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Thursday, December 1, 2016
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Coda Story, focused on deep dives around single themes, is now tackling a “post-truth” EurasiaThe platform is focusing on two major themes — disinformation campaigns in Eurasia and the migrant crisis in Germany — and focusing on larger character-driven narratives. By Shan Wang. |
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The premise of Jim VandeHei’s new media venture: People who care about real news are now a niche“I believe very powerfully in the public service of journalism — I just think we have to quit being delusional about what it takes to build a business around that.” By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Recode / Peter Kafka
Two years after buying Elite Daily, the Daily Mail says the Facebook publisher is worthless →
“Elite Daily used to look like a digital publishing success story…Now it is a cautionary tale: The owner of the Daily Mail, the publisher that bought Elite Daily in January 2015, says the New York-based startup has been a bust, and has written down all of its investment in the money-losing company, citing ‘poor performance.'”
Facebook Media
Facebook describes how some local publishers are using Instant Articles →
Instant Articles is now Billy Penn’s largest referrer.
The Wall Street Journal / Deepa Seetharaman
Facebook could develop artificial intelligence to weed out fake news →
“Facebook's director of artificial intelligence research said AI could be used to help stamp out fake news or detect violence in live videos by filtering the content on the site. But Facebook's policy and product teams haven't figured out how to responsibly introduce the technology.”
Downtown Newsmagazine / Kevin Elliott
The rise and fall of The Oakland Press →
“Once employing more than 100 people in its newsroom, today The Oakland Press has less than 20 editors, reporters and multimedia journalists listed on its editorial staff.”
The Guardian / Roy Greenslade
The Financial Times says it has more digital than print revenue →
“The paper had previously reported that it earned more revenue from content than advertising. Content now accounts for 60% of the group's revenues. So the paywall is clearly paying off.”
The Daily Dot / April Siese
American Press Institute / Kasia Kovacs
How to engage readers with digital longform journalism →
One way to get readers to complete long pieces: “use multiple elements and platforms to tell the story.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Merissa Marr
A profile of The Information →
“We don't want to close off an opportunity because it means joining up with an investor. But it would have to be a case of an investor helping us go after a big opportunity we couldn't go after alone.”
First Draft News
First Draft News releases report on navigating copyright law and eyewitness media →
The goal: “Clear up confusion around copyright law and give readers an understanding of how it applies to photographs and videos captured at the scene of a news event.”
BuzzFeed / Marie Le Conte and Cora Lewis
BuzzFeed UK editorial staff asks for union recognition →
“A staff of roughly 80 employees work in the London office…A majority of editorial staff across all desks have signed union cards.”