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Tuesday, August 6, 2019
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How Piano built a propensity paywall for publishers — and what it’s learned so far“Having a machine-learning framework to say who’s likely to churn, register, and subscribe has been a critical step in us making those experiences more tailored.” By Christine Schmidt. |
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A unique collaboration lets the Bundyville podcast tell stories of anti-government extremism in the American WestPlus: Apple’s new podcast categories are live, Podtrac’s rankings continue to confuse people, and Dolly Parton. By Nicholas Quah. |
What We’re Reading
The New York Times / Marc Tracy
The Markup is back, with Julia Angwin and its previously-resigned staff members →
“Even after leaving, the editorial employees who resigned continued to work on articles, meeting roughly once a week in Ms. Angwin's Harlem living room.” The cofounders that fired Angwin, Sue Gardner and Jeff Larson, left The Markup before Memorial Day.
Nippon.com
Japanese newspaper circulation has dropped by 10 million since 2000 →
“Dedicated newspaper readers skew heavily toward the older population.”
The Atlantic / John Temple
“I’ve seen the limits of journalism” →
“Journalists feel the need to bear witness. But to the same horror, again and again? I can't say anymore that I believe we learn from terrible things. I can say that I've seen the limits of journalism — and of hope. And I'm struggling with what to do about it.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Tyler Coates
Ruth Reichl on 40 years in food journalism — and what’s missing from Instagram restaurant pics →
“The other thing that makes me very sad about the demise of Gourmet is that we had a real community. There were at least half a million people who didn't even think about renewing — they just renewed. It was a real community and that's what you're aiming for.”
Washington Post / Jonathan O'Connell and Rachel Siegel
America’s two largest newspaper chains are joining forces. Will it save either? →
“The $1.4 billion purchase of McLean-based Gannett by GateHouse Media, based in Pittsford, N.Y., will create a conglomerate that will own more than 250 daily newspapers and hundreds of weekly and community papers. The new company will retain the Gannett name and will have publications in 47 states, reaching more than 145 million unique visitors each month.” Also read Ken Doctor’s reporting here.
The Wrap / Ross Lincoln
New York Times changes headline on story about Trump’s gun violence speech after backlash →
The original headline read “Trump Urges Unity Vs. Racism” and “sparked widespread condemnation for everything from eliding the actual content of the speech, not referring to Trump as racist, or failing to acknowledge additional context, such as Trump's long history of comments about immigrants.”