GOODMAN, BAD MANClive Goodman, royal editor of the News of the World has pleaded guilty to intercepting voicemail messages and could go to jail.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6194988.stmHis boss, NOTW editor says: "As the editor of the newspaper, I take ultimate responsibility for the conduct of my reporters. Clive Goodman's actions were entirely wrong and I have put in place measures to ensure that they will not be repeated by...

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HANDS OFF BLOGSTim Toulmin of the Press Complaints Commission believes there should some sort of similar complaints system for blogs. Let's eschew the obvious jibe that he is trying to grab more power for the PCC; is he right?He says that online generally"there are no professional standards, there is no means of redress. If you want to see how the newspaper industry would look like if it was unchecked, then look at the internet."Maybe...

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GRADE AND THE BBChttp://paullinford.blogspot.com/2006/11/trashing-of-michael-grade.htmlPaul Linford is right to take exception at the sneering tone of some of the BBC's coverage of the defection of its chairman. The fact is that the BBC breeds an attitude of superiority in its staff and they simply can't believe that there is any virtue in working anywhere else. That, plus a love of bureaucracy, is the hallmark of the true BBC...

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FAREWELL PRESS GAZETTEI wrote for PG a couple of times, and was a judge at one of their awards ceremonies as well as reading the mag regularly over the years. Its closure leaves a hole that I hope will soon be filled.Naturally, I hope the staff all find jobs soon (and I expect they will).And by the way...http://staticsquid.blogspot.com/2006/11/save-grey-cardigan-poor-old-press.h...

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THE BBC AND LITVINENKORadio 4's Today programme on Friday morning was beside itself with excitement at what it thought was a scoop on the Alexander Litvinenko poisoned spy saga. It revealed that it had sopken to someone who had seen his X-rays, which revealed some 'packages' inside his body, about the size of a two pence piece, one of which seemed to have split open. There then followed a good deal of speculation about what these...

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A survey here shows that journalists work many more hours than they are contracted for. Roy Greenslade discusses it hereInteresting, but hardly surprising. The fact is that lots of people in lots of professions work longer than they legally need to- ask teachers, doctors, professionals in many walks of life.What this is really about is the fact that journalists on local and regional papers have seen their wages fall in real terms...

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SAVE THE GREY CARDIGANPoor old Press Gazette has probably published its last issue. Shame. Under the editor, Ian Reeves, they produce a decent magazine and a good website http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ I'm sure they'll all find jobs before long.I do fear for the future of the magazine's Grey Cardigan column, ostensibly written by a sub on a West Country local paper. Along with the Martin Luke column in the FT, it's the best-observed,...

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DESMOND WIELDS AXEMy old boss Richard Desmond defends his decision to lay off the entire Daily Express City desk and outsource the paper's business coverage to PA. Sorry though I feel for my former colleagues on the paper, I have to say I think he's doing the right thing.Though the Express City pages are pretty good, they are not what the paper is about. In any case, most daily City coverage happens like this. Journalist goes...

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