YULI AHMADA: Mei 2019

Kamis, 30 Mei 2019

After four years of handing out money for European news projects, Google is expanding its funding to North America

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

After four years of handing out money for European news projects, Google is expanding its funding to North America

Projects, which should be related to local news or revenue generation, can receive up to $300,000 in funding. As in Europe, the launch comes with talk of government regulation in the air. By Laura Hazard Owen.

“Inextricably linked”: How Chalkbeat works with local funders to start its local bureaus

To choose its newest place of focus, the nonprofit education network asked supporters to nominate their own cities — and to help find local funders long before launch. By Christine Schmidt.

Vox Media has shifted its hiring toward part-timers and contract workers since its full-time staff unionized

What We’re Reading

VICE News / David Uberti

Researchers say Facebook has weakened or disabled certain tools to track political ads, right in time for 2020 →

One of five examples of how the platform has done this: “Facebook limited the number of searches an account can make in the Ad Library; researchers can't keep up with the number of new ads flooding in.”

Chicago Tribune / Dawn Rhodes

Charles Whitaker is the new dean of Medill →

The former Ebony editor had been interim dean for the past year.

Columbia Journalism Review / Becca Schuh

A look at viral articles that get turned into books →

“It’s definitely a launchpad and not something you can translate into book sales. What could I do? Say, 'Thanks for reading my article, please join my mailing list,' and months later send a link to my book? If they read the essay, do they even want to buy the whole book? Maybe not."

Columbia Journalism Review / Justin Ray

Why a former TV reporter created “Rate my Professor” for newsrooms →

“Reviews are anonymous, but to contribute one, site visitors must fill out a survey with questions about their salary, the station's news director, and the types of contracts employees are required to sign. There are also queries about experiences with sexual harassment‎, racial discrimination,‎ gender discrimination‎, and the overall work environment‎.”

Digiday / Max Willens

Why more newsrooms are hiring membership editors →

“The responsibilities for these roles differ significantly. The HuffPost listing, for a ‘deputy managing editor of membership and innovation,’ calls for someone who can create new engagement and messaging strategies, while Quartz's deputy membership editor listing focuses on identifying ‘creative and compelling editorial approaches for paying readers’; listings posted by BuzzFeed and the Intercept list driving membership growth as a key priority.”

Axios / Sara Fischer and Harry Stevens

2019 is on pace to have the highest percentage of Time covers featuring only women in 100 years →

“Dogs, horses, monkeys and bulls tend to be the most popular animals to grace Time covers, as well as donkeys and elephants, of course. Bulls are a go-to cover image for business stories, naturally.”

NBC News / Alex Johnson

NBC News’ free streaming service launches with eight hours of programming each weeknight →

“In a break from many streaming services that require customers to sign in with cable service credentials — a way for cable operators to ensure that they’re not being bypassed by their content partners — the NBC News service will be unrestricted, without requiring cable authorization.”

Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt

Times titles halve digital subscriber churn with tailored emails from AI named James →

“The ‘digital butler’ known as James (Journey Automated Messaging for Higher Engagement) creates individualized emails by predicting content that subscribers are likely to be interested in, then sending it in their preferred format at the time they are most likely to read it.”

Rabu, 29 Mei 2019

Want to feel less anxious about the state of the world? Try diversifying your online news sources

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Want to feel less anxious about the state of the world? Try diversifying your online news sources

“Participants who reported actively trying to diversify their online news streams by interacting with people and content espousing different points of view also reported lower levels of anxiety related to current events.” By Laura Hazard Owen.

The Chinese “podcast” industry isn’t really podcasting as Americans think of it, but it is fascinating

Plus: Third Coast is getting a new leader, Vox Media ties podcasts into events, and Podtrac fiddles with its numbers. By Nicholas Quah.

One year in, GDPR fines haven’t hit publishers — or very many other companies, actually

More than a dozen EU countries haven’t issued a single GDPR fine yet, and the those that have have generally been small. (Unless your name is Google.) By Joshua Benton.

What We’re Reading

Twitter / Joshua Benton

Apologies for the blank email yesterday →

Too much time barbecuing on Memorial Day, apparently.

The Guardian / Jim Waterson

CNN is preparing to make cuts at its London-based news operation →

CNN boss Jeff Zucker said in a surprise meeting at the company’s London office that “the international channel was losing $10m (£8m) a year, according to those present.”

