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Wednesday, December 6, 2017
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The FCC is swiftly changing national media policy. What does that mean on the local level?“It’s called local news for a reason.” By Christine Schmidt. |
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Is the digital content bubble about to burst? For some of the publishers chasing the broadest scale, maybeA new study from the Reuters Institute examines the strengths and weaknesses of seven globally ambitious news companies — Brut, Business Insider, De Correspondent, HuffPost, Mashable, Quartz, and Vice. By Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. |
What We’re Reading
International Press Institute / Lambrini Papadopoulou
Greece’s second-largest city faces life without a major local daily →
“On the morning of Oct. 4, 2017, the one million residents of Thessaloniki, Greece, woke up in a city without a major local daily newspaper…Today, only a few local publications with very low circulations remain, in addition to a handful of free tabloids.”
The Verge / Ben Popper
Google is pulling YouTube off the Fire TV and Echo Show as feud with Amazon grows →
“Three months ago, YouTube pulled its programming from Amazon's Echo Show device. Two weeks ago, Amazon got YouTube back on the Echo Show by simply directing users to the web version. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, a YouTube spokesperson announced that the company was withdrawing support for its service on both the Echo Show and, more importantly, Amazon's Fire TV. YouTube will be pulled from the Echo Show on Tuesday.”
Mumbrella Asia / Eleanor Dickinson
Mashable closes down its Asia operation but keeps Australia open, after its sale to Ziff Davis →
“The three remaining staff at Mashable Asia — editor Victoria Ho, reporter Yvette Tan and head of sales Meng Lye Liu — were sent emails at 3am Singapore time today confirming the end of the two-and-a-half-year operation. At its peak in Asia, Mashable had five people on its books in Asia and, until two months ago, four contractual staff in India.”
ProPublica / Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Jeff Larson, and Julia Angwin
Facebook allowed political ads that were actually scams and malware →
“In September, an ad with the headline, ‘New Approval Ratings For President Trump Announced And It's Not Going The Way You Think,’ targeted Facebook users in the U.S. who were over 40 and labeled as "very liberal" by the tech company. At least some people who clicked on this come-on found their computers frozen.”
Poynter / Kristen Hare
The Pulitzer Prizes changed the rules for the breaking news category, allowing entries from national news organizations →
Previously, a newsroom could only enter the category if the breaking news was local. Now, “breaking news entries will now include coverage related to news events of consequence, whether they are produced by a local, state or national news organization. The award goes to the story, or series of stories, that capture events accurately as they occur and also expands on the initial coverage.”
The New York Times / Lara Jakes and Steve Kenny
On the night news desk when Trump’s tweeting starts →
“He can tweet and sign off, but those 140-280 characters may keep reporters and editors here in New York and in Washington busy for hours. Everyone has lost a lot of sleep.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Mathew Ingram
Reddit flexes its muscle over net neutrality →
“What makes Reddit so powerful on issues like net neutrality, ironically, is that it doesn't have to stick to the neutral or objective position that most media outlets feel they need to uphold.”
Recode / Peter Kafka
Ziff Davis has bought Mashable at a fire sale price and plans to lay off 50 people →
“Ziff Davis, a digital media subsidiary of tech company J2, is buying Mashable for less than $50 million, according to people familiar with the transaction. In the spring of 2016, Time Warner's Turner led a $15 million investment round that valued the company at $250 million.”
Time
Time Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers →
“They’re part of a movement that has no formal name. But now they have a voice.”