Chronicle

Star announces Business World acquisition

The Philippine STAR Media group has acquired 76.63% of BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation from Hastings Holdings, Inc, a unit of MediaQuest.

Recognizing BusinessWorld as the world’s largest business newspaper, PhilSTAR president and chief executive officer Miguel Belmonte said that the partnership between PhilStar and BusinessWorld will bolster the operations and financial revenues of the two companies.

BusinessWorld editor-in-chief Roby Alampay, who is concurrently  editor-in-chief of Interaksyon.com, the online news portal of MediaQuest holding TV5, said that the brand and editorial independence of BusinessWorld will be protected and strengthened even as the news company stands to gain from the synergies offered by PhilStar on the business and operations side of running a media venture.

BusinessWorld and Philstar Group Chairman Ray Espinosa considers the integration a fulfillment of the Philippine Star Media Group’s strategy to provide complete and comprehensive news and information across all delivery platforms.

Google launches News Lab for tech-assisted journalism

Google has launched an online news lab that will collaborate with journalists to apply technology innovations in news reporting.

The News Lab offers lessons in research, reporting, distribution, and the use of analytical tools.

Lab director Steve Grove said in a blog post that journalists from all over the world can access tutorials on products created specifically for newsrooms such as Google Maps, YouTube, Fusion Tables, and Earth to Search.

Grove added that the continuous evolution of the media landscape and technology calls for  teamwork between journalists and technologists who will create reports that would make the world more informed.  News Lab was billed as a global initiative launched with teams in Britain, France, Germany and the United States.

Google  also envisions the future of news and information as empowering new voices in the media, partnering with organizations including media accelerator Matter and the Hacks/Hackers grassroots network of journalists and technologists.