Interesting links for August 26th 2008:

• Fairfax Media to cut 550 jobs in Australia and New Zealand [SMH] – “Fairfax Media will axe 550 staff in Australia and New Zealand, or about 5% of the company’s full-time workforce, as part of a plan to bolster profitability. The overhaul will include the integration of staffing for The Sydney Morning Herald and its Sunday sister paper, The Sun-Herald. Editorial positions will account for about one-third of the overall job cuts, Fairfax chief executive David Kirk and deputy CEO Brian McCarthy said in a statement emailed to staff. “This is a far-reaching program, designed to comprehensively restructure and reposition the business for years to come,” the statement said. “We wanted to make a major change today across the company in order to accelerate our building of a strong and dynamic integrated media business.” Fairfax’s announcement comes as media companies worldwide attempt to adjust to a shift in advertising revenue and readership from traditional media, including newspapers, to online and other emerging platforms.”
• Fairfax staff demand explanation for planned job cuts [ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)] – “Angry staff and union officials have given Fairfax 48 hours to explain why they are planning to cut 550 jobs. Fairfax staff met in Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Newcastle and Canberra this afternoon to discuss the job cuts. They have agreed to reject the redundancy plan and have demanded that Fairfax executives meet with them in the next 48 hours to explain their strategy. They say their newspapers are already under resourced. Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance federal secretary Chris Warren says no decision has been taken about industrial action, but a strike has not been ruled out if Fairfax does not reconsider its position.”
• Michael Phelps Officially Most Popular Person on Facebook [All Facebook] – “…Michael Phelps’ fan page has become the most popular page on Facebook, overtaking Obama now attracting over 1.425 million fans versus Barack who has over 1.389 million fans.”