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Friday, June 8, 2018
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Newsonomics: Why is Michael Ferro slowing down Patrick Soon-Shiong’s deal to buy the LA Times and San Diego Union-Tribune?“Any would-be scenarios involving Tronc include odd tradeoffs, weird valuations, and questions of sheer feasibility.” By Ken Doctor. |
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How can we restore trust in news? Here are 9 takeaways from Knight-supported research“Finding strategies for artfully conveying complex information in ways that break down attention and trust-based barriers represents the most important challenge in our politically tumultuous time.” By Nancy Watzman. |
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Zika rumors got three times more shares than real Zika stories. What can health educators do?Plus: Qatari bots, Swedish pamphlets, and French laws. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Digiday / Lucia Moses
To grow its events business, NPR is taking a franchise approach to its shows →
“National Public Media said revenue from event-centered sponsorships is small but growing, having increased fourfold from 2015 to 2017. NPR’s events are a way to expand its audience: Its events and strategic initiatives team also has a person dedicated to creating events that specifically appeal to millennials and Gen Z, and the events bring in a younger and more ethnically and culturally diverse audience than the average NPR listener.”
The Membership Puzzle Project / Susan Forde
Our new recipe for talking about “public trust” in media →
“Despite there being a great deal of data around about the public’s poor trust in journalism, it’s unclear what this really means. Does the public think journalists are purposefully dishonest, for example? Is this why they are not trusted? Or do they think journalists are biased because they do not support the reader's worldview? Or is their lack of trust related to a lack of transparency in the way journalists practice their work, as researchers and other commentators suspect might be the case?”
Poynter / Kelly McBride
Best practices for covering suicide responsibly →
Do more than include a hotline number. Describe suicide trends accurately and without drama, include the warning signs, and avoid stating the means of death.
Mediapost / Melynda Fuller
Smart speakers: the future of podcasting? →
Most people (65 percent) with smart speakers in the home couldn’t go without one, and 42 percent think a smart speaker is essential. What’s even more impressive? 85 percent of listeners would have sponsored content over a paid commercial-free version, according to National Public Media’s CEO Gina Garrubbo.
Pew Research Center / Katerina Eva Matsa
Public news media are widely used and trusted sources of news across Western Europe →
“In seven Western European countries surveyed, the top main source for news is a public news organization — such as the BBC in the UK, Sveriges Television/Radio (SVT/Radio) in Sweden or ARD in Germany — rather than a private one. This is in strong contrast with the United States, where the largest public news outlets, NPR and PBS, rank far lower than many of the country's private news outlets.”
Recode / Peter Kafka
BuzzFeed is laying off about 20 people — and hiring 45 more — in another reorganization →
“The company is continuing to make other changes to its global structure. In an internal memo, BuzzFeed executives say they have ‘questions about whether we can build a sustainable business in France,’ where it employs around a dozen people, and have begun a government-mandated ‘consultation’ process to inform employees there about possible changes.”
Journalism.co.uk / Marcela Kunova
The first issue of the NYT’s “The Week in Good News” had an open rate of more than 100 percent →
“The very first edition had an open rate of more than 100 percent, meaning that not only were our readers opening and reading the newsletter, they were reading the newsletter multiple times or forwarding it along to friends and family to read.”
Medium / Don Day
A John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford is pretty sure journalism could be saved with an $8 billion endowment →
“Granted, it's a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, but to keep local journalism going it is what we need. What if an endowment were established to fund journalists across America? Thousands of them, placed in every market with a focus on issues that matter to local residents. The idea may seem crazy, but a similar idea has already been serving the information needs of communities for nearly a century.”