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Thursday, October 11, 2018
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The Outline built itself on being “weird.” But is it weird enough to survive?“We’re not the enemy. This is a really shitty industry for writers.” By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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A Chorus of publishers: Vox Media onboards the Chicago Sun-Times as its first licensee since launch“The joke in the industry is everybody doesn’t like the CMS or they write in some other tool.” Vox Media aims to change that punchline for other publishers. By Christine Schmidt. |
What We’re Reading
Twitter Developers / Andy Piper
Columbia Journalism Review / Sulome Anderson
Khashoggi’s disappearance shows the importance of ethical reporting on hostages →
“But my experience as the family member of a hostage and, later in life, as the friend of someone who was kidnapped and beheaded by the Islamic State in Syria, informs the way I watch news coverage of kidnappings—particularly those involving journalists. …Thirty years later, our hyperactive news cycle has all but obliterated the systematic, careful consideration of consequences when publishing news. At no point has that been more evident than over the past week, with some coverage of Khashoggi's kidnapping.”
Democracy Fund
Newsrooms: You’ve got one more day to respond to ASNE’s diversity survey →
C’mon, it’s not that hard.
Vanity Fair / Joe Pompeo
“The time will come when [The New York Times] is a digital-only news organization,” A.G. Sulzberger says →
“During the conversation, the three men upon whose shoulders the future of the institution rests—Sulzberger as publisher, Dolnick as a senior newsroom figure bringing Times journalism to new platforms, and Perpich as a crucial lieutenant on the business side—spoke honestly about the pressures and opportunities facing their business. ‘Advertising will never be enough to pay for quality journalism,’ said Sulzberger, referring to the Times's digital-subscription model. ‘Our pivot to saying that we need to have a direct relationship with consumers . . . has been essential.'”
Wall Street Journal / Benjamin Mullin
Civil is falling short of its token goal, as major news organizations pass on partnerships →
“After undergoing a more thorough investigation of the token economics, it led me to the same conclusion that anybody who looks closely at this puzzle box of a company will reach: This is demonstrably never going to work as a business model,” a fired cofounder says.
Washington Post / Glenn Kessler
Fact-checking Trump’s healthcare op-ed in USA Today: “Almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or falsehood” →
“Many of these are claims we have already debunked. Presumably, the president is aware of our fact checks — he even links to two — but chose to ignore the facts in service of a campaign-style op-ed.”
The Daily Beast / Betsy Woodruff
Jamal Khashoggi was working on launching a pro-democracy and human rights group before he entered the Saudi consulate →
“The group, called Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), was incorporated in the state of Delaware as a tax-exempt organization in January of this year, according to documentation reviewed by The Daily Beast. According to a statement of core principles, the group would aim to provide ‘a counter narrative in the Arab world and the West to Arab Spring skeptics.’ Its members also planned to advocate to corporate leaders, policymakers, journalists, and think tanks on behalf of democracy in the Middle East.”
CNBC / Alex Sherman
Apple is planning to give away original content for free to device owners as part of its new digital TV strategy →
“Apple is preparing a new digital video service that will marry original content and subscription services from legacy media companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Owners of Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV will find the still-in-the-works service in the pre-installed “TV” application.”
CNBC / Chloe Aiello
Expected continued media consolidation, 21st Century Fox’s vice chair says →
“Carey’s comments come on the heels of Comcast’s $40 billion takeover of Sky Media, which is just the latest in a torrent of mergers and acquisitions across the media sector. Comcast successfully outbid 21st Century Fox for the Sky assets in an auction that pitted two of the largest U.S. media companies against one another. Carey painted 21st Century Fox as a winner in the transaction.”
Hold the Front Page / Paul Linford
Johnston Press, one of the U.K.’s biggest newspaper publishers, is deep in debt and putting itself up for sale →
“The company, which owns more than 200 local and regional titles including the Yorkshire Post, The Scotsman and national daily the i, announced the move to shareholders this morning…it is likely that some rival publishers may bid only for certain assets, potentially paving the way for the 251-year-old company to be broken up.”
Boston Business Journal / Don Seiffert
The Boston Globe now has 100,000 digital subscribers →
“More than three months later than predicted by Editor Brian McGrory at the start of the year, the Boston Globe says it now has 100,000 online subscribers — a milestone for the paper as well as for regional dailies in the U.S.”
Sharon Machlis
Here are some free chapters from “Practical R for Mass Communication and Journalism” →
Good for anyone wanting to integrate a little data skill into their journalism toolbox. The full book is out next month.