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Monday, September 9, 2019
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Local newspapers are suffering, but they’re still (by far) the most significant journalism producers in their communities“While local newspapers accounted for roughly 25 percent of the local media outlets in our sample, they accounted for nearly 50 percent of the original news stories in our database.” By Philip Napoli and Jessica Mahone. |
What We’re Reading
Popular Information / Judd Legum
Facebook is giving massive distribution to dangerous misinformation about diabetes →
“The Rowdy Republican page, which has over 780,000 followers, is run by an affiliate marketer with a history of legal problems and deceptive practices. He is seeking to drive people to a site about ‘The Big Diabetes Lie,’ which tries to convince people to purchase a $55 paperback book. According to the website, if you have diabetes and don’t purchase this book, you will soon die.”
Gallup / Jeffery M. Jones
74 percent of Americans say it is generally a good idea for reporters to interact on social media →
…but “The one thing Americans do not want to see journalists doing on social media is sharing their personal views about the news of the day: 34% approve of this, while 65% disapprove, including 27% who strongly disapprove…. In contrast, Americans overwhelmingly endorse the idea of journalists using social media when they use it to promote facts.”
The Guardian / Erin Hale
Police are using pepper spray and tear gas on journalists in Hong Kong →
“Over the weekend, the [Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club] said it had seen an increasing number of incidents involving police violence against journalists covering protests in Hong Kong, with assaults on journalists becoming more serious and impeding their ability to work. Frontline journalists regularly wear reflective vests and press credentials when covering demonstrations.”
The New York Times / Matthew Rosenberg
Here are the tools a Times political reporter is using to report on 2020 disinformation →
“Discretion is crucial. The first rule of source protection is Do Not Talk About Your Sources. It is also the second rule.”
Wall Street Journal / Benjamin Mullin
Group Nine Media raised an additional $50M from Axel Springer and Discovery →
“Closely held Group Nine Media isn't profitable, according to people familiar with the matter, but its revenue since the merger [of NowThis News, Thrillist, Seeker, and the Dodo] is twice what the combined entities generated before the deal, another person said. Revenue was boosted by growth in the company's advertising business and new distribution agreements.”
The New York Times / Marc Tracy and Tiffany Hsu
The director of MIT’s Media Lab has resigned after trying to hide money from Jeffrey Epstein →
“Almost immediately, the M.I.T. official, Joichi Ito, left the boards of three other organizations: the MacArthur Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and The New York Times Company, where he had been a board member since 2012. He also left a visiting professorship at Harvard.”
The Information / Jessica Toonkel
Spotify has hired former CBS News president David Rhodes to help figure out its news programming →
“Additionally, Spotify is looking to grow its sports offering and recently hired a Facebook executive, Amy Hudson, to oversee sports, the people said. Hudson had worked on sports partnerships at Facebook.”
Poynter / Rick Edmonds
Economics professors’ new plan: Here’s $50 off your income taxes, if you use it to support a news outlet →
“The group anticipated some likely objections. And so they suggest some qualifiers and options: Only outlets that predominantly run serious news would be eligible. A panel of experts would determine that.”
The Daily Beast / Sam Stein and Gideon Resnick
ThinkProgress, a top progressive news site, has shut down →
“Top officials at CAP had been searching for a buyer to take over ThinkProgress, which has run deficits for years, and according to sources there were potentially three serious buyers in the mix recently. But in a statement to staff, Navin Nayak, the executive director of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, said the site was ultimately unable to secure a patron.”