Advertising supports journalism – we all know that. But what happens when a specific advertiser is courted to sponsor a specific piece of journalism? Is it a viable new business model, or does the ad depreciate the value of the journalism it is meant to support?

A Memphis editor found out that things don't always work out in the best interest of journalism or advertising. Chris Peck, of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, told Editor & Publisher Thursday his paper found itself on “treacherous ground” when its advertising department pursued Federal Express to sponsor a six-part series titled “Memphis and the World,” set to run for six Sundays beginning in November.

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Publishers at the 2nd World Digital Publishing Conference in Amsterdam Thursday agreed on one thing when it comes to newspapers' uncertain future: the pace of development is always increasing, and being able to adapt to that constant change is vital to each newspaper's survival and success.

“I can't tell you what products and services will be available in five years. I have some ideas, but it is nonsense to guess,” Birger Magnus, deputy CEO of Schibsted, the Norway-based publishing group, told conference-goers. “The only thing we know is the speed of change is increasing, we have to be flexible and adapt.”

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Singapore and China have inked 17 agreements to develop the interactive digital media (IDM) industries in the two countries.

The agreements were signed by Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) and China's State Administration for Film, Radio and Television, which means both countries will be “well poised to capture a slice of the IDM market,” Asia Media reported Thursday.

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Asians will drive the evolution of content and applications online, which are now dominated by English-speaking users, said Vinton Cerf, Google's vice president, at the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul Wednesday.

"The number of people using the Internet will only increase in Asia, so will their languages, culture and contents on the network," Cerf added.

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Overall, readership in Denmark is on the upswing, with free dailies claiming the top three spots, Newspaper Innovation reported Thursday.

24timer counted 594,000 readers, MetroXpres has 571,000 and Nyhedsavisen has 503,000, according to September readership data.

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Aegis, the UK-based agency holding company Thursday announced its acquisition of Implicom, a Paris-based firm specialising in sales promotion and direct marketing media. With about $4.6 million gross assets, Implicom will ally with Aegis Media unit, which oversees media networks like Carat, Isobar, Vizeum and Posterscope, and happens to be the dominant media buyer in France.

"Its expertise will help us further broaden our market-leading offer in France, where Aegis Media is the number one player," said Robert Lerwill, the group's CEO, according to Media Post. He said that Implicom would be part of an "integrated" offering.

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What will the newspaper look like in 2020? The Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project asked 22 futurists, academics, industry insiders, internet pioneers and other media experts to envision the newspaper of the future, and their responses say much about the present state of the newspaper business.

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