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Wednesday, October 25, 2017
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Civil, the blockchain-based journalism marketplace, is building its first batch of publicationsOne of the most confusing efforts to fund journalism in recent memory is inching closer to reality. By Ricardo Bilton. |
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Newsonomics: Can startup Invisibly be the new revenue stream publishers dream of?Led by the cofounder of Square, Invisibly promises “four-figure CPMs” and a way to make big money off readers who won’t subscribe. It says it has most of the U.S. digital news industry on board. But is it just “an ad network dressed up as a savior for news sites”? By Ken Doctor. |
What We’re Reading
Bloomberg Businessweek / Lucas Shaw
Inside Apple’s push into making TV shows and movies →
“Apple isn't trying to compete with Walt Disney Co. or Netflix to become the biggest backer of TV shows and movies on the planet. Instead, the company wants its shows to complement those of other networks and streaming services that consumers already watch on Apple devices.”
Medium / Adam Smith
Which is riskier: engaging with your audience too little or too much? →
“[Readers] want us to challenge and inform them; we cannot do that if we are forever reacting to what they are saying, publishing stories based on what they are consuming, and listening in to the ensuing discussion. This is what some publishers do online. Some digital dogs chase their own tail…for us, the real risk would be to engage too much.”
Wall Street Journal / Benjamin Mullin
In the race to win subscribers, some publishers have a head start →
“Print publications, which have historically built their businesses around attracting and retaining subscribers, have done a better job of getting consumers to pay for content online, said Rande Price, director of research for Digital Content Next.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Chris Clayton
The agriculture beat is a crucial lens on a changing climate →
“In a country full of millennial foodies, middle-aged barbecue enthusiasts, vegans, organic consumers, and paycheck-to-paycheck grocery shoppers, most newsrooms lack a reporter who is dedicated to telling stories about how their food is produced.”
The Guardian / Saeed Kamali Dehghan
BBC appeals to UN over Iran’s crackdown on journalists →
“It has emerged that a criminal investigation has also been launched in Iran, accusing those linked with BBC Persian of ‘conspiracy against national security.’ The corporation said it was the latest ‘sustained campaign of harassment and persecution…designed to pressure journalists against continuing their work for the BBC.'”
Politico / Michael Calderone
The Emerson Collective has killed Leon Wieseltier’s new publication because of his past “misdeeds” →
“Wieseltier, in the statement, acknowledged that he engaged in behavior with female colleagues that left them feeling ‘demeaned,’ and offered an apology…Wieseltier was also accused of ‘workplace harassment’ on an anonymous list circulating called "Sh–ty Media Men" that's having reverberations in the industry. “
Wall Street Journal / Benjamin Mullin
The L.A. Times’s new chief plots changes and woos a beleaguered newsroom →
“Ross Levinsohn plans to invest more in coverage of entertainment and culture, building digital ‘verticals’ that distinguish the Times from competitors, people familiar with his thinking said. He sees digital subscriptions as a major emphasis and is focused on using data to target likely subscribers. He also wants to put more effort into licensing the publisher's intellectual property and is said to be eager to explore, for example, whether ‘Dirty John,’ a series about a deranged stalker that ran in print and has a podcast component, could be developed into a TV show or movie.”
The New York Time / Malachy Browne
How The New York Times used timestamps geolocation and audio clips to reconstruct the Las Vegas shooting →
Investigative video reporting, or video forensics, “can be used wherever there's an abundance of visual evidence,” says the Times’ Malachy Browne.
Digiday / Max Willens
BuzzFeed is testing a Stories-like module in its mobile app →
“The BuzzFeed Stories digest, which appears at 10 a.m. for just 6 percent of the app's audience, features repackaged GIFs, still images and animations that drive readers to BuzzFeed's quizzes, listicles, videos and news articles.”
The Economist
How The Economist adapts its stories for Snapchat Discover →
“A Snapchat script is broken down into at least 14 snaps, with words and visual ideas for each, plus links to the articles that might be added as content that the user swipes up to read. Editors, designers and animators then build all the visuals to produce the edition. Articles are fact-checked by the research department and updated where necessary.”