Sabtu, 02 Februari 2019

Newsonomics: Amid screaming alarms, consolidation mania turns feverish: The latest from Nieman Lab

Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest

Newsonomics: Amid screaming alarms, consolidation mania turns feverish

In an industry where expense reduction is the prime strategy, much more consolidation is likely on the way. Little regulation prevents it, and the financials all favor it. By Ken Doctor.

Individually, people aren’t great at judging news sources. En masse, they’re almost the same as professional fact-checkers

Plus: 2018’s most popular health articles were plagued by misinformation, and one of Facebook’s fact-checking partners shares details on how much it’s paid. By Laura Hazard Owen.
What We’re Reading
Poynter / Daniel Funke
Snopes pulls out of its fact-checking partnership with Facebook →
“In a statement published Friday, the fact-checking site said that it has withdrawn from its partnership with the technology company, which enabled them to decrease the reach of false stories, images and videos in the News Feed.”
The New York Times / Michael M. Grynbaum
Trump’s one-on-one with The New York Times publisher and correspondents →
“At one point, Ms. Haberman asked Mr. Trump: ‘What do you see the role of a free press as? What do you think a free press does?’ Mr. Trump replied that it ‘describes and should describe accurately what's going on anywhere it's covering, whether it's a nation or a state or a game or whatever. And if it describes it accurately and fairly," he added, "it's a very, very important and beautiful thing.'”
Associated Press / David Bauder
The steady loss of local journalists may indeed contribute to the nation’s political polarization →
“With fewer opportunities to find out about local politicians, citizens are more likely to turn to national sources like cable news and apply their feelings about national politics to people running for the town council or state legislature, according to research published in the Journal of Communication.”
Colorado Media Project / Tom Gougeon and JB Holston
How new funding will (hopefully) spur more innovation and sustainability in Colorado media →
“Now the Colorado Media Project will continue as an ongoing advocate for our state's public-service news organizations, rallying community support and resources to navigate an uncharted future, together. The Gates Family Foundation will devote $1.125 million over three years to the project. This investment is augmented by a $100,000 contribution and technical support from the Democracy Fund, which supports systemic efforts to strengthen local news ecosystems nationwide.”
Wired / Megan Molteni
The “complete” cancer cure story is both bogus and tragic →
“About 12 hours after the Jerusalem Post tweeted out a link to its story, figures from the far right began to amplify its optimistic headline. Pro-Trump twitter troll Jacob Wohl posted it, followed shortly by conservative political pundit Glenn Beck, who added his own self-aggrandizing touch. ‘As we have hoped and prayed, and I spoke about happening by 2030: A TOTAL cure for cancer.'”
New York Times / David Leonhardt
The six forms of media bias →
For one, “affluent bias”: “The media isn’t just biased toward the center. It often confuses the center with views that are actually those of the affluent.”
Medium / Lindsay Green-Barber
Connecting the dots: Engaged journalism, trust, revenue, and civic engagement →
“The major learning that was applicable to all organizations we looked is that effective engagement requires a way for communities to be in contact with journalists in a relational rather than purely transactional manner.”
CNN / Donie O'Sullivan
Facebook and Twitter remove thousands of fake accounts tied to Russia, Venezuela, and Iran →
“The hundreds of Russia-linked accounts it suspended had together sent almost a million tweets, many relating to US politics, Twitter said.”
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press / Anna Gutierrez Bahn
Media groups advocate for affordable access to court records →
“The coalition argues that allowing the government to charge PACER fees beyond the marginal cost of disseminating court records will hinder journalists' ability to access court records — especially given the current budgetary constraints of the news industry — and provide that information to the public.”