 |
Thursday, June 30, 2016
 |
The Washington Post is using Slack to create a reader community focused on the gender pay gap“Our favorite thing is to be able to see people start conversations among themselves without us participating at all. That’s the kind of space we want to build.” By Ricardo Bilton. |
 |
How Detroit’s public radio station is trying to attract younger listeners“The news can be pretty divisive, especially in an election year like the one we’re having now. So how do you create spaces where people can find some common ground?” By Joseph Lichterman. |
What We’re Reading
Newsworks
Brexit boosted newspapers’ print circulation and online traffic →
“The Times’ Saturday edition, for example, sold an additional 100,000 copies…the London Evening Standard’s circulation exceeded the million mark for the first time…The Guardian saw a record 17 million unique browsers and 77 million page view on Friday.”
The Information / Cory Weinberg
A decline in sharing blurs Instagram’s picture →
“The algorithm means users have seen more posts from their friends than celebrities or brands. Instagram has noticed that people share more when they see more of their friends' posts, said one of the people.” Sound anything like Facebook’s announcement Wednesday?
Pando / Sarah Lacy
Publishers should trust Facebook like drivers should trust Uber →
“Uber has made clear it wants wages as low as possible and eventually wants no drivers at all. Facebook has been similarly clear with its platform time and time again: It exists only to benefit our business.”
Recode / Peter Kafka
Spotify says Apple won’t approve a new version of its app →
The battle here is worth watching for publishers less than thrilled by Apple’s mandate to use its billing system for in-app subscriptions.
VentureBeat / John Brandon
Nytco
The New York Times hires WBUR producer Lisa Tobin as its first executive producer for audio →
“Lisa has a track record of creating successful podcasts, including The Times's most successful audio project to date. ‘Modern Love,’ the first podcast to briefly displace "Serial" at the top of the charts, was her idea.”
WWD / Alexandra Steigrad
There are still a lot of rich media families →
“The Cox family, which owns newspapers, television and radio stations, among other enterprises, ranked fifth [among the U.S.’ richest families] with a net worth of $41 billion, $6.5 billion more than last year. The Hearst family slipped in the rankings a bit — falling to the ninth spot from sixth a year ago.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Trevor Timm
What media companies don’t want you to know about ad blockers →
Whether or not journalists like to admit it, ad blockers are a vital tool for internet privacy and security.
BuzzFeed
Facebook’s unsettling referendum on news →
In a turbulent week that's been largely defined by a controversial vote, Facebook just issued its own referendum on news in its News Feed. Put simply, the users have spoken and news lost.
Poynter / Benjamin Mullin
The AP will use automated writing to cover the minor leagues →
It previously didn’t publish minor league game stories but will now use technology from Automated Insights and data from MLB Advanced Media. (It’s been using automation to write earnings reports since July 2014.)
MediaShift / Mignon Fogarty
4 tips for journalists to master Snapchat stories →
Despite its promise and all the media companies jumping on board, Snapchat can still take a while to master.
D Magazine / Eric Celeste
Is The Dallas Morning News for sale? →
The rival city magazine thinks so, and sees Gannett and Hearst as potential buyers.
WSJ / Christopher Mims
What Brexit means for tech startups →
The world economy is again being tested by an unexpected shock following Britain’s vote to exit the European Union. The pound sterling and stock markets globally have been hammered. What does it mean for technology startups and venture capital, which can sometimes appear virtually immune from macroeconomic forces?
Variety / Elsa Keslassy
Snapchat opens a Paris office and is courting major French publishers →
With its Paris office, Snapchat will aim at expanding its advertiser base in France, and is courting newspapers like Le Monde. The company rolled out its first ad campaign in Paris and its suburbs last month.
Columbia University
ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer has been appointed director of the new Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University →
At ACLU, Jaffer created the project on speech, privacy, and technology, oversaw a major expansion of the ACLU's work on issues relating to civil liberties in the digital age, and was instrumental in the ACLU's decision to take on the representation of whistleblower Edward Snowden.