• Newseum provides a great service to the internet at large, and journalism in particular. We’ve used their Today’s Front Pages feature many times in the past to inform people about the day’s news, comment on what’s happening, and to inspire people to look a little bit deeper at the stories that inspire and inform us. Like all journalism should. Newseum runs one of the best parts of the entire internet — having every front page in the world at your fingertips is something most people couldn’t even imagine even 20 years ago. As a journalist, it’s something I bought into as well, and I’ve been an active participant over the years. And with the current situation (which involves the organization watermarking pages and enforcing copyright), I feel that I can’t just ignore it and let this issue get swept under the rug. Some thoughts and suggestions to deal with this:

• On “best practices” Newseum’s talk of not stealing other people’s content online being a “best practice” is totally missing the point of the Internet. Are they using the same Internet we are? Hint: It’s not “stealing,” it’s sharing. Blocking sharing cuts off the hose. By cutting off the hose, you lose influence and focus. You know what needs our attention more than ever? The printed page. Losing that would be a mortal blow to a medium getting less respect than ever.
• An alternate history To take this in a different direction, Newseum’s stance on this issue ignores a completely different story of the Internet — the growth of open-source content, the expansion of licenses beyond mere copyright, the story of folk heroes like Richard Stallman — all storylines that would not exist if everyone listened to the best practices put forth by the Newseum. Copyright is great and all, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Not on this issue.
• A request for newspapers We have a solution to this mess that we hope that newspapers at large heed: Consider making your front pages available in a Creative Commons format — one that nips this problem in the bud for good. (This license would be a great choice, because it would make sure that nobody, not even Newseum, could change the content.) Freely-available front pages don’t take away from bottom lines. They add to them. Think about that.

• » Ultimately, to be clear: Newspapers are taking a bit of a beating as an information source these days. As we switch over to the Web for more and more of our daily lives and our tastes change, projects like the Newseum become more important reminders of where we came from and why these things remain important. We write this because we love what Newseum does, but also because we need MORE things like Frontpages, not fewer.

• before While Allbritton announced that they would be de-emphasizing the TBD brand, which was considered a future journalism model, they made it seem like there wouldn’t be any layoffs – just refocusing.
• now TBD, a DC-based local news site, will now lose its sports and news coverage and become an entertainment site. Oh yeah, 12 people are getting laid off. So, yes, the TV guys did win. source

• » A message to TBD’s staff: We hear you’ll be able to work on your publication for the next few weeks as its model changes – a temporary respite from unemployment. As someone who’s been in that position before, I can tell you it’s a bit of a dead-man-walking situation. Sigh. These things are never fun. Make the best of them.

• 4M number of online views al-Jazeera English says it has gotten since Friday
• 1.6M number of views the network has gotten from the United States alone
• 2,500% the increase in the site’s online traffic since Friday (a big deal) source

• » Why they aren’t on cable: As our buddy ProducerMatthew figured out last night, they’re fighting in a very competitive space. And now he has a little backup from the New York Times. In statements acquired by the paper, many cable companies said similar things. It’s like applying for a federal job and getting a form rejection letter apparently, except with Comcast.

• There was reluctance from these companies to embark in a direction that would perhaps be opposed by the Bush administration. I think that’s changed. I think if anything the Obama administration has indicated to al-Jazeera that it sees us as part of the solution, not part of the problem.
• Al-Jazeera English’s head of North American strategies Tony Burman • Discussing why getting his network on U.S. cable systems has been such a hard sell. When the English-language network launched in 2006, it carried a bit of a reputation with it (despite its editorial independence and BBC-like business model), and it’s one that’s kept the network running in D.C., parts of Ohio and parts of Vermont. That’s it. (Oh, and if you happen to own a satellite dish.) This is despite the fact that the service is widely-available in Europe and Canada without any troubles. “Why in the most vibrant democracy in the world, where engagement and knowledge of the world is probably the most important,” Burman continues, “why it’s not available is one of these things that would take a PhD scholar to understand.” Meanwhile, Fox News airs unabated. source

• News organizations take note: Not only is al-Jazeera getting much attention for their coverage of the Egypt crisis, but they’re breaking a lot of ground, too. They’ve released tons of content with a Creative Commons license – video, Flickr photos and more. They’ve had a long relationship with the CC people, and this proves exactly why it’s so fruitful. Just think if the AP actually did this instead of threatening to sue everyone under the sun. source

• The notion that there is a common struggle across the Arab world is something Al Jazeera helped create. They did not cause these events, but it’s almost impossible to imagine all this happening without al-Jazeera.
• George Washington University Middle East Studies professor Marc Lynch • Describing the role in popular uprisings that al-Jazeera has had over the years. It’s a role that’s clearly becoming more apparent this week as protests and popular uprisings become more widespread. While many praise the Qatar-based network for this role (we certainly do), others note that its coverage often seems biased or plays favorites – particularly favoring Hezbollah and Hamas. That said, al-Jazeera hasn’t played such a central role as the conscience of the Arab world since the heady days of the Iraq War in 2003. Especially considering scenes like this one. source

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

• Over the last few days, we’ve gotten a few e-mails from the online video site Newsy. (Hey guys!) Newsy is a pretty interesting news startup which has a partnership with the smart kids at the University of Missouri. (Read up on the school’s journalism program – which, if you ask us, is how J-Schools should work.) In a lot of ways, Newsy is sort of the video version of SFB – it splices together lots of disparate elements to give you a brief, detailed overview of a full story. (They probably have more startup capital than us, but we’ll let that one go. Heh.) In the clip above, they offer tons of new context with the gay Cub Scout leader who was forced to give up his leadership program. The guy at the center of all this knows how to sell popcorn. And he’s thinking of filing a lawsuit against the organization. We learned all that just from watching the video! Newsy’s pretty cool. source

• hits High-attention celebrity news articles such as Lindsay Lohan’s drug addiction saga, draw lots of traffic to news sites.
• profits However, less-sexy hard news stories like the economy and mortgages may actually be more profitable for those sites. source

• He’s quickly become one of the best parts of Slate. Sometimes a little scandal is all you need to ensure your long-term place in the conversation. And that’s what Weigel, late of the Washington Post and currently of Slate, has been up to lately – ensuring his place in the conversation. With an entertaining blog, insightful articles and a generally compelling persona, Weigel is a guy that needs to stick around for a good long time, no matter how many conservatives he privately suggests set themselves on fire. source

• What happened? Reddit wanted to accept ads in favor of California’s pot-legalizing Prop. 19, which owner Condé Nast said was a big no-no. So they offered to run the ads for free.
• A tweeted offer Not long after, Cheezburger Network CEO Ben Huh made an unsolicited offer to buy the business from Condé Nast. And he tweeted it. That’s postmodern.
• Why that may be bad Ben Huh severely underpays his workers for work that requires a college education. We already covered it in detail. We don’t need to say anything else. source