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Monday, August 19, 2019
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Maybe you know that article is satire, but a lot of people can’t tell the differenceLabeling satire as such may seem to take the sting out of the joke. But it’s also the most effective way we know of to prevent people from taking satirical content as fact — something surprisingly common. By R. Kelly Garrett, Robert Bond, and Shannon Poulsen. |
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This reporter came for ER bills (with the help of 1,000-plus patients), and now doctors are listeningSarah Kliff has brought her healthcare billing projects from Vox to The New York Times, reporting on the submissions of thousands of readers. And now she’s written for an audience of practitioners and academics. By Christine Schmidt. |
What We’re Reading
CNN / Clare Duffy
Study: Extremist and disinformation sites generate at least $235 million in ad revenue each year →
“At least $235 million in revenue is generated annually from ads running on extremist and disinformation websites, according to a new study from the Global Disinformation Index provided exclusively to CNN ahead of its September release.”
Thinknum Media / Joshua Fruhlinger
How news outlets’ Twitter accounts have grown (or shrunk) since 2016 →
“The New York Times, for instance, has a Twitter following of a massive 43.9 million followers. That’s more than the total number of digital and print susbcribers to whom the newspaper goes direct by a factor of more than ten. That’s almost as many followers as Michael Jordan has (to be fair to Michael, he hasn’t tweeted since 2015).”
The Guardian / Nosheen Iqbal
The Guardian columnist Owen Jones was attacked outside a London pub →
“It was clearly a premeditated attack and I was their target. They all attacked me and only assaulted my friends when they tried to defend me.”
Fast Company / Mark Sullivan
Apple is making it harder for ad tech companies to collect user data for targeting →
“The company's WebKit team released a new policy statement today that expands the power of its Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) technology…Now it's shutting down the ‘link decoration’ method used by social networks to make first-party cookies perform the user tracking functions of third-party cookies.”
Mumbrella / Hannah Blackiston
In Australia, News Corp aims to launch 17 digital-only local news sites by year’s end →
They’ve launched 5 so far. “The publisher is throwing its weight behind the digital-only strategy, particularly in regional areas where News Corp may not have previously been active, which sees a journalist set up in their local region and report on matters specific to that area, including crime, property, health and local politics.”
IJN / Taylor Mulcahey
Six accessories for journalists to create on-the-go multimedia →
“At the National Association of Black Journalists' (NABJ) 2019 conference, held in Miami, Florida last weekend, Allison Davis and Denise James led a session on just this — mobile journalism gear.”
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Local newsrooms can now get extra legal help with their reporting →
“The Reporters Committee will employ a lawyer in up to five jurisdictions in 2020 to help local journalists and news organizations defend their rights to gather and report the news, gain access to public records and court proceedings, and hold state and local government agencies and officials accountable.”
American Press Institute / KATIE KUTSKO AND LIZ WORTHINGTON
Apply here for funding for newsroom analytics (and coaching on how to use it) for a year →
“Thanks to a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, subsidies are available to use Metrics for News at a reduced cost in up to 10 newsrooms, starting as soon as October and through 2020.”
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas / Paola Nalvarte
Latin American journalists are launching a center to collaboratively do investigative journalism in the region →
"The idea of CLIP is to be, above all, at the service of Latin American journalism," María “Teresa Ronderos, one of the founders and director of CLIP, told the Knight Center. ‘We are going to lead collaborative transnational projects of investigative journalism, and we want to find the most qualified people to work on these things, but, we are also helping to support and develop those projects that other people are already cooking and that don't have a guide, but that is purely collaborative. That’s it.'”
The Daily Beast / Maxwell Tani
Deadspin editor Megan Greenwell has quit, saying G/O Media’s new leadership has “repeatedly lied to and gaslit” her →
“Greenwell's departure comes as the network of former Gawker websites undergo cultural changes at the behest of G/O leadership. On Thursday, for example, the company released a draft of a new staff handbook with stricter new rules, alarming some staff members. It's unclear whether the handbook contradicts the company's existing editorial union contract.”
Twitter / Trump Fundraising Emails
For some reason, Sinclair stations ran a news story announcing the sales of the MAGA hats →
After a station in Albany first wrote about it, stations in Dayton, El Paso, Salt Lake City, Chattanooga, and more republished it: “Trump’s online campaign store warns buyers to ‘anticipate a delay in delivery due to overwhelming support.’ The hat, which is made in the United States, costs $25.00.”
Deadline / Nellie Andreeva
After HBO opted not to renew, “Vice News Tonight” will air on the Viceland network →
Viceland is the joint venture of Vice Media and A+E Networks, where Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc had previously held the reins.
Digiday / Lucinda Southern
How The Times of London increased digital subscribers 19 percent in a year →
“Over the last few months, The Times has published 15% fewer stories on the online Home News section after learning that news with no additional or exclusive content underperforms. As a result of publishing less content, dwell time in the section has increased: Readers of The Times smartphone app spent an average 28 minutes daily on the Home News section, up 25% year over year, according to the publisher.”