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If I am not careful, my cellphone will wake me up in the wee hours with buzzes or pings to let me know that news organizations and family members on the other side of the world, in different time zones, are trying to get my attention. Is it too dramatic to say that "there is a global war" for our attention? I don't think so. Last year I did a little experiment with students in my Media Economics course . Each of them was asked to keep track of how many notifications or alerts they received on their phones or computers during a 45-minute lecture. The average was about 15 alerts, or one every three minutes. WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat were the chief distractions. For a professor leading a class, these alerts could be considered competition. (At left, Christian Zibreg tells how to remove distracting messages from the locked screen.) The distraction industry The competition for user attention has never been greater, and every news site and app is fin...

Dear all,  I was referred to Global-Migrate by a friend who was planning on migration. I would like to bring to the notice of all the people considering Global-Migrate as a consultant for migration that they are SCAM!! During the start of the process the case-workers pretend to be helpful and attentive to e-mail queries. Firstly, they say it takes 6 to 9 months which is a lie. Secondly, while you wait for receiving the confirmation of residence there is no help or support from the Global Migrate team with regards to your travel or any new helpful information (what you are supposed to do once you arrive at your destination). Every time when i approach this people, I am always awaiting a long time response from Global-Migrate for any clarifications. Even i tried to call them, but they are not picking the call. I have all the mails showing the delay in their response. It shows the inefficiency of Global-Migrate. If anyone needs proof; will provide the mail-conversation betw...

The following text is a translation from the Spanish version of a lecture I gave at the University of La Sabana in Bogot�, Colombia, on Aug. 22. My lecture, in Spanish, starts at the 6-minute mark of the video. Journalists today have the opportunity to create the future of the industry. But to do so, we have to change some of our long-held beliefs and attitudes. We have to create new business models (O, those awful words!) and learn to say some words without blushing. This need to change comes about because of the nature of our profession, which for most is a vocation. As journalists we have to keep our distance from political and business interests to maintain our credibility. Still, as a group we can be arrogant, self-righteous and holier-than-thou (I include myself in this criticism). We tend to view ourselves as high priests of an exclusive profession and bearers of a special ethical standard that few others can live up to. We see ourselves as purer, more objective, less affecte...