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Wednesday, August 8, 2018
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How The Wall Street Journal is revamping its newsletters — and trying to add some whimsy“The newsletter itself in your inbox is simply not enough. What is it like to speak to the editor if you reply? What do you want to do with the information? What is the action involved when you get this newsletter?” By Christine Schmidt. |
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In Germany, a news site is pairing up liberals and conservatives and actually getting them to (gasp) have a civil conversationAnd apparently without incident! “The ultimate goal is a less polarized debate and a less polarized, more open, and plural public…But we also want to raise people's awareness of the value of joining in on the same conversation, and not splitting into different atoms.” By Shan Wang. |
What We’re Reading
New York Times / Emily Cochrane
A guide to covering the Manafort trial →
How do NYT reporters work without ready access to laptops, phones, or coffee inside the courthouse? First, pay a local cafe about $6 to hold onto your stuff.
A Whole Lotta Nothing / Matt Haughey
“I’m done with Twitter” →
“I want to say it's not you, it's me, but it's mostly you. Especially Jack.”
The New York Times / David French
Tech companies should use libel and slander standards when deciding what to do with Alex Jones types →
“Rather than applying objective standards that resonate with American law and American traditions of respect for free speech and the marketplace of ideas, the companies applied subjective standards that are subject to considerable abuse.”
WWD / Kali Hays
More than $400 million in U.S. magazine ad revenue disappeared last year →
“The magazine industry puts on a brave face, but data doesn't lie.”
Business Insider / Jason Guerrasio
Next year’s Oscars will include a category for best “popular” movie in its latest attempt to revive ratings →
Can the Pulitzers be far behind? “The Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Virality”?
Slate / Rachel Withers
Is getting our news from smart speakers a threat to media diversity? →
“If users don't tailor their selections, Amazon, Apple, or Google will make that choice for them. And it will probably be NPR.”
The New York Times / Li Yuan
A generation grows up in China without Google, Facebook, or Twitter →
“Two economists from Peking University and Stanford University concluded this year, after an 18-month survey, that Chinese college students were indifferent about having access to uncensored, politically sensitive information. They had given nearly 1,000 students at two Beijing universities free tools to bypass censorship, but found that nearly half the students did not use them. Among those who did, almost none spent time browsing foreign news websites that were blocked.”
Variety / Ted Johnson
Facing FCC roadblock, Sinclair and Tribune face midnight deadline on merger decision →
“The growing consensus in the marketplace is that Sinclair will give up on the effort to buy all of Tribune's 42 stations and WGN America cable channel. That raises the possibility that Tribune would move to sell off its stations in piecemeal fashion, which could still leave openings for Sinclair.”
The New York Times Company
The New York Times now has 3.8 million subscribers; 2.9 million are digital-only →
“Our subscribers who came to us around the 2016 Election and post-Election periods continue to retain better than previous cohorts. Subscription revenues accounted for nearly two-thirds of the company's revenues.”
Wall Street Journal / Benjamin Mullin
Axios to create limited-run series for HBO timed to the midterms →
“Titled ‘Axios,’ the series will focus on politics, technology and culture with a combination of breaking news, short documentaries and high-profile interviews.”
ProPublica
ProPublica to expand local reporting network to focus on state governments →
“Under a new two-year grant, ProPublica will pay the salary, plus an allowance for benefits, for reporters at seven partner news organizations who will spend one year tackling an investigative project in their states.”