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Tuesday, July 10, 2018
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The promises and pitfalls of reporting within chat apps and other semi-open platforms: A journalist’s guideNews organizations’ audiences are increasingly moving from public social media to closed or semi-closed platforms like WhatsApp, Discord, and Facebook Groups. But there are still opportunities for good reporting on the communities we cover. By Mark Frankel. |
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The Washington Post wants to figure out the best places to put ads in your favorite podcastsPlus: Crooked Media goes audio doc, Maximum Fun goes scripted fiction, and The Pub goes the way of all flesh. By Nicholas Quah. |
What We’re Reading
PressGazette / Freddy Mayhew
A BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter was fired one month after a politician’s complaint →
"To be put out of a job 30 days later because I was asking questions — I find that frankly astounding. It's a ridiculous position and that's why I'm speaking out."
Vanity Fair / Joe Pompeo
BuzzFeed is increasing its TV footprint with a Sunday night interview show that will launch on Facebook Watch →
“The show is called Profile, and will be hosted by Audie Cornish of NPR's All Things Considered, that will air on Facebook's recently launched Watch platform. Profile will have some decidedly old-school touches. But despite all the new-media glitter, Profile will have some decidedly old-school touches. The show will be taped in front of a live studio audience, and feature a different newsmaker each week.”
REDEF / Matthew Ball
Netflix isn’t being reckless, it’s just playing a game no one else dares →
“It isn't fighting to win a timeslot, an overnight rating, or an advertiser. It's after every minute of leisure time available — an economic term that refers to all time not spent working. The magnitude of this ambition is without comparison in media.”
Reuters News Agency / Ella Wilks-Harper
Twitch drives the esports boom. Can it go beyond gaming? →
“Recent content partnerships, including with the Disney Digital Network, indicate an evolving community of viewers eager to engage with live video beyond gaming. BuzzFeed have been experimenting with multiple Twitch streams and recently livestreamed President Trump's press conference after the Singapore Summit live. Other publishers include include NASA who livestream from the International Space station, allowing viewers to see astronauts space walk.”
The New York Times / Melina Delkic
The New York Times has 14 million subscribers across its 55 newsletters →
One of its most popular emails, the morning briefing goes to 1.6 million subscribers: "We're in a very busy news period, and the amount of journalism that we produce every day can be pretty daunting, even for someone who gets paid to synthesize it. I think readers appreciate having someone else do a lot of the work in sorting out what's important and highlighting what in The Times they should spend their (limited) time on."
Poynter / Daniel Funke
WhatsApp launches a feature that labels forwarded messages →
“The product change is significant for WhatsApp, which rarely changes its user interface — and it comes in close succession to a series of other steps the company has taken in recent weeks to address its fake news problem. Those include a $50,000 award program for researchers studying misinformation on the app, greater control for group administrators who want to weed out spam and a commitment to supporting fact-checking organizations that use the platform to debunk hoaxes.”
Medium - The Guardian / Marc DaCosta
How to Fix Big Tech? We Need the Right Language to Describe it, First →
In the late 19th century, rapid industrialization changed the social fabric of the United States and concentrated immense economic power in the hands of a few individuals. … Political cartoons offered an indispensable tool by providing a rich set of symbols for thinking about the problems with unaccountable and overly centralized corporate power.
Journalist's Resource / Chloe Reichel
Some tips and research on how to cover obesity in America →
For example, be careful about how visuals are used in the story. Don’t focus on a “personal responsibility” angle, and provide context for obesity statistics like access to healthcare and healthy foods.
Pointer / Kristen Hare
The Philadelphia Inquirer created a diversity and inclusion position →
Diversifying the newsroom was a priority of the newsroom itself in an "A Call to Arms" report created in 2016 as the journalists there approached digital reinvention. In May, the newsroom added six fellows whose goals included engaging "new and more diverse audiences."