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Tuesday, May 22, 2018
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After crowdfunding success, Swiss magazine Republik charts a course to “reclaim journalism as a profession”“We believe people don’t pay for articles anymore. They pay to be part of the community.” By Christine Schmidt. |
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“We have built the world that they told us existed”: Did the rise of young, white “Internet reporting” bolster the alt-right?“Nothing has been better for alt-right trolling (whatever that word even means) than establishment journalism.” By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Digiday / Max Willens
Publishers try to use mobile ad annoyance as a lure to subscribers →
“Publishers hunting for subscribers like to say they're delivering an experience worth paying for. Increasingly, that's starting to mean ‘one that has no mobile ads.'”
Bloomberg.com / Gerry Smith
The hard truth at newspapers across America: Hedge funds are in charge →
“The evolving ownership picture has sparked fresh questions over whether investment firms can really help save local newspapers by making them profitable again — or if they'll starve them to the point that they collapse instead.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Pete Vernon
“The Fourth Estate” shows how far The New York Times has come →
“There's a much more upbeat sense, partly because our economics are better, partly because — remarkably — the newsroom is actually a little bigger than it was in 2010.”
TechCrunch / Sarah Perez
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine teams with Amazon’s Audible on audiobooks and originals →
“The collaboration will initially see the launch of a showcase of Audible audiobooks as selected by Reese's Book Club, which focus on strong but complex female characters. However, the two companies said that further down the line Hello Sunshine Witherspoon and Amazon-owned Audible will work together on original audio productions, details of which will be announced later in the year.”
The New York Times Company
The New York Times is launching a parenting product with Jessica Grose as editor-in-chief →
“We've shown that we can create non-news products that add significant value to our business. Cooking and Crosswords are both fast-growing stand-alone subscription businesses, contributing a large number of new subscribers to The Times each quarter. Cooking and Crosswords are also included in our highest priced subscription option. When we added these valuable offerings to our bundle last year, we saw a jump in people subscribing at higher price points.”
Digiday / Lucia Moses
Why The New York Times likes short-run newsletters →
“People like signing up for them because it's a short-term commitment, and it's something they're passionate about right now.”
The Guardian / Alex Hern
Most GDPR consent renewal emails are unnecessary, and some even illegal, experts say →
"The first question to ask is: which of the six legal grounds under the GDPR should you rely on to process personal data? Consent is only one ground. The others are contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public interest and legitimate interests. Even if you are relying on consent, that still does not mean you have to ask for consent again. Recital 171 of the GDPR makes clear you can continue to rely on any existing consent that was given in line with the GDPR requirements, and there's no need to seek fresh consent. Just make sure that your consent met the GDPR standard and that consents are properly documented."
Bloomberg.com / Leonid Bershidsky
How media paywalls work in authoritarian countries →
“The reach of paid independent news sites is dwarfed by Putin's state-owned propaganda media and the websites owned by businesspeople who are loyal to the Kremlin. The main page of RIA Novosti, the state propaganda agency, had an average of 4 million unique visitors a day in April. Outlets like this don't need subscription revenue to survive.”
Wall Street Journal / Lukas Alpert
Politico is partnering with South China Morning Post to expand its Asia coverage →
"The venture will start as a content-sharing partnership involving joint projects between the editorial operations of each publication. If all goes well, the companies intend to further develop editorial ties and business initiatives with the possibility of deeper financial investment on both sides. Initially, Politico doesn't plan to hire any additional staff."