OFF THE TOP
You might have heard: YouTube’s algorithm is “the single most important engine of YouTube’s growth” (The Guardian)
But did you know: How YouTube’s algorithm helps bolster doctored footage from real news outlets (CNN)
YouTube channels posing as American news outlets racked up millions of views on false and inflammatory videos over several months this year, with the help of YouTube’s recommendation engine. Many of the accounts used actual footage from CNN and Fox, but added doctored graphics to make it more inflammatory. YouTube’s algorithm recommended those videos to American users who watched videos about U.S. politics — over the course of just one week, researchers found more than two dozen YouTube channels that had more than 8 million views combined that were posting US news videos with false and misleading thumbnails and titles.
+ Noted: Review of legal cases says much of “media policy” censorship is illegal (Society of Professional Journalists)
API UPDATE
College students and recent graduates: Apply for our summer internship in news analytics
API is hiring a paid summer intern to learn about audience engagement and help us share best practices in audience analytics with the wider journalism industry. We’re looking for college students or recent graduates with an interest in how newsrooms can use their data to better engage audiences. If this sounds like you, or someone you know, learn more here.
TRY THIS AT HOME
Anticipate readers’ questions about a story (Lenfest Institute)
Science News partnered with Arizona State University’s News Co/Lab to create “About this story” sidebars that accompanied their articles on controversial, polarizing topics — things like climate change and vaccination. The sidebars include questions editors think readers might have about the story, like “Why are they doing this story?” and “Who did they speak to?” Reader responses to the sidebars have been mostly supportive (although many noted that the sidebars didn’t increase their trust in Science News because they already had high trust in the publication). “Working in a newsroom every day, it can be easy to forget that readers don’t fully understand the reporting process,” writes Kyra Miller. “During a time where there’s so much mistrust in journalism, it’s important and impactful to take a step back and walk readers through why reporters make certain decisions while working on a story.”
+ Earlier: Explaining source choices, defining journalistic terms and linking to previous coverage are other ways of building transparency directly into news stories
OFFSHORE
BBC staff express fear of public distrust after election coverage (The Guardian)
Elections once “put the BBC’s impartiality in the spotlight” — but last week’s general election made it clear that times have changed for the public broadcaster, writes Jim Waterson. Many BBC journalists have expressed concern that errors during the campaign may have damaged public trust in the corporation; with some younger journalists complaining about the “constant gaffes” of senior presenters and editors, including “loosely phrased tweets” that don’t pass through editors, and an unwillingness to admit mistakes. “It felt like BBC reputation has taken a bit of a hit and not just in the Twitter vacuum,” said one journalist. “Not that I think there is a bias of course. Just a series of errors have unfortunately fallen a similar way, which gives plenty of ammo.”
+ India’s internet shutdown in Kashmir is the longest ever in a democracy (Washington Post)
OFFBEAT
Look out, Outside magazine — here comes REI (Poynter)
In September, the sporting goods retailer REI replaced its quarterly catalog with a print magazine called Uncommon Path. The magazine joins similar editorial offerings from companies like Airbnb and HGTV that are looking to avoid the fierce competition for readers’ limited digital attention; however, it sets itself apart through its commitment to journalistic rigor. Its editorial principles are modeled after the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and the Online News Association Ethics Code. Alongside REI’s announcement that it would retire its catalog in favor of the magazine, it also pledged $100,000 to 10 nonprofit newsrooms nationwide through NewsMatch. “We’re looking at what we can do for journalism and the information economy,” said content and media director Paolo Mottola. “Yes, we’re creating our own editorial products, but there are also other ways we can support the infrastructure of journalism.”
UP FOR DEBATE
We can’t fight fake news without saving local journalism (The Guardian)
In the battle against fake news, local news is a vulnerability, writes Emily Bell. Peoples’ trust in local news (which is typically higher than in national outlets) is being exploited by political operatives and foreign interferers, who set up websites and publish partisan content designed to look like actual news. These efforts are “part of a deliberate and consistent strategy to keep populations in a perpetual state of doubt about what truth is,” writes Bell. At the same time, many local news outlets are in crisis, bleeding money and resources. To be more effective in the fight against disinformation, argues Bell, we need more government regulation of tech platforms, which play a key role in the spread of disinformation, as well as more funding “from advertising companies and advertisers themselves” that can be invested back into local news.
SHAREABLE
Here’s what ProPublica learned about managing a collaboration across hundreds of news organizations (Nieman Lab)
ProPublica’s Documenting Hate collaboration comes to a close next month after nearly three years. It brought together hundreds of newsrooms around the country to cover hate crimes and bias incidents; all of them working around a single, shared data source. The project yielded valuable lessons about managing large-scale collaborations, writes Rachel Glickhouse. Among them: Overshare information about the project with the journalists involved; prepare for their turnover; be flexible on scheduling and timelines; and take time to celebrate successes.
+ 10 “themes” for news in 2020 (New York Times); A reflection on the Newseum’s impact as it closes its doors (USA Today)
The post Need to Know: Dec. 16, 2019 appeared first on American Press Institute.
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