ProPublica's Richard Tofel: 'Our mission is to end abuses of power'

The president of the non-profit investigative journalism website on measuring impact, team work – and Edward SnowdenRichard Tofel has had a dream. It came upon him the night before we meet and he is still a little rattled by it. In it, he found himself performing his old role at Dow Jones, where he rose to become assistant publisher of the Wall Street Journal. "I was back in Dow Jones, and there were a million committees and a thousand departments and forms to fill," he says. After a beat, he adds: "It was not a happy dream."The good news for Tofel is that for more than five years he has worked at the gloriously lithe and bureaucratically unencumbered ProPublica, a non-profit investigative journalism outfit where he is president. "There are advantages to having 10,000 people, but the saying about turning round the battleship is true. The media business is changing so quickly, there are enormous advantages to those who can change quickly with it."On Monday night, Tofel takes that message of small and flexible is beautiful to London, where he will be addressing the One World Media awards honouring outstanding coverage of the developing world. He will talk about the subject that is increasingly preoccupying him: how to measure impact in journalism. The issue, you might say, is as old as the printing presses. Grub Street has traditionally done it, scurrilously, by counting "scalps" – resignations exacted of people in high office. Newspapers have also tracked circulation or... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Using Solar Power for E-readers in Africa, France

Worldreader now offers solar powered charging stations for schools and libraries in Africa; France's Bookeen is developing a new light-powered eink device. The post Using Solar Power for E-readers in Africa, France appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Duke Univ. Press Picking Up Abandoned South End Titles

South End Press, Boston-based press that folded last year, has struck a deal to have four of its stranded titles distributed by Duke University Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check it Out with Andrew Richard Albanese: The Race for ALA Presidency

As the story goes, in October 1897, the American Library Association (ALA) plunged into controversy when Rutherford P. Hayes (the son of former U.S. president Rutherford B. Hayes) seized the ALA presidency following the death of duly elected president Justin Winsor, despite there being no... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending February 27, 2015

Lots of good news for indies this week, from a 27% increase in the number of new member stores since 2009 to the re-opening of Bonnie Slotnik Cookbook’s in New York City’s East Village. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HMH Trade Ended 2014 with a Loss

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s trade division sales fell 4% in 2014 and it had a $2.9 million net loss in 2014 compared to net income of $6.5 million in 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending February 20, 2015

Winter weather continues to affect bookstores and other small businesses, particularly in the Boston area, which is winding down its celebration of Valentine's Week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber ends FSG partnership

Faber is ending its partnership with American publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) after 17 years, ahead of announcing new plans for its business in the US. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending February 13, 2015

A flurry of bookselling events took place this week, including the introduction of carefully culled French sections, or "corners," in seven indies around the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does fan fiction spell the end of the professional novelist?

In popular genres such as sci-fi and fantasy, fan fiction based on the Wattpad model could easily disrupt the publishing industryFor a few years in the mid 2000s, I was the young librarian who got sent to schools to convince kids they really did want to read books. The truth of my experience was... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC changes ending of Casual Vacancy

The BBC has changed the “bleak” ending of J K Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy for its TV adaptation, due to be screened this month. Screenwriter Sarah Phelps told the Telegraph that she had had to come up with a redemptive ending for the story, set in the fictional village of Pagford. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber and Granta power Folio Prize shortlist

Independent publishers have come out on top in the shortlist for the 2015 Folio Prize for Fiction, with Faber and Granta getting three books each on the list. Faber’s three titles are All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews, about sisters, suicide and how to carry on after grief; Family Life by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending February 6, 2015

With the addition of 59 new store members to the ABA last year—the most since 2008—this has been a good week for booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check it Out with Andrew Richard Albanese: Why Do People Challenge Books?

For many, the tragic events in Paris have highlighted the importance of free expression. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending January 30, 2015

The indie bookstore revival continues with a newly opened store in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and new stores slated for Detroit and Decatur. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst UK chief Anna Jones on the enduring power of print magazines

Ahead of an appearance at this year’s Changing Media Summit, Anna Jones talks to the Guardian about the future of magazines, Hearst’s role in the run-up to the 2015 general election and why the portrayal of women in Esquire is changingChanging Media Summit 2015 programmeIf a 169-year-old,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Charlie Hebdo: murders a twisted vote of confidence in the power of ink and paper

There’s something about ink, paper and the printing press that has always bothered tyrants and those afraid of ideas.Was there a single old hand in the world of magazines who didn’t read the stories about the demand for copies of the post-massacre edition of Charlie Hebdo, raise their eyebrows... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Google-Backed Press Fund Strayed From Its Mission to Help Charlie Hebdo

Charlie Hebdo is printing 7 million copies of its "survivor's issue," published one week after terrorists attacked the magazine's Paris office Jan. 7, killing 12 people. To print the additional copies, Charlie Hebdo, which usually puts out 60,000 copies per issue, received financial help from... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Attempt to ban performing artist’s abuse memoir ‘threatens free speech’

Artist is appealing against temporary injunction obtained by his ex-wife, who says book will be distressing for his son to readAn attempt to prevent a performing artist from publishing his memoir on the grounds that its contents would be distressing for his son to read has opened up “a new,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lib Dems pledge to end child illiteracy by 2025

The Liberal Democrat 2015 election manifesto will include a commitment to end child illiteracy by 2025, Nick Clegg announced yesterday (18th January). The party leader said the Lib Dems was the only party which could ensure all children who leave primary school in 2025 will be able to read and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending January 16, 2015

Transition continues among college stores at the start of the second semester. Beginning in May, UMass, Amherst students will be ordering and renting textbooks from Amazon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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