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Tuesday, March 12, 2019
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Refinery29’s Unbothered is made for and by black millennial women“A lot of the time, diversifying content is tied to a financial decision. And while I do think that targeting black women is a very smart financial decision, it was also very important that we communicate that this is out of an authentic desire to fill a void.” By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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The podcast industry is growing out of its teen years — and facing a new identity strugglePlus: The latest podcast-listening statistics, podcaster burnout, and messes and misconduct. By Nicholas Quah. |
What We’re Reading
Variety / Elsa Keslassy
The average Netflix subscriber watches for two hours a day →
“Holland also said that most people around the world mainly watch Netflix on TV and multiple devices rather than on mobile devices only. In emerging markets, more people watch Netflix on mobile devices, but that's not the dominant mode of viewing for Netflix globally.”
Right Wing Watch / Jared Holt
The Associated Press has published an anti-vaccine press release and other misinformation on its site →
“AP has maintained years-long business relationships with several other wire companies that distribute press releases, including Globe Newswire and Business Wire. When one of those wire services distributes a press release, automated software duplicates it on the Associated Press site…An uninformed reader would have been forgiven for mistaking the press releases for a news article.”
Yahoo News / Jenna McLaughlin
Saudis return to the Washington lobbying scene after fallout from Khashoggi’s death →
“After a noticeable lack of public admonition from the White House, the Saudis appear to be testing the waters on a public comeback, via high-profile international trips, diplomacy and engaging the policy community in Washington, D.C.”
The Atlantic / Taylor Lorenz
How an app for gamers went mainstream →
“The influencers who have flocked to the platform also say that if anything, Discord provides a respite from the trolls they encounter on the broader internet. And many, like Dietschy, have no plans to quit. The platform, she said, is the only way to ‘avoid the chaos of the internet.'”
Editor & Publisher / Evelyn Mateos
Three Indiana newspapers combine to form Heartland News →
“Publishers know the sting of declining print circulation all too well. The Pilot News Group, which includes the Pilot News, five weekly papers and two shopper products, was one of those publishers, but instead of shuttering their publications, they decided to combine them.”
CNN / Oliver Darcy
New York magazine lays off about 5 percent of staff →
“New York Media, the parent company of New York magazine, laid off 16 full-time staffers and an additional 16 freelancers or part-time employees as the publication restructures, chief executive Pam Wasserstein said in a memo to employees on Monday.”
Washington Post / Elizabeth Dwoskin
Zuckerberg says he’s going all-in on private messaging. Facebook’s declining user numbers tell us why. →
“A dive into some little-seen data suggests that Facebook may be in a bigger mess than it lets on. It shows a precipitous drop in the amount of time people are spending on the core social network.”
Digiday / Lucinda Southern
How The Guardian is making podcasts pay off →
“Last November, the publisher launched a 25-minute daily news podcast Today in Focus, which has become its most popular show, accounting for a quarter of all total listens. Average daily listens for the show have grown fivefold since launching, based on first-week listens compared to last week's listens. The publisher also said that audience figures have grown 30 percent month-on-month but was unwilling to share more specific figures.”
Press Gazette / Freddy Mayhew
UK equality body launches probe into BBC pay over concerns some women have “not received equal pay for equal work” →
“The probe will look into suspected past pay discrimination at the BBC, an allegation that has plagued the corporation since it first published the salaries of top-earning on-air talent in July 2017.”