Media Matters / Madelyn Webb and Natalie Martinez

Study: Right-wing sources dominate abortion-related news on Facebook →

“A Media Matters study of top-engaged U.S. abortion-related coverage on Facebook in the month of April found that 63% of links with the most Facebook interactions came from right-leaning websites, and 72% of the Facebook page posts with the most interactions came from right-leaning pages.”

The Guardian

Is BBC News broken? And if so, how do we fix it? →

“Are things really as bad as the BBC's critics say, or are they unwittingly playing into the hands of its enemies at a time when cool, impartial, public service journalism needs our support? Here, the Observer asks five well-placed commentators whether something really is rotten inside the Beeb — and if so, how to put it right again.”

MEL Magazine / Eddie Kim

After 15 years, The Pirate Bay still can’t be killed →

“Despite widespread legal scrutiny, blockages in multiple countries, millions of dollars in fines and beyond, the site with the iconic mahogany pirate ship logo sails on, supported by an anonymous crowd of diehard pirates who revive the site every time it seems down for good.”

Columbia Journalism Review / Maria Danilova

Independent Russian journalists look for ways to succeed despite government control →

“Those who are determined to stay in journalism are experimenting with online platforms to report on problems that the government doesn't want exposed and tell stories from alternative angles. Meduza, an online outlet, is renowned for quality news and strong investigative journalism. Another site, the Insider, partnered with the British investigative outlet Bellingcat to investigate last year's poisoning of a former Russian spy in England. The Bell is an e-mail newsletter that provides an overview of the day's top news in Russia and the world with a business focus. Proekt (Project), an investigative site, recently published a series of reports on Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian tycoon who was indicted in the United States for his alleged role in using social media trolls to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.”

Variety / Brian Steinberg

Meredith sells Sports Illustrated to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million →

“Under terms of the deal, Authentic Brands acquires the rights to market, develop and license Sports Illustrated and its kids' edition as well as its swimsuit and ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ franchises, along with the magazine's photo archive. Meredith will pay a licensing fee to operate the editorial operations of Sports Illustrated in print and in digital for a minimum of two years.”

RNZ / Colin Peacock

In New Zealand, publishers, public broadcaster, and the public purse back new local news scheme →

“The Local Democracy Reporting Service will generate news and content available to media outlets including RNZ, the country's biggest newspaper publishers — Stuff, NZME and South Island publisher Allied Press — and small local publishers too. “

Digiday / Lucinda Southern

In the UK, BuzzFeed pins commercial plans on commerce and video →

“The publisher has focused its U.K. strategy around creating more local video content and commerce-related advertising partnerships, after restructuring and cutting staff globally in January.”

Journalism.co.uk / Daniel Green

“Brexit bump” drives millions of UK readers to news websites →

For Bloomberg, for instance, “Brexit-related stories are now among the most-read content that it produces, amounting to a third of the organization's overall coverage in the UK.”

Popular Information / Judd Legum

10 million fake views: Facebook and Twitter’s botched response to fake Nancy Pelosi videos →

“Facebook acknowledged the videos were ‘false’ but refused to remove them. (The company said it was taking unspecified actions to ‘limit’ the reach of the Pelosi videos.) Twitter, Trump’s social network of choice, took no action at all.”

Selasa, 28 Mei 2019

Today in the Future of News: The latest from Nieman Lab

Monday, May 27, 2019

Sabtu, 25 Mei 2019

Newsonomics: GateHouse’s new round of layoffs fits the sad logic of the coming consolidation

Friday, May 24, 2019

Newsonomics: GateHouse’s new round of layoffs fits the sad logic of the coming consolidation

Laying off about 200, hiring about 30: In the short term, cost-cutting and mergers are just about the only plays in the playbook. By Ken Doctor.

It’s not me, it’s you: Our Facebook fears are mostly about all those other gullible types

“Society may bear some responsibility, but so do individual Facebook users…Ultimately, people need to save themselves more and worry a little less about saving everyone else.” By Joseph B. Walther.

What We’re Reading

BuzzFeed News / Katie Notopolous

Writing a book? Announce it on Twitter with this ugly screenshot! →

“Hard-to-read screenshots of paywalled book industry websites dominate Literary Twitter.”

CNN / Taylor Romine

Connecticut police hope that 15,000 likes on Facebook will get man to turn himself in →

“The post is now at 17,000 likes, but according to an updated version of the post, Mr. Simms has yet to turn himself in.”

