David Frost interviews Julian Assange about secrets, leaks and why he won’t go to Sweden

By Chris Hogg

Julian Assange, founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, recently sat down with David Frost in an episode of “Frost over the World.” In the 24 minute-long interview, Assange talks in-depth about the role of WikiLeaks and why he won’t go to Sweden.

Assange has seen an enormous amount of publicity recently, as WikiLeaks is in the process of releasing more than 250,000 confidential American diplomatic cables. He is also fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted on sexual assault charges.

Named “Man of the Year” by Le Monde, Julian Assange has been called everything from the leader of transparency in government to a “high-tech terrorist.”

In this special episode of Frost over the World, Assange speaks at great length about a number of issues ranging from the role of WikiLeaks as a leader of transparency to its goal of unveiling government secrets when it’s important for the public. The interview aired Dec. 21, Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 on Al Jazeera.

In the interview, Assange implies a fair trial in Sweden is not likely and his lawyers are concerned he will end up in an American jail. Some critics seem to agree, saying “Sweden’s reputation as a socially advanced nation is looking shakier by the minute.”

Assange says he does not blame his two accusers for allegations against him. Instead, he suggests they may be mixed up in a bigger political scheme.

In this sit-down interview with Frost, a number of questions are brought forward, including: “Why was the most senior prosecutor in Sweden removed (and replaced) after he said there was ‘no evidence or even suspicion’ of rape?” And, “Why do Swedish authorities refuse to provide British officials with any evidence of crimes Assange allegedly committed ? including withholding the statements of the victims?”

The interview is below:

[Cross-posted to Digital Journal and Future of Media]

More than 700 billion YouTube videos viewed in last year

By Chris Hogg

According to a post on YouTube’s corporate blog, more than 13 million hours of video have been uploaded to YouTube servers in the last 12 months, resulting in more than 700 billion views.

“We’re privileged to work with the most passionate and talented partners in the world, who produce and upload videos that inspire us, make us laugh and move us — and, most importantly, change the way we look at the world,” writes Tom Pickett, Director of Content Operations & Online Creators for YouTube.

When you break it down, more than 1.9 billion videos were watched each day and YouTube members uploaded more than 35,000 hours of video per day.

In addition to the growth in uploads and time spent watching videos, YouTube announced it now has 15,000 participants in its partner program that allows content creators to share in revenue generated from ads within videos.

To celebrate its growth over the last year, YouTube is giving 500 of its most successful partners $1,000 in credits to B&H Photo to buy new video production equipment. YouTube says the group of 500 partners collectively generated billions of video views this year.

If you’re curious about the Top 10 YouTube videos of all time, we’ve posted the on Digital Journal here.

Newspapers surpass broadcasters in total minutes of videos streamed

By Chris Hogg

According to a report from video-hosting platform Brightcove, newspapers have pulled ahead of broadcasters in total minutes of videos streamed for the first time in Q3 this year.

“This is an interesting development, and suggests that newspapers are rapidly adopting and producing video content for what was once a print business,” the report (PDF) says. “This data also bears out the distinct differences in the content between the two verticals: broadcasters have fewer but longer titles, while newspapers are producing many more, but shorter titles on a more regular basis.”

Brightcove says newspapers streamed 313 million minutes compared to 290 million for broadcasters. Newspapers also saw more titles uploaded and spikes in video production coincided with major events such as U.S. mid-term elections and the World Cup. The report says newspaper uploaded 482,000 titles in the Q3, an increase of 51 percent compared to the previous quarter and 100 percent growth compared to the same quarter last year.

Video uploads from the online media category passed broadcast uploads for the first time in Q3, a growth of 188 percent compared to this time last year for online media.

When it comes to time spent watching video, the report says audience engagement stayed relatively the same over Q1, Q2 and Q3. Some verticals, however, saw a decrease in minutes watched. As the study notes: “Completion rates went up in some of the same verticals, suggesting that while the content may be shorter, engagement via completion rates may be higher.”

Newspapers and brand marketers were the only two verticals who did not see a slight drop in average minutes viewed per stream. Broadcasters were much higher than other verticals for average minutes watched per stream, a fact Brightcove attributes to long-form content.

When it comes to watching a video from start to finish, the report says completion rates were relatively constant but spikes were seen from online media properties, broadcasters and brand marketers.

