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Wednesday, March 20, 2019
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With vast records of police misconduct now public, California news outlets are collaborating instead of competing“All Californians have the right to this information. By pooling resources, we can expedite the public’s right to access misconduct and deadly use-of-force materials.” By Joshua Benton. |
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50,000 first-time donors? Here’s how four nonprofit organizations used NewsMatch to the fullest“The biggest takeaway for us is there is a pool of donors there that was untapped, and now we realize they do exist.” By Christine Schmidt. |
What We’re Reading
Variety / Todd Spangler
Almost half of Americans have “subscription fatigue,” at least when it comes to streaming TV →
“Nearly half (47%) of U.S. consumers say they're frustrated by the growing number of subscriptions and services required to watch what they want…An even bigger pet peeve: 57% said they're frustrated when content vanishes because rights to their favorite TV shows or movies have expired.”
Full Fact / Amy Sippitt
Does the “backfire effect” exist — and does it matter for fact-checkers? →
“Our new review, published today, finds that the backfire effect is in fact rare, not the norm — and suggests factchecking does help inform people. It finds that, while backfire may occur in some cases, generally debunking can make people's beliefs in specific claims more accurate.”
Digiday / Emma Sandler
Instagram is testing in-app shopping, will probably make a gazillion dollars →
“During the test, when a user taps on a ‘View the Product’ button, they will see a ‘Checkout on Instagram’ option rather than being taken to an e-commerce site. Once a person enters all of their information within Instagram (which can be saved for future purchases), they can buy directly and manage their orders in the app.”
European Commission
The European Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for abusive practices in online advertising →
“Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. The misconduct lasted over 10 years and denied other companies the possibility to compete on the merits and to innovate – and consumers the benefits of competition.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Emily Bell
Journalism has a panopticon problem →
“Unlike Bentham's penitentiary, in which the knowledge they are being surveilled limits the brazenness of the prisoners, the easy publicness of actions on social media has not served to discourage bad actors. Instead, it has empowered them to shock and radicalize more widely than would have otherwise been the case.”
The New York Times / Mike Isaac
The new social network that isn’t new at all: email newsletters →
“Using this method of private sharing is already affecting the way I post things publicly. Since January, I have consistently tweeted 15 to 30 percent less each week than I did the week before, according to Twitter's summaries of my account activity (some of my followers may be grateful). I'm also using my smartphone less.”
The Guardian / Adrian Chiles
“On the eve of my 52nd birthday, I’m targeted by a site for attractive, 52-year-old singles. Coincidence?” →
“As my daughter kindly told me, I am only one of these things. But I was perturbed by how accurately I'd been microtargeted.”
Sports Media Guy / Brian Moritz
Is the offseason now more important for sports journalists than the season? →
“Think of NBA free agency, the baseball hot-stove league, the NFL combine and all the signings last week. The transaction has become such a focal point of so much pro and college sports journalism that this feels more important to study than game coverage.”
Apple
Apple is backing media literacy programs in the U.S. and Italy →
“The News Literacy Project (NLP) and Common Sense in the US and Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori in Italy will each receive support from Apple to advance their efforts in empowering young people with the critical thinking skills necessary in today's digital age.”
Twitter / Gordon Borrell
Local advertisers are still cutting back on print but say they’re still increasing buys in TV →
Of advertisers surveyed, 13% say they’re increasing buys in print vs 33% who say they’re cutting. For broadcast TV, that’s 27% up, 23% down; for cable TV, it’s 33% up, 25% down.