USA Today / Todd Gitlin

We need news to use about climate. Give us a daily carbon dioxide count with the weather. →

“Front pages online and in print, as well as radio and television news bulletins, routinely feature temperature and precipitation reports and forecasts — ‘news you can use,’ telling you whether to wear a raincoat and carry an umbrella. Why not also a measure of the health of the earth? Easy.”

Parse.ly Blog / Kelsey Arendt

Link-in-bio providers add 10–15% to Instagram referral traffic →

“Link in Bio products might be solving some major marketing hurdles on Instagram. When we examined the Link in Bio referrals, we found an additional 10-15% of traffic coming from Instagram.”

BuzzFeed News / Craig Silverman

Twitter is showing more ads, and people are seeing lots of weird crap as a result →

“While Twitter didn't comment on the content of its increased ad load, the quality bar has seemed to go down as the number of impressions has gone up. One recent promoted tweet linked to an article about overseas women looking for American men, while another promoted a list of comics about ‘double standards in society that will make you stop and think.’ Another offered to explain ‘Why one in two Slavic women want to spend their lives with a Western man.’

Digiday / Max Willens

The latest key newsroom job: membership editor →

Publishers including Quartz, The Guardian and The Atlantic already have people in the role — The Guardian's has been there for years — but over the past six months, publishers ranging from HuffPost and BuzzFeed News to more specialized sites such as The Intercept and Texas Tribune have all put up job listings for membership editors.

The Washington Post / Drew Harwell

Faked Pelosi videos, slowed to make her appear drunk, spread across social media →

“One version, posted by the conservative Facebook page Politics WatchDog, had been viewed more than 2 million times by Thursday night, been shared more than 45,000 times, and garnered 23,000 comments with users calling her ‘drunk’ and ‘a babbling mess.'”

Axios / Sara Fischer and Kia Kokalitcheva

Refinery29 aims to raise $20 million →

“The company plans to use the funds to expand internationally and for its originals studio and events business.”

Jumat, 24 Mei 2019

News outlets post way more pictures of men than women to Facebook

Thursday, May 23, 2019

News outlets post way more pictures of men than women to Facebook

Also, men’s faces actually take up more space in the pictures. By Christine Schmidt.

Elections in India and the EU mean a flood of homegrown fake news

“More than a quarter of the content shared by the Bharatiya Janata Party and a fifth of the content shared by the Indian National Congress is junk news.” By Laura Hazard Owen.

What We’re Reading

Facebook Newsroom

Facebook disabled 2.19 billion fake accounts in Q1 2019, up from 1.2 billion the previous quarter →

Facebook also explained how it measures fake accounts.

The Wall Street Journal / Jeffrey Trachtenberg

How to navigate a collapsing business: Magazine giant Meredith axes nostalgia →

“Mr. Harty, the CEO, told an investor conference earlier this year that the company outperformed its key rivals in recent years, citing ‘our philosophy of focusing on women and not news-generated content.'”

Queens Daily Eagle / David Brand

NYC mayor Bill De Blasio says city agencies must spend at least 50% of their ad budgets on local and ethnic news outlets →

“Community and ethnic media outlets are critical for delivering news across the city. This executive order will help us reach more New Yorkers, ensuring that more people can benefit from all the city has to offer.”

CBC / Peter Zimonjic and Kathleen Harris

Canada’s federal government names organizations that will help spend a $660 million journalism fund →

“The eight associations that have been asked to select a representative to sit on the independent panel by the middle of June are: News Media Canada, the Association de la presse francophone, the Quebec Community Newspaper Association, the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada, the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec, Unifor and the Fédération nationale des communications.”

USA TODAY / Todd Gitlin

Cloudy with a chance of carbon dioxide: A case for weather news you can use →

“This news is not so hard to deliver, because various dimensions of world-transforming physics and chemistry are readily conveyed. A crucial measure is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at any given time.”

Vanity Fair / Joe Pompeo

The New York Times has become a “book-deal factory” →

“The Company reserves the right to deny a book leave request for any reason. Our journalistic needs must come first,” executive editor Dean Baquet and assistant managing editor Carolyn Ryan wrote in a memo earlier this month.

Digiday / Jessica Davies

How publishers have handled GDPR, one year in →

“A lot of people thought last May was the time it would hit, but really that was just the start. We're not even 20% of the way through what GDPR means for the industry. There is a long way to go.”

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / Walter E. Hussman, Jr.

“We need all of our subscribers to embrace the iPad replica newspaper experience” →

“The Blytheville experiment was successful with over 70% of our subscribers converting to the iPad. We did a survey later, and we found most subscribers were reading it as frequently as the print edition. Most said they found it hard to believe, but they actually liked the newspaper better on an iPad.”