Video discovery and referrals

Facebook overtook Yahoo for video referral traffic in Q3 and the company is now second only to Google. Facebook accounts for 9.6 percent of all referred video to media companies.

Futhermore, visitors who come through Twitter spend more time watching video. Brands saw Twitter users watch 1:47 minutes of video, broadcasters saw 1:57 minutes of video plays from Twitter users, and online media properties saw Twitter users watch 1:40 minutes of video content.

“Google accounted for significantly higher engagement for newspapers at 1:57 minutes, compared to the category average of 1:27 minutes,” the report notes. “This suggests that viewers look to the search engine as a source for the most relevan breaking and timely content.”

The report also says, “Facebook was the most engaging referral source for entertainment categories, including broadcasters (1:57 minutes) and magazines (1:34 minutes). This can be explained that entertainment is a more commonly shared and more engaging content type among friends connecting on the social network.”

Video consumption breakdown by device

In Q3, Brightcove looked at minutes of video watched and how it changed across various devices. The company says game consoles (such as Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation) came out on top with an average of 2:45 minutes watched per view. Online consumption came in at 2:27 minutes per view.

“This is not surprising given that gaming consoles are currently the most common playback device connected to TVs and most closely replicate a comfortable lean-back experience,” the report says. “We anticipate this disparity to increase as more customers make content available to viewers through connected TV apps and gaming consoles.”

More information and statistics are available here (PDF).

University of Toronto wants to create new j-school for ‘professionals who want to become journalists’

by David Silverberg

If the University of Toronto had its way, a new master’s of journalism program would invite specialists in various areas to learn to become journalists. Robert Steiner, director of the journalism lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is collaborating with colleagues to get an MJ program off the ground at UofT, J-source reports.

But this j-school will differ from its counterparts by catering to “professionals who want to become journalists or who want to add journalism to their professional work,” a proposal letter states. By September 2012, the Munk School wants to launch this program that will give students “strong journalism skills, a large portfolio of clippings in their global niche media, and advanced education in ethics, entrepreneurship and information technology.”

The letter states enrollment in today’s journalism schools is rising but they aren’t preparing graduates for jobs in the newsroom. The Munk program believes j-schools shouldn’t teach general assignment reporting; rather, this new school will recruit professionals with expertise in a niche topics, from biology to municipal politics.

The program envisions a new type of internship program: “Students in the Munk program will have to work for 18 months, during their academic year and during the summer, as freelance stringers in the niche global media covering their field. Active journalists will mentor ‘bureaus’ of six or seven students for two hours a week throughout the academic year.”

This spin on j-school has not yet been given the green light by UofT officials yet. The project leaders are still gathering feedback.

J-source reports UofT is not alone with this idea: the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University will jointly offer a new 10-month MJ program starting in June 2011, along with each school’s journalism program.

Digital Journal launches smartphone apps powered by Polar Mobile

As one of the first news outlets to bring user-generated content to mobile phones, Digital Journal is extending its presence to smartphones in partnership with Polar Mobile. Today, Digital Journal announces apps for almost every smartphone on the market.

Digital Journal has partnered with Polar Mobile to release free news apps for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch as well as BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone devices. Available for free at app.digitaljournal.com, the apps enable smartphone users to read news from Digital Journalists working in 175 countries around the world.

Readers can follow breaking news via Digital Journal’s smartphone app and share articles via Facebook, Twitter and email from within the apps.

“We’re very excited about bringing user-generated content to virtually all smartphone platforms at once,” said Chris Hogg, CEO of Digital Journal Inc. “Mobile platforms are shaping the future of media, and we’re happy to partner with Polar Mobile to bring our engaging news network into the palm of your hand.”

The Digital Journal news apps feature articles, blogs and images from professional and citizen journalists, bloggers, photographers and reporters around the world.

“Every brand needs a mobile strategy, and we are pleased Digital Journal has chosen to work with Polar’s Platform to grow their reach on mobile and drive new revenue,” said Kunal Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Polar Mobile.

“The launch of Digital Journal’s new smartphone apps complement our highly interactive mobile site at m.digitaljournal.com,” said Hogg. “Our smartphone app gives mobile news readers a clean and simple interface to read news, while our mobile website offers them the chance to take part and engage in the news-gathering process.”