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Friday, April 5, 2019
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“Terrorists use the internet in much the same way as other people.” How should tech companies deal with it?Plus: YouTube executives ignores its “false, incendiary and toxic content” for years, and white nationalism sneaks through Facebook’s ban. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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My quest to find Vox’s new Apple News Plus vertical: A UX parable in ∞ partsIf a digital news product falls in Apple News Plus, does it make a sound? By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re Reading
CNN / Neil Monahan and Brandon Griggs
Why 2.7 million Americans still get Netflix DVDs in the mail →
“People assume that our customers must either be super seniors or folks that live in the boonies with no internet access. Actually, our biggest hot spots are the coasts, like the Bay Area and New York.”
The Verge / Julia Alexander
The golden age of YouTube is over →
“YouTube relies on creators to differentiate itself from streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, it tells creators it wants to promote their original content, and it hosts conferences dedicated to bettering the creator community. Those same creators often feel abandoned and confused about why their videos are buried in search results, don't appear on the trending page, or are being quietly demonetized.”
kottke.org / Tim Carmody
The history of italics →
“Bauhaus, following the German blackletter tradition, forsook italic typesetting altogether, opting for a combination of boldface, sperrsatz, and fonts of different sizes, all of which achieve the effect of italics without the pretense of adopting an old Latin handwriting style.”
The New Yorker / Charles Bethea
The reporter who wrote about layoffs at the Cleveland Plain Dealer after he was laid off →
"Some people thought it was extraordinary that I wrote it. One of my sons said, ‘Dad, you get to write your own obit.’ I said, ‘It's kind of perfect in its way.'”
Nieman Reports / Gabe Bullard
More power to low-power FM →
"The situation for journalism and media — media in general, journalism in particular — it's just very depressing right now. So for people to be able to put their hands on the problem and try to make a difference, however small it may be, that's a huge thing."
Time / Merrill Fabry
The inextricable role of gender in the history of fact-checking →
“The 1944 Notes for Researchers (‘By One of Them’) makes sure to declare its purpose. A small manual, only about 14 pages, it provides the ‘no less than 111 girls on Time's payroll’ with matter-of-fact advice on how to deal with the flawed world reveals a stark view of the gendered roles: ‘Men need reminders just as much as the women. But don't forget that a peculiarity of Time Inc., and one that seems to be a matter of unending curiosity and frequent comment, is the woman researcher.”
Recode / Peter Kafka
The company that owns the New Yorker and Vogue is bleeding money. A new CEO is supposed to turn things around. →
New Conde Nast boss Roger Lynch comes from Pandora and Sling.
Polis
The London School of Economics and the Google News Initiative are working together on news and AI →
“The central objective is to inform strategic decision-making by media and technology companies as well as news media educators, researchers and investors. A specific emphasis will be put on the ethics that should guide the development of AI technology and its applications by journalism, as well as on promoting collaboration between media houses in this space.”
The Guardian / Jim Waterson
BBC News staff told not to tweet personal views after LGBT debate →
“We all have personal views, but it is part of our role with the BBC to keep those views private. Our editorial guidelines say BBC staff must not advocate any particular position on a matter of public policy, political or industrial controversy, or any other 'controversial subject.’ That applies to all comments in the public domain, including on social media. There is no real distinction between personal and official social media accounts.”
CNN / Brian Stelter
Women are now running all three network morning shows for the first time ever →
“For the first time, all three network morning programs have female executive producers. The E.P. is the day-to-day boss of the show.”
TV News Check / Harry Jessell
Google and Facebook accounted for more than 70% of the local advertising market in 2018, Borrell says →
“Among legacy media, the reports says that broadcast TV became the No. 1 local ad medium in 2018, with an 9% share of the total local ad spend of $126.3 billion, outpacing newspapers for the first time.”