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Wednesday, April 19, 2017
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The Los Angeles Times built a Slack bot that lets the newsroom know when the coffee is readyCoffeeboy will be on GitHub soon. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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This handy little tool draws from Bloomberg data to add financial context on top of any news articleBloomberg Lens, built by the digital agency Postlight Labs, finds companies and people’s names in any news article — not just Bloomberg’s — and overlays key facts such as stock prices or a person’s previous company affiliations. By Shan Wang. |
What We’re Reading
BuzzFeed / Charlie Warzel
Alex Jones and the dark new media are on trial in Texas →
“Perhaps less interesting than knowing exactly what Jones truly believes is the prospect of watching legal experts compel earnest testimony from one of the nation's top exporters of loose facts, untruths, and partisanship.”
Reynolds Journalism Institute / Jennifer Nelson
Here’s what a mountain resort newspaper team is learning while experimenting with 360 video →
“The videos have attracted as many as 12,000 views, which is higher than regular video views, she says. However, they've encountered one challenge to overcome in terms of views: high bounce rates on the videos after a short time. A less expensive camera also means lower quality video. But [Steamboat Pilot and Today editor Lisa] Schlichtman says she sees a lot of potential for the technology so they'll continue to experiment and look for ways to improve.”
Stratechery / Ben Thompson
Is Facebook a monopoly when it comes to content? “I would argue yes” →
“Were there truly competitors for Facebook when it came to placing content, Facebook would have to share more revenue to ensure said content was on its platform. In truth, though, Facebook is so dominant when it comes to attention that it doesn't have to do anything for publishers at all.”
Bloomberg / Gerry Smith
Cheddar, the digital business news provider, is betting on actual TV now →
“The network will air programming on digital UHF stations in five markets that reach more than 4 million homes. Cheddar is renting the broadcast spectrum from DTV America, which owns the licenses…While young viewers don't watch much regular TV, some are buying antennas to supplement their Netflix and Amazon binge-watching.”
Poynter / Benjamin Mullin
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker will keep tabs on the safety of journalists in America →
Peter Sterne, who was at Politico, will lead the site.
Medium / Matt DeRienzo
In many communities, the best local journalism is not coming from print →
“Today, arguably, there is significantly more accountability journalism being done online than by the ever-more cookie-cutter newspapers churned out by national chain owners.”
Digiday / Lucia Moses
In the duopoly’s shadow, Apple News is finding favor with some publishers →
“This isn’t replacing a story we’d have across the web or another platform. This is a chance to reach an entirely new audience,” said Michael Kuntz, SVP of digital revenue for USA Today.
The New York Times / Mike Isaac
Mark Zuckerberg sees an augmented reality ecosystem in Facebook →
“[AR] today is fairly limited…But in Mr. Zuckerberg's telling, there are few boundaries for how this technology would evolve. He said he envisioned a world in which people can eventually point smartphone cameras at a bowl of cereal and have an app create tiny sharks swimming in the bowl of milk.”
Michigan Radio / Tracy Samilton
University of Michigan to offer free online class to help people spot fake news →
The class, called “Fake News, Facts, and Alternative Facts” launches on Friday on edX, a website that offers free online classes from universities.