Erkan's field diary

Al-Qaeda Media Nexus: The Virtual Network Behind the Global Message (PDF; 2.2 MB)
Source: Radio Free Europe

Key Findings

+ The ”original” Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden accounts for a mere fraction of jihadist media production.

+ Virtual media production and distribution entities (MPDEs) link varied groups under the general ideological rubric of the global jihadist movement. The same media entities that “brand” jihadist media also create virtual links between the various armed groups that fall into the general category of Al-Qaeda and affiliated movements.

+ Three key entities connect Al-Qaeda and affiliated movements to the outside world through the internet. These three media entities — Fajr, the Global Islamic Media Front, and Sahab — receive materials from more than one armed group and post those materials to the internet.............

NME.com applies news diamond, workflows of the 21st century newsroom

By Carolyn Lo

Paul Bradshaw of The Online Journalism Blog had posited that the editorial process and workflows must change with the online world, following the "news diamond," which is based on speed and depth.

Here's how a news site implemented this process in practice.

Editor of NME.com, a news publication about the music industry, David Moynihan, said his own team has worked towards adopting the news diamond, describing his work as "a buzzing cross-platform environment that mirrors [Bradshaw's] theories."

Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment

Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

"How to: use RSS and social media for newsgathering"

By Jean Yves Chainon

UK journalism blogger Paul Bradshaw offers some tips for busy reporters and editors on how to use some Web-based tools such as RSS feeds and social media to help them along the basic newsgathering process.

Le Monde journalists on strike

Journalists at the prestigious French daily Le Monde strike over job cuts - the second such protest in its history.

Future of journalism series: Jonathan Landman - The New York Times

By Jean Yves Chainon

The Editors Weblog is running a series of exclusive interviews about the future of journalism with top editors at leading newspapers around the world. Here is the latest installment with  Jonathan Landman, deputy Managing Editor of The New York Times in the US.

AP adjusts to changing industry and adopts new copyright tool

By Carolyn Lo

On Wednesday, Tom Curley, president and CEO of Associated Press, spoke at the annual conference of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) and the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) and stated that "the news cooperative hasn't changed its fundamental mission, but must have a more flexible business model to meet the changing dynamic of the media industry."

Press Roundup

Eight-year-old İbrahim Yıldırım suffered in pain for an hour from burns as he was forced to wait at an Adana hospital because his family could not afford the treatment expenses.

Turkish Press Scanner

Municipality restricts drinking establishments The municipality of the central Anatolian city of Niğde has launched a project to relocate drinking establishments in the city center to at least five kilometers outside the boundaries of the city, reported daily Milliyet yesterday. Niğde Mayor Murat Zeren, a member of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said 14 different areas planned under the project would be completed in a short time and that restaurants and other businesses located in the city center that currently serve alcoholic beverages would no longer be allowed to serve alcoholic drinks by a decision of the municipality council. Zeren also met with the owners of

Press Roundup

Citizens lined up in front of the Sakarya Turkish Agricultural Board on Wednesday in order to buy rice at below market prices. Food prices have rapidly increased in Turkey recently.

Turkish Press Scanner

MILLIYET Turkish girls enter puberty aged 7Girls in Turkey are reaching puberty earlier as a result of mothers smoking during pregnancy and young girls being overweight and not exercising enough, daily Milliyet reported yesterday. Professor Dr. Selim Kurtoğlu, a specialist in endocrinology with the Pediatrics Department of Erciyes University's Faculty of Medicine, said endocrinology clinics were full of young women who have entered puberty at an abnormally early age. Kurtoğlu said entering puberty prematurely due to being overweight and not being active enough might have horrible results. He added, “There are girls that have physically matured and started having their periods

Turkish Press Scanner

Daily Vakit marks rector as target The daily Vakit, which marks people opposed to its ideologies as targets for radical Islamic organizations has now declared Akdeniz University rector, Professor Mustafa Akaydın, a target, daily Akşam reported yesterday. On Monday Vakit led with a report, titled “Take This Man,” about Akaydın. The daily also displayed a photo of the rector on its front page. Antalya University was the scene of recent student conflicts. Akaydın, who was also accused by the daily of triggering the armed conflicts at the university, is known for his opposition to the new Higher Education Board (YÖK) chairman and the government and is currently the chairman of

Turkish Press Scanner

Good news for pregnant female employees A Supreme Court of Appeals ruling has made an employer, who terminated a female worker's employment contract because she was pregnant, to pay compensation for “bad intention,” daily Star reported yesterday. The ninth branch of the court issued a favorable ruling for female employees who are pregnant or have just given birth and determined the employer should pay compensation for terminating their contracts. The same ruling also obliged employers to include maternity leave while calculating the amount of days worked. “The witnesses made clear that the claimant was asked to resign due to her pregnancy however she refused to do so. Later on her

Press Roundup

Three thousand people traveled to the village of Yukarı Bozkır in the western city of Manisa's Turgutlu district to attend ceremonies marking the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. A military band gave a concert at the event. Activities for the occasion will continue through April 20 all across Turkey.