Around the Wire: Quality versus Quantity, Drones Over Paris and This Week’s Media News & Moves

Welcome to Around the Wire, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging and freelancing stories from the week.

Photo by Alexander Kachkaev; used under CC BY 2.0

1. French Hold 3 Journalists in Drone Episodes, but No Link to Earlier Flights is Seen (The New York Times)

Continuing our coverage of drone journalism news, three Al Jazeera journalists have been held in custody for flying unmanned air crafts in Paris. As we already know, there are many issues concerning the legality of drone usage. In Paris, a person needs the proper authorization to operate one.

After two straight nights of spotting the unidentified objects, Paris police were able to track down those involved.  They had been seen hovering around some of the city’s most prominent landmarks, sparking safety concerns for a city that has been on pins and needles since January’s Charlie Hebdo attacks.

2. A First Step Toward Better Security for Freelancers (MediaShift) 

The past year has been a tumultuous one for freelance journalists. From the murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff to the arrests of freelancers in Ferguson, Missouri, the safety surrounding these reporters has become a global issue.

Outlets have begun to change their standards of practice towards freelancers, treating them as part of their staff and offering new and improved training to prepare anyone leaving for a conflict zone. It’s an unprecedented and necessary change to the way we view the dangers surrounding freelance journalists.

3. Why Politico and Gawker are Embracing Quality (Washingtonian) 

For some time now, the driving force behind certain digital media outlets has strictly been traffic. But more and more, we are beginning to see a shift back to what makes journalism great — excellent writing.

Gawker and Politico are viewed by some as two of the more notorious ‘quantity-over-quality’ outlets. Gawker went as far as having a live chart documenting clicks in real time. However, the publications are now shifting their focus to a different standard for success.

4. Panel: Young Women in Sports Journalism Share Their Experiences (Sports Illustrated)

Although women have been a part of sports journalism for a long time, there are many barriers that still persist in the male-dominated field. Fortunately, some women have fought through the obstacles to find great success.

Here, SI Senior Editor Richard Deitsch speaks with a group of female sports reporters, 30 years old and younger, and gets their perspective on being a woman in sports.

5. Media News and Moves for the Week of February 23 (PR Newswire’s Media Moves)

Media Moves keeps you up to date with who went where in the world of media. This week’s edition includes changes at the Los Angeles Times, new editors at Travel + Leisure and a new Newsroom Weekend host at CNN.

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Ryan Hansen is an audience researcher with PR Newswire keeping track of the latest New York media moves. Follow him @RPH2004 for tweets about media, food, and his general take on something that may be irrelevant.