plus more speakers to be announced

Challenges - Saturday, 15 Oct 2011

16.00 - 17.30 Session 11

Profit, public interest, ethics – where to draw the line?

Joint session with World Editors Forum
In the pursuit of stories that are in the public interest, where should the line be drawn? Is it justifiable to pose as someone you’re not? Is it justifiable to pay sources? In the course of the phone hacking scandal in the UK, Rupert Murdoch said: “our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society.” How can executives on the editorial and publishers side make sure that news organisations live up to those standards? This session explores how today’s news organisations can ensure quality journalism, press freedom and maintain the balance between ethical standards and pleasing our customers in times when the industry is under high pressure to gain audience.

• William Lewis, Executive Member, Management and Standards Committee, News Corporation, UK
• More panelists to be announced

Truth - Friday, 14 Oct 2011

17.00 - 18.15 Session 7

How to tell the truth during a revolution

Joint session with World Editors Forum
The protests that have led to political upheaval in the Arab world, in countries where press freedoms are extremely limited, provide a considerable challenge for all news organisations, both local and foreign. During such events, where the sequence of events is highly complex, the issues extremely sensitive, and the dangers to those on the ground all too evident, how can news organisations best succeed in their mission to tell the truth? How can they use social media to best effect?

• Gamal Eid, Human Rights Lawyer, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Egypt
• Philippe Massonnet, Global News Director, Agence France-Presse, France
• Plus more speakers to be announced

Moderated by:

• Magda Abu-Fadil, Director, Journalism Training Programme, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Technology - Friday, 14 Oct 2011

15.15 - 16.30 Session 6

Technology

With a bit of cleverness, newspaper publishers can take full advantage of new technologies and products to grow and sustain their businesses and reach a larger audience. But many publishers are in the dark about technology and leave this important management issue to others. This session will provide some help by examining technological and consumer trends and the latest developments in the laboratories of media and consumer technology companies and universities.

• Adam Bird, Director, McKinsey & Company, Inc, Germany
• Douglas J. Edwards, Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company, USA
• Hannes Ametsreiter, Group CEO, Telekom Austria, Austria
• Plus more speakers to be announced

Moderated by:

• Vasily Gatov, Head of RIA Novosti Media Lab, Russia

Sustainability - Friday, 14 Oct 2011

14.00 - 15.15 Session 5

Sustainability

Are your customers asking you what you’re doing to improve the environment? If they’re not yet, they will. Environmental sustainability is a rising concern for newspaper publishers. Paper, ink, printing machines, distribution, recycling – there are many ways to “go green” that are good for publishers, readers and for the environment. In this session, publishers, suppliers and research institutions examine the benefits and methods of systematic sustainability management.

• Claus Bolza-Schünemann, Deputy President, Koenig & Bauer, Germany
• Georg Carlberg, Vice President Environment, Norske Skogindustrier ASA, Norway
• Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO, Globe and Mail, Canada
• Mattias Höjer, Director, Centre for Sustainable Communications, KTH, Sweden
• Peter Kuisle, Executive Vice President Sales, manroland AG, Germany
• Åsa Moberg, Researcher, Center for Sustainable Communications, KTH, Sweden
• Plus more speakers to be announced

News agencies - Friday, 14 Oct 2011

12.45 - 13.45 Round Table lunch

News Agencies

Like newspaper companies, news agencies are also in transition; the traditional agency concept of generating and distributing news content to newspaper publishers and other media is evolving. How can news agencies become a strategic partner for the publishing company beyond their traditional role?
Some of the most innovative agencies will discuss ways to support the publishing industry in their efforts to grow their print and digital businesses.

• Christoph Pleitgen, Managing Director, Reuters News Agency, UK
• Peter Kropsch, CEO, Austria Press Agency, Austria
• Michael Ludewig, Deputy Editor in Chief, German Press Agency, Germany
• Amadou Mahtar Ba, Chief Executive, African Media Initiative, Kenya
• Philippe Massonnet, Global News Director, Agence France-Presse, France

Moderated by:
Ken Doctor, Leading Media Analyst, Author of “Newsonomics”, USA

Attendance limited to pre-registered participants

Digital - Friday, 14 Oct 2011

11.00 - 12.30 Session 4

Digital

The iPad is just over a year old, Facebook and Twitter are just a little bit older, and it’s no secret that the fastest growth area for most newspapers is all things digital. The news industry has become quicker and more adept at seizing new opportunities. This session, featuring one of the most innovative publishers in Asia, the first tablet-only newspaper, and some of our “frenemies” Google and Facebook, will examine trends and success factors in digital, what new business and revenue models are promising, and what role social media will play, now and in the future.

