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Friday, May 10, 2019
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So what is “digital journalism studies,” anyway? Is it its own thing?A collection of scholars argue that digital journalism studies shouldn’t be considered a subset of journalism studies, but instead a separate field of its own. And they say they’re not just splitting hairs. By Joshua Benton. |
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Black female gun owners, moderate Republicans, and Jewish Americans are among the groups that may be particular targets of misinformation in 2020Plus: “Passive misinformation” is a problem for The Hill and other mainstream media outlets, and a closer look at some of the research projects Facebook is opening up to. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Vox / Kaitlyn Tiffany
A mysterious gut doctor is begging Americans to throw out “this vegetable” now. What is that vegetable? →
“The gut doctor's desperation pops up over and over, on websites like CNN and the Atlantic (and as I said, this one), in what are known colloquially as ‘chumboxes.’ These are the boxes at the bottom of the page that have several pieces of clickbaity ‘sponsored content’ or "suggested reading." They're generated by a variety of companies, but the largest two are Taboola ($160 million in funding) and Outbrain ($194 million in funding), both founded in Israel in the mid-aughts.”
The Guardian / Daniel Boffey
241 million Europeans “may have received Russian-linked disinformation” →
“There was no ‘all-purpose’ content but locally created material was being amplified to craft a narrative for each EU member state, according to the study of a 10-day period from 1 to 10 March.”
AP / Angela Charlton
As Zuckerberg visits, France threatens new rules on Facebook →
“Just before Zuckerberg met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, [10 government officials and academics] released a report calling for laws allowing the government to investigate and fine social networks that don't take responsibility for the content that makes them money.”
Poynter / Kristen Hare
Cleveland.com wants to text its readers (and to make money) →
“The Ohio newsroom started the experiment at the end of March, charging $3.99 a month. In May, it offered a free trial for texts from reporters covering everything from sports to courts to families to beer.”
Democracy Fund
Democracy Fund launches the Legal Clinic Fund, to strengthen legal support for local news →
“Today, we are announcing a new fund designed to support legal clinics at universities around the country that focus on strengthening and defending the first amendment, media access, and transparency.”
Press Gazette / James Walker
Brazil to allow crime reporters to carry guns for protection →
“The move has been criticized by press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, which said the ruling set a ‘dangerous precedent.'”
TechCrunch / Jonathan Shieber
Meet “The Prepared,” the media company pitching disaster preparedness for everyone →
"A part of the opportunity and the story of the opportunity of this website is that the first zombie wave and the Alex Jones kind of stuff…is dead…What's left is the more traditional emergency defense stuff…and a new group of people worried about climate change and political instability.”
Medium / Eliza Anyangwe
Eliza Anyangwe will be The Correspondent’s managing editor →
“One black African female managing editor, based in Amsterdam, does not a revolution make, but how could I resist the challenge?!”