BBC Trust chief accused of 'obstruction and secrecy'

Lord Patten criticised by MPs for blocking publication of documents relating to corporation's failed £100m IT projectMPs have accused the BBC Trust chairman, Lord Patten, of "obstruction and secrecy" for stopping the corporation publishing key documents about a failed £100m IT project.Patten ordered the corporation not to disclose sensitive material in response to a freedom of information request from the Guardian, warning its release would cause damage and prompt a "trial by media".The BBC had been asked to publish briefing material prepared for the former director general Mark Thompson before he gave evidence to parliament in 2011. MPs later claimed that BBC executives' statements "just weren't true".The BBC's ambitious Digital Media Initiative (DMI) was designed to do away with videotape and digitise the BBC's archives, but it was axed in May 2013, wasting £98.4m of licence fee-payers' money.Thompson, now chief executive of the New York Times, has been recalled to parliament in the new year to answer claims he misled parliament by claiming the scheme was already up and running when it wasn't. He later said he gave evidence "honestly and in good faith" based on information from his executives.In a rare personal intervention, Patten said the BBC should withhold the briefing material because it could result in a "partial and potentially incoherent picture" and cause damage to "various accountability mechanisms in place".Patten said in a letter to the Guardian: "There is... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple: E-book price-fixing accusation 'simply not true'

Apple Inc.  is denying antitrust charges filed against it and five major book publishers this week that accuse the companies of a price-fixing scheme to inflate the prices paid for electronic books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, ebook publishers accused of price fixing

Apple's Steve Jobs played a key role in a price-fixing plan with five ebook publishers, federal and state officials say in antitrust lawsuits.WASHINGTON — Former Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs was a key player in a conspiracy with five major book publishers to drive up the price of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DOJ accuses Apple, five publishers of colluding to fix ebook prices

In December 2010 I asked: "Is someone fixing ebook prices?" Google's digital bookstore opened for business, and I started comparing prices only to find them fairly consistent across all retailers. I expected to see huge variances, not pricing consistency, which shouldn't be in a competitive... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trust Buster Takes Hard Line As E-Book Probe Continues

The Justice Department's top antitrust official says she won't stand by quietly if companies make agreements with rivals on price, signaling a stern stance as the department conducts a high-profile probe into electronic-book publishing. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder Blog: McClatchy Chief to Lead The A.P.

Gary Pruitt, chairman and chief executive of the newspaper publisher McClatchy Company, becomes the 13th leader of The Associated Press. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corporate Ladder: Devin C. Johnson, Studio One Networks' chief operating officer

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[ Crains New York | 2012-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Books acquires Hom and Huang

BBC Books has acquired a title by chefs Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang, both Chinese food specialists... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Raisin, Roberts and Joseph to judge BBC prize

Authors Ross Raisin, Michele Roberts and Anjali Joseph will take their place alongside BBC London... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Books in two-year deal with "The Voice"

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA letter goes out to council chiefs

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anobii chief says drop DRM to fight Amazon

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Redundancies at Trust Media after m.b.o.

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atlantic Media Taps Editor-in-Chief for New Global Business Brand

The Atlantic Media Company names Kevin Delaney as editor-in-chief of its still untitled digital global business brand. Delaney brings over a decade of experience at The Wall Street Journal to this developing role. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wenner Hires New Digital Chief, Again

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[ AdWeek | 2012-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Short Story Award to accept global entries in 2012

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Literacy Trust launches Christmas appeal

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digitas chief Lang takes top role at Time Inc

Time Inc, the parent of IPC Media and the US publishing giant behind titles including People and Time, has appointed Digitas global chief executive Laura Lang as its new chief executive. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digitas CEO Laura Lang to Be Named Chief of Time Inc.

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[ AllThingsD | 2011-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bodley Head buys title from Blair's ex-chief of staff

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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