• Rebecca Grossman-Cohen, Director of Marketing, The Daily, USA
• Mariam Mammen Mathew, COO, Manorama Online, India
• Reggie Bradford, CEO / Founder, Vitrue Inc., USA
• Madhav Chinnappa, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Google News EMEA, UK
• Facebook Executive

Moderated by:
Simon Regan-Edwards, Production Director, The Sunday Times, UK

Finance - Friday, 14 Oct 2011

09.15 - 10.30 Session 3

Finance

When it comes to the future, it’s all about revenues: the best journalism in the world is useless if there is nowhere to publish it. Plotting a smart and successful course, aimed at preserving the financial independence and sustainability of news publishers, is essential. This session will examine some of the big money questions of our business: how do we make our businesses more attractive to investors? How do we better prepare for economic downturns? Which newsrelated investments are likely to reap the best returns? How do we get through the next recession?

• Juan Luis Cebrián, CEO, PRISA, Spain
• Gregor Waller, former Vice President Strategy & Innovation, Member of the Board Welt Group, Axel Springer AG, Germany
• Plus more speakers to be announced

Moderated by:
Greg Beitchman, Global Editor, Reuters News Agency, UK

Repositioning - Thursday, 13 Oct 2011

14.45 - 16.00 Session 1

Repositioning

The media world is in constant flux, so our industry’s place in the future media landscape is uncertain. News publishers have to continually reposition themselves as changing customer preferences, technologies and competitors bring new opportunities and challenges. In this session, leading news media executives from around the world set the scene for the Congress and examine where the products and services newspapers create, can be positioned successfully in the media landscape.

• Rolv Erik Ryssdal, CEO, Schibsted, Norway
• Jeongdo Hong, COO/Executive Director, JoongAng Media Network, South Korea
• Hanzade Doğan Boyner, Chairwoman of the Board, Doğan Gazetecilik A.S., Turkey
• Wilfred David Kiboro, Chairman of the Board, Nation Media Group, Kenya
• Eugen Russ, Publisher and CEO, Vorarlberger Medienhaus, Austria
• Damian Kudriavtsev, CEO, Kommersant Publishing House, Russia

Moderated by:
Ken Doctor, Leading Media Analyst, Author of “Newsonomics”, USA

"News Corp. Board Undergoes a Shuffle" - NYTimes.com

Note the Facebook connection.

"Two women journalists killed in Mexico City"

The stories of newspaper people dying are so sad no matter who the people, no matter which country. We'll be able to talk about the challenges of news publishing in Mexico with at least one colleague, and we hope others will be joining him. Along with that, we are hoping for at least one speaker from Mexico as well - invitaiton pending. Here is the participant from Mexico:

Roberto ROCK Director Editorial C EL UNIVERSAL COMPAÑIA PERIODISTICA NACIONAL S.A DE C.V.

"Human Brain Responds To Animals, Cute Or Creepy" - NPR

Increasingly, there is a lot science being applied to the newspaper "process". Consider this applied to newspaper photos.

"All Leaked U.S. Cables Were Made Available Online as WikiLeaks Splintered" - NYTimes.com

Technology enabled disclosures are a mixed blessing for newspapers. On the one hand, we want to have access to almost everything; on the other hand, once it is provided, there is the risk that public policy may restrict access in even more troubling manners. This is especially true when inserting a third party like Wikileaks.

"WikiLeaks Accuses 'The Guardian' of Revealing Secret Passwords" - The Hollywood Reporter

Yes, security has become a very big issue. Isn't it remarkable how much of it depends on passwords?

"Sorry, Wrong In-Box" - NYTimes.com

Communications have been a part of the newspaper business almost forever, and surely since the use of the telegraph as noted in this posting from Nieman Reports at Harvard. Newspapers need to stay on top of what's happening in how people and organizations communicate, including the frustrations of customers as the interesting column above highlights.

"Reference Apps for the Budding Know-It-All" - NYTimes.com

It's interesting that this story mentions not a single newspaper as offering a "reference app". Seems to me like a big newspaper opportunity!