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Monday, June 11, 2018
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In the hunt for sustainability, DocumentCloud and MuckRock are joining together as one organization“It's a much better problem to have: How are you going to make those all work together, rather than how are you going to make it work at all.” By Christine Schmidt. |
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Americans think the news industry is “headed in the wrong direction,” but what does that even mean?People are increasingly trustful, however, of their own preferred news outlets. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Fast Company / Cale Guthrie Weissman
The founder of the Outline, which raised $5.15 million in May, downplays staff cuts →
"We let go of two underperforming employees–the power section here is more than intact. You'll continue to see great power stories from us!" (He later apologized.)
The New York Times / Cecilia Kang, Brooks Barnes, Michael J. de la Merced
Today’s ruling on the Dept. of Justice vs. AT&T case will reverberate beyond the media industry →
“Comcast has signaled that if the deal goes through, it will make a bid for the 21st Century Fox parts that the Walt Disney Company is in the process of acquiring for $52.4 billion in stock. Comcast, which was rebuffed by the Fox board in the fall, largely because of regulatory concerns, said on May 23 that it was preparing a ‘superior all-cash offer’ for the Fox assets.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Atossa Araxia Abrahamian
The pain and joy of the side hustle →
“Julie Zauzmer, 28, has a very different attitude toward her side hustle. By day, she's a religion reporter for The Washington Post. On nights and weekends, she twists balloons. Zauzmer—a Harvard grad and trained clown who used to go by ‘Zippy’—says last year she made $12,000 performing at birthday parties.
Ryerson Review of Journalism / Amy Van Den Berg
A profile of Canadaland’s Jesse Brown →
“On May 5, 2015, Canadaland launched Commons and promised new additions for each financial milestone, including increases to pay and benefits for each member of his staff (excluding [Jesse Brown] himself). A year later, after hitting $12,500 a month, it added The Imposter, and today Canadaland has 18 sponsors, and monthly Patreon contributions are just under $22,000 (U.S.). Crowdfunding has increased almost 80 percent in two years, and the sour beer is the latest way to draw more supporters. Patrons receive paraphernalia such as a copy of the network's own satirical book, The Canadaland Guide to Canada, a bottle opener, socks, a T-shirt or, for $2 (U.S.), the Canadaland coloring book.”
New York / Reeves Wiedeman
What is the future of Vice Media? →
“While Vice's growing array of verticals and shows gave it the appearance of scale, its claim to a unique connection to millennials was increasingly measurable, and the numbers could be underwhelming. Vice's digital audience was smaller than that of some digital-media companies like BuzzFeed and Vox Media, despite having used audience-building strategies that, while not unheard of, weren't especially transparent.”
New York Times / Jaclyn Peiser
Craigslist founder gives $20 million to CUNY journalism school →
The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism is now the “Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.”
Wired / Klint Finley
The FCC’s net neutrality rules may be dead, but the fight isn’t →
“Perhaps the biggest cloud of uncertainty is whether the FCC could legally repeal the Obama-era rules. A law called the Administrative Procedure Act bans federal agencies from making ‘arbitrary or capricious’ decisions. Net neutrality advocates have sued the FCC in federal court, arguing that voting to revoke them less than three years after they were passed in early 2015 is capricious.”
Los Angeles Times / Tracey Lien
Silicon Valley: How NOT to work on diversity in the workplace →
“… When companies pay money or lip service to diversity initiatives but don't track whether those initiatives work, people start to feel like their time is being wasted.”