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Friday, May 5, 2017
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This site publishes high-touch, time-intensive data visualizations (and has a business that sustains it)“Our goal is for The Pudding to be a weekly journal. We specifically seek out stories that aren’t news related, because we don’t want to compete in that space.” By Shan Wang. |
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Republicans seem more susceptible to fake news than Democrats (but liberals, don’t feel too comfy yet)Plus: An investigation into fake news in the French presidential election. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Columbia Journalism Review / Nushin Rashidian
Publishers suffer in spar between social giants →
"I feel as if we are collateral damage in the war between these platforms. They'll give some publishers a chance to play, but not others. They'll give favorable rates and treatments to some and not to others. They are already picking winners."
Business Insider / Madeline Stone
The Skimm’s book recommendations are driving sales →
“TheSkimm’s book recommendations, which now come out in the newsletter every Friday, have proven to be huge drivers of sales. According to the startup, books have moved up an average of 3,000 spots on Amazon’s Best Sellers ranking shortly after being highlighted in the newsletter.”
The Wall Street Journal / Lukas I. Alpert
Tronc posts loss on private share buyback →
“The newspaper group said Wednesday that a large private share buyback from an outside investor in March that bolstered the position of Tronc's largest shareholder and nonexecutive chairman, Michael Ferro, resulted in a $3 million net loss for the firm in the first quarter.”
The Sacramento Bee / Mark Glover
McClatchy reports first quarter loss, sees digital-only advertising gains →
"No question the headwinds that have affected our industry for the past several years continued in the first quarter, including several retailer bankruptcies driving the loss of 40,000 retailing jobs," Craig Forman, McClatchy's president and CEO, said in a statement accompanying Thursday's news release on quarterly financials. "But at McClatchy, we are executing on our plan to accelerate the pace and cadence of our digital transformation while aligning our cost structure with the realities of the business environment."
Digiday / Ross Benes
With its redesign, Vice doubled the time people see ads on its site →
“Vice said that 275 minutes of ads are in view for every 1,000 impressions they are served. Prior to its redesign, Vice said that figure was 101 minutes for every 1,000 impressions, slightly below what Moat says is the industry standard of 128 minutes in the last quarter of 2016. Vice attributes this change to eliminating intrusive ad formats, speeding up the site and making the ads more targeted.”
Variety / Janko Roettgers
Facebook Is shutting down its Oculus Story Studio →
"We've been looking at the best way to allocate our resources to create an impact on the ecosystem," said Oculus VP of Content Jason Rubin in a blog post. "After careful consideration, we've decided to shift our focus away from internal content creation to support more external production. As part of that shift, we'll be winding down Story Studio."
NewsMediaWorks
Merger between New Zealand’s two largest media companies rejected →
“New Zealand's Commerce Commission has refused the proposed merger between NZME and Fairfax NZ, in a decision that encompassed considerations on print future, advertising and reduced competition. The merger would have brought together New Zealand's two biggest media companies, who currently reach almost half of the population each month. Each argued that without the merger the future of print media in the country was uncertain, having significant financial implications for both companies.”
Digiday
The Financial Times toughens its stance against adblockers →
“As of this week, registered users — those who have provided their email address in exchange for a number of free articles a month, but haven't shared any payment details — are hit with a pop-up telling them to whitelist FT.com, then refresh their browsers to continue reading.”
Poynter / Kristen Hare
From pulp to pixel: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has digitized every article since 1867 →
“The Star Tribune is giving away free PDFs of any front page from the archives right now. Getting to click through the past isn’t free, though. Access for 30 days costs $7.99, and a six-month subscription costs $29.95. The archives were digitized with underwriting from Thomson Reuters and in partnership with newspapers.com.”