Newspaper news from 9 February 2009

Stephen Glover: Let's be proud of our press – it's probably the best in the world (The Independent)
A group called Media Standards Trust publishes a report today which argues that newspapers are increasingly inaccurate and, as a result, enjoy diminishing public confidence. more

Matthew Norman: Oh, Carol... a victim of the age of the snitch (The Independent)
In any round-up of the Battle of Thatcher's Gob, a special mention in dispatches goes to The Times for sidestepping the lure of overkill on Friday with only the two pieces from non-white writers with personal insight as to why "golliwog" isn't as harmless as some insist. more

Why publish and be damned should be the law for everyone (The Independent)
It is common knowledge in Fleet Street that a well-known BBC TV presenter has fathered a lovechild with a journalist. Sports editors talk openly about the former Premier League manager who had an affair and then spent thousands stopping the cuckolded husband from telling his story. more

News of the world (Media Guardian)
France'It's mostly the internet that I use. And sometimes TV - Euronews is good'Roman Pimbuskiy, an 18-year-old science student at an elite secondary school, has trouble remembering the last time he read a newspaper. "It's mostly the internet that I use. And sometimes TV - Euronews is good. more

Media watchdog attacks PCC (Media Guardian)
Press self-regulation is not working and requires radical change if it is to secure trust among the public for newspapers, according to a report released today by the Media Standards Trust, an independent journalistic ethics charity. more

Richard & Judy: where did it go wrong? (Media Guardian)
Only last year, Richard and Judy were twin titans of British culture. Their Channel 4 teatime series was watched daily by three million viewers. The show was so zeitgeisty that guests included Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. more

Jessica the readers' Good Samaritan (Daily Telegraph)
Many readers complain that the financial institutions that are keen to take their money are less willing to answer legitimate questions. Sometimes the power of the press in the shape of Jessica our financial troubleshooter can help. more

The world's worst ad? It was my work (Media Guardian)
If Chris Tarrant asked on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, "Who wrote the most reproduced English text apart from the King James Bible and Shakespeare?" it couldn't be more than a £2,000 question. Everyone knows: "That would be JK Rowling, Chris. more

'I'm Bewildered of Long Acre' (Media Guardian)
Channel Five's chief executive, Dawn Airey, still looks relaxed after taking six months' gardening leave last year. "I had to come back to work to earn the money I spent while I was away," she jokes. more

Media Release: Six sports newspapers come together in new association (Journalism.co.uk)
“Six of the world’s leading newspapers dedicated to sport have come together to form the International Association of Sports Newspapers (IASN), to defend and promote the interests and freedom of the sports press,” the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) announced on Friday. more