online

"Is this a landmark moment for free speech online, with Twitter handing over confidential details of a user for the first time?" asks Rory Cellan-Jones, after Twitter's release of user information in a Californian court to lawyers acting for South Tyneside Council.

Second year students at the Centre for Journalism are creating a news website for one day only! News will be published round the clock o as part of the Centre's Online news day for second year undergraduates. We will be covering from 9am a mix of national and international stories, as well as stories local to Kent using a variety of multimedia techniques. Visit CFJ Topline- spotting stories so you don't have to!

This morning at 9am the Centre for Journalism Newswire goes live yet again to the world. The project is being undertaken as part of the Centre's Online news day for final-year undergraduates. We will be covering - for one day only - a mix of national and international stories, as well as local stories relevant to Kent using a variety of multimedia techniques.

The third-year students who will be assessed as reporters for Friday's online news day are:

Stuart Wilson

Jaak Pardi

Rob Hayes

Lucy Ross-Millar

Zehra Mullick

Nick Poskitt

Mylo Wilkin

The executive team for Friday's assessed news day comprises:

Alan McGuinness: Joint-editor

Becci Hughes: Joint-editor

Kelsey Williams

The names of the assessed reporters will be posted tomorrow afternoon.

Teaching dance in a school in India.

Below are some of the stats from yesterday's online news exercise. The CfJ Newswire site was built, filled and managed entirely by second year undergraduates - who should be very proud of themselves. The team of 14 reported live between 8am and 5pm. Aside from producing some impressive rich content - which had to include international, national and local stories - they also used their social media skills to find and engage an audience from scratch.

It may seem viable to pay for online content uploaded by the ex-giants of Fleet Street (now that they are losing money faster than Lord Ashcroft can spend it). However, a free publication appears to be making a profit! Has the 'pay-for-content' debacle found a decent counterpart among free journalism?

The Caledonian Mercury, Scotland's new online national newspaper, launched last night. It is written by a team consisting almost entirely of former Scotsman journalists. They are a superb bunch. I am going to pay particular attention to the foreign coverage. It is being edited by Andrew Macleod, who, as foreign editor of the Scotsman, was among the most creative and compassionate journalists it has been my privilege to work with.

Stewart Kirkpatrick, former editor of Scotsman.com, has announced plans to launch a quality online national newspaper for Scotland. You can read the details here.  Will it work? Stewart was a member of the team I managed at the Scotsman. He is among the most dedicated, diligent  and sophisticated journalists I know. He understands the web from an editorial perspective and a commercial one.   If anyone can make an online title pay its way I suspect he can. Good luck, Stewart.