Aunty on a diet? … rip-and-read science journalism … Google’s ‘arrogance’

Aunty TV shake-up: adapting to change or trimming the fat? With ABC Managing Director Mark Scott last week promising to take a close look at corporate overheads this year, has ABC TV management pre-empted some slashing? On Friday the broadcaster finally got around to announcing the revamp in its TV division management that Crikey reported on last year.

Reports treated the changes in isolation, and so they seemed. Besides the controller positions, which got all the headlines, the other significant changes were the elimination of six key programming department jobs with ABC TV’s head programmer, Marena Manzoufas, leaving after nine years. — ­Glenn Dyer

The science behind public relations. Eyebrows have been raised in the world of science journalism, with magazine Popular Science accused of recycling university PR.  In particular, two articles (here and here) have been published on the magazine’s website which appear remarkably similar to press releases issued by Sydney University and James Cook University.

Interestingly, the pieces — which are word-for-word reproductions — are also published under the byline of Popular Science editor Kevin Cheung. But Cheung defended his magazine’s policy of recycling PR pieces, saying that it was “standard practice across the science magazine industry”.

“I wish it weren’t the case. As a journalist I would love to follow it up and get more sides to the story, but it’s not possible,” he told Crikey. — Tom Cowie

But where are the crocodiles? The NT News is once again setting the national agenda, providing front-page treatment for a new survey that “confirms what we already knew — Territorians love having s-x in public”.

Panic in Georgia after mock news broadcast

“In a War Of The Worlds-esque scenario, residents of Georgia were thrown into a state of shock and panic when Imedi TV — a pro-government station — telecast an “imitation of events” that had Russian troops rolling into the city and President Mikheil Saakashvili assassinated.” — Mediaite

Six delusions of Google’s arrogant leaders

“The CEO’s remarks are just the latest in a series of prominent self-righteous statements from Google. There have been plenty of similar cases just in the past couple of months alone. It’s worth cataloguing them, given Google’s deep relationship with its millions of users, and given that the Mountain View internet company doesn’t seem to be getting any more humble.” — Defamer

NY Times CEO out-earns her boss. Again

“For the third year in a row, New York Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson made more money than Chairman and Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., according to a SEC proxy filing.” — Editor and Publisher

Apple loses monopoly over the letter ‘i’

“Apple has been dealt a severe blow having been told that it no longer has a monopoly on the letter ‘i’ as part of the name for its products.” — Sydney Morning Herald