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Thursday, September 12, 2019
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Good stuff first: Google moves to prioritize original reporting in searchThe company has changed its global search algorithm to “highlight articles that we identify as significant original reporting,” and to keep such articles in top positions for longer. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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Researchers analyzed more than 300,000 local news stories on Facebook. Here’s what they found.“59 percent of the stories we were able to categorize served a critical information need…Aside from critical information needs, 31 percent of stories categorized covered sports and 9 percent were obituaries.” By Matthew Weber, Peter Andringa, and Philip M. Napoli. |
What We’re Reading
The New York Times / Jill Cowan
Newspapers are fighting California’s landmark gig economy bill, which they claim would put an end to newspaper home delivery →
“Troy Niday, the chief operations officer of The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, which distributes not just its own paper but national publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, estimated the law could accelerate the end of print delivery by five to seven years.” (The law allows a one-year delay for newspaper home delivery drivers.)
BuzzFeed News / Claudia Koerner
Facebook took down a fact-check of an anti-abortion video after Republican senators complained →
The video, by an anti-abortion activist, falsely claimed abortion is never necessary to save a woman’s life. It was fact-checked and demoted. Republican senators complained and Facebook took the fact-check down on Wednesday.
Democracy Fund / Lea Trusty
Announcing a new fund for racial equity in journalism →
“It's designed to support and build the capacity of newsrooms by and for people of color, who are best positioned to deliver critical news and information to their communities. So far, the Fund has raised $3.6 million and will begin making grants in the first quarter of 2020. Donors include Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation, Google News Initiative, and the News Integrity Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.”
New York / Lauren Starke
New York Magazine’s shopping site The Strategist will launch in the UK next month →
That’s also parent company New York Media’s first international expansion.
The Lenfest Institute for Journalism / Nicholas Kozankywycz
Why The New York Times and New Orleans Times-Picayune teamed up to cover climate change →
“The newsrooms' science and investigative reporters reported and wrote stories together, but those stories were then edited separately to fit with each outlet's house style.”
Poynter / Doris Truong
Annual ASNE survey finds the percentage of people of color and women in newsrooms is essentially the same as last year →
“Adjusted to count only full-time newsroom employees, last year's survey found 21.8 were journalists of color. In this year's survey, representation stayed essentially unchanged at 21.9. Women — who have been two-thirds of graduates from journalism and communications programs in recent years — have not increased their newsroom representation. Across organizations in this year's survey, women made up 41.8 percent of staff.”
Folio / Caysey Welton
September is becoming just another month for fashion magazines →
“We have seen significant shrinkage across the board over the past four years — including at Vogue, where its ‘thud factor’ has decreased by more than 30% in that time.”