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Friday, October 6, 2017
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Many newsrooms around the world are lagging when it comes to new tech and a digital-first mindsetA new ICFJ survey found, for instance, that people with digital-focused titles like “digital content producer,” “social media editor” or “analytics editor” made up just 18 percent of newsroom positions. By Shan Wang. |
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The Russian ads Facebook turned over to Congress are the tip of the iceberg 😬Plus: How news organizations could work together to stop the spread of misinformation during breaking news events; fighting fake news on WhatsApp. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Digiday / Max Willens
‘We’ve learned a playbook’: How The Verge used Facebook video to grow Circuit Breaker →
"The only way to grow a Facebook page right now is through video," says the Verge’s editorial director.
Splinter / David Uberti
Fake news and partisan blowhards were invented in the 1800s →
A look at how today’s media chaos — and the partisan outlets that have emerged from it — mirrors that of the 19th century.
Digiday / Jessica Davies
How Europe is taking on the Google-Facebook duopoly →
“European Union regulators are at war with Google and Facebook over how they use data or use their market dominance. Google has taken the brunt of the crackdown so far, but attention on Facebook has intensified as concerns over propaganda and market dominance are gaining traction.”
Digiday / Lucia Moses
One month in, The Atlantic’s membership program is in “the thousands” →
“The Masthead has grown the program gradually, testing it with a small beta group of 250 before opening it up to subscribers for $100 a year. This week, membership was opened to everyone, at a price of $120 a year. Starting narrow has enabled The Atlantic to isolate the feedback of its most devoted readers. It's been testing different content formats in email to the group and asked recipients to grade them on a scale of one to five.”
CNET / Steven Musil
Facebook reportedly cut Russia from election meddling report →
“The report didn’t mention Russia at all, instead concluding that ‘malicious actors’ used false information to sway political opinions on the social network.”
The Guardian / GNM press office
Guardian to give away nearly 100,000 Google Cardboard headsets to readers and launches new Guardian VR app for Cardboard →
“The Guardian will also launch its new VR project The Party – a virtual experience of autism — to coincide with the giveaway. Based on an original concept by author Lucy Hawking, The Party puts viewers in the shoes of Layla, a 15-year old autistic girl at her mother's surprise birthday party. Through the dramatized piece, viewers experience Layla's attempts to deal with a stressful situation using the coping mechanisms she has devised to manage her anxiety.”
Politico / Benjamin Toff
The “Nate Silver effect” is changing journalism. Is that good? →
“As it turns out, it's hard to characterize degrees of uncertainty without confusing an average reader. For example, one polling analyst I spoke with described having ‘fights with editors’ over whether a ‘2-point lead’ for one candidate constituted an actual lead, or a virtual dead heat due to normal polling error. Survey data are not newsworthy if all they ever suggest is that either candidate has a decent chance of winning.”