The Kansas Leadership Center Journal / Joel Mathis

A local look at the dwindling of newspapers in Kansas →

“If you believe that your community's needs are not being adequately met, then residents need to find and support people who are willing to provide coverage. It might take the invention of new approaches and even organizations. In Johnson County, for instance, the husband-and-wife team of Jay Senter and Julia Westhoff publish the online-only Shawnee Mission Post, supported by paid subscriptions, which has filled a void in suburban news coverage.”

Kamis, 23 Mei 2019

Why local foundations are putting their money behind a rural journalism collaborative

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Why local foundations are putting their money behind a rural journalism collaborative

$660,000 to support a 50-member network will go to Solutions Journalism Network and Report for America for one year from a trio of place-based foundations. By Christine Schmidt.

Another milestone passed for newspapers: The Boston Globe is the first local newspaper to have more digital subscribers than print

Another point of crossover that hints at a possible future. By Joshua Benton.

The New York Times brings its summer pop-up newsletter back for a second season, with lessons learned

What We’re Reading

International News Media Association

Dean Baquet on covering Trump tweets and the decline of local news →

“The greatest crisis in American journalism is the death of local news. … I don't know what the answer is. Their economic model is gone. I think most local newspapers in America are going to die in the next five years, except for the ones that have been bought by a local billionaire.”

Digiday / Max Willens

How The Guardian is looking to boost reader donations in the U.S. →

“While The Guardian U.S. accounts for 30% of the publisher's worldwide audience, those readers have made more than 50% of the individual donations The Guardian has received in the past year, said Evelyn Webster, Guardian U.S. CEO.”

Folio / Beth Braverman

Life after print: How 3 magazines are navigating their new business models →

“The shift to digital has allowed WWD to better serve the global fashion industry, leading to significant subscription growth. Paid subscriptions to its daily newsletter and website are up 30 percent since the brand began moving away from print in 2015, with more than half of that increase coming from overseas.”

Vox / Kaitlyn Tiffany

Online ads can be targeted based on your emotions →

The New York Times, USA Today, and Daily Beast are all doing it.

Poynter / Kristen Hare

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s audience team stopped putting all their time into Twitter (and referral traffic stayed the same) →

“The Philadelphia Inquirer's audience team used to spend 80% of its time on Twitter for a 2-3% return in referral traffic…Now, the Inquirer's Twitter flagship accounts are automated, and the Inquirer gets…about a 2-3% return in referral traffic.”

The Guardian / Vivian Ho

Google changes policy to block misleading ads for anti-abortion groups →

“Google announced this week that starting in June, advertisers running ads ‘using keywords related to getting an abortion’ will first have to distinguish themselves as an organization that ‘either provides abortions or does not provide abortions,’ according to the new policy update.”

The Mercury News / Thomas Peele

Police return San Francisco journalist’s equipment but say he’s under criminal investigation →

“After Carmody refused requests to divulge his source for the police report, officers obtained a no-knock warrant and went to the reporter's home with guns drawn, using a sledge hammer and pry bar to try and break down a security gate he eventually opened for them. They handcuffed him while they searched.”

The Verge / Julia Alexander

YouTube is changing how subscriber counts are displayed, possibly shifting its culture →

“The decision to hide subscriber counts comes at a time when the entire world is paying attention to creators' follower counts. James Charles and Tati Westbrook's feud, which led to worldwide coverage, focused primarily on how many subscribers the former lost and the latter gained.”

Axios / Sara Fischer

Al Jazeera is launching a business site →

“AJ Impact, which will focus on topics like personal finance, economic inequality, and impact investing, represents a significant departure from its traditional areas of focus.”

Cheddar / Alex Heath

Medium CEO Ev Williams says he’s open to acquiring other media companies →

“A person familiar with the matter told Cheddar that the number [of paying subscribers] is between 200,000 and 400,000. Williams said last year that he was planning to raise more venture capital money beyond the $132 million that Medium has already raised, but on Tuesday he told Cheddar that he didn't currently need to raise more money.”

Variety / Todd Spangler

Cory Haik, Mic’s former publisher, joins Vice as chief digital officer →

“In its digital business unit, Vice this month relaunched vice.com, which merges all of its content under one umbrella and eliminates the separate web "channels" for topic verticals like Vice News, Noisey and Munchies — a move the company believes will boost its overall audience engagement.”