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Thursday, November 1, 2018
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The New York Times is on pace to earn more than $600 million in digital this year, halfway to its ambitious goalThe paywall, now more than seven years old, still has room to grow. By Joshua Benton. |
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Newsonomics: “Digital defeats print” is the headline as Gannett steps away from printed election resultsIn cities across America, you won’t be able to find even the most cursory election results in your Wednesday morning newspaper next week. Is this speeding up newspapers’ transition to digital — or just burning a bridge they still need to cross? By Ken Doctor. |
What We’re Reading
The Marshall Project
Bill Keller to retire from The Marshall Project →
“He will remain in his current position until a replacement has been appointed and then transition onto the board of directors.”
The New York Times / Jonah Engel Bromwich
Alas, the blockchain won’t save journalism after all →
“It was as if an Olympic weight lifter said that, at a minimum, he'd be able to clean and jerk 400 pounds, and then did not manage to move the bar more than an inch off the ground.”
Reddit
Reddit AMA with Axios founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen →
“Strongly disagree with the concept of access journalism, which implies that you’re being used, and is of no service to your audience. Because our journalists are subject matter experts who are well-wired in their worlds, we are in constant contact with the people who make the news, and are able to go to the top to check stories and illuminate the great events of our time.”
Digiday / Max Willens
How BuzzFeed is using its commerce business to sell advertising →
“Last month, BuzzFeed launched a 100-item line of Goodful products that it is selling exclusively at Macy's. Over the past year, it developed products for Scott's, Maybelline and Bloomscape, using BuzzFeed.com and its social reach to promote them. BuzzFeed's markets team also has begun upselling affiliate commerce partners like Quip and Care/Of on display and branded content advertising.”
VentureBeat / Khari Johnson
Alexa can now talk about the midterm elections, drawing from the Associated Press and Ballotpedia →
“Say ‘Alexa, what's my election update,’ and Alexa, basing answers on your location, will tell you about gubernatorial, congressional, or Senate candidates. Alexa is also now able to answer questions like ‘Alexa, when are the polls open?'”
Facebook / Joey Rhyu
Facebook is expanding its Breaking News feature to more people and more countries →
“In the test period, we’ve seen that breaking news posts about politics, crime, disaster, and business perform best.”
Latino Rebels / Pilar Marrero
LA Times publishes completely different political endorsements in English and Spanish →
“The English version of the LA Times suggests you re-elect U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein because she comes from a more ‘civil and productive era of governance’ and has accomplished a great deal like that. The editorial casts doubt on the effectiveness of her challenger, state senator Kevin de León who seems ‘unwilling to compromise.’ LA Times en Español, however, has a different take. According to its editorial, de León is the best choice because he seems pragmatic and effective enough and knows the immigrant community best. And, after all, ‘Dianne Feinstein has been in the Senate since 1992’ and that's ‘too long. A generational change is needed.'”