Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism
You might have heard: Gannett cut newsroom jobs across the country on Wednesday, eliminating jobs at as many as 37 of its newspapers (Jim Romenesko, Facebook), but Gannett is not releasing numbers nor is it releasing a statement on the job cuts (Talking New Media)
But did you know: ‘What if the ownership of your local newspaper is the biggest threat to the continued existence of watchdog journalism in your community?’ (Matt DeRienzo, Medium)
There’s been rounds of layoffs at newspaper companies including Gannett and Digital First Media this year, affecting local news landscapes but not being tracked as closely by media watchdogs, LION executive director Matt DeRienzo writes. “We’re seeing a resurgence of interest in and respect for quality journalism in this country following the election of President Trump, unprecedented attacks on objective truth, and increased civic engagement,” DeRienzo writes, which organizations like NYT and Washington Post have translated into increases in subscriptions. But organizations like Gannett are moving in another direction: “Does a company like Gannett cut newsrooms despite ‘reader support,’ or are readers not supporting them the way they do independent news organizations because of their cuts? That’s why ‘support your newspaper because local journalism is important’ isn’t as simple a proposition as it sounds. Because what if the ownership of your local newspaper is the biggest threat to the continued existence of watchdog journalism in your community?”
+ Noted: McClatchy reports an adjusted net loss of $14.5 million in the first quarter of 2017, compared to a loss of $7.9 million in the first quarter of 2016 (Sacramento Bee); Tronc’s first quarter revenue fell 8.1 percent and reports a $3 million net loss from a large private share buyback (Wall Street Journal); Axel Springer will stop using Google’s ad server and will switch to one built by AppNexus (The Drum); theSkimm says its weekly book recommendations drive books up an average of 3,000 spots on Amazon’s Best Sellers list (Business Insider); St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Stacy Washington quits after she was suspended following a column that opposed gun control but failed to disclose her connection to the NRA (Riverfront Times)
API UPDATE
The week in fact-checking
As part of our fact-checking journalism project, Jane Elizabeth and Poynter’s Alexios Mantzarlis highlight stories worth noting related to truth in politics and on the Internet. This week’s round-up includes how platforms can fact-check and correct misinformation in real time, the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency from a fact-checker’s perspective, and steps for reducing “fake news.”
‘A how-to guide for collaborative journalism projects’ (Google News Lab, Medium)
Google News Lab was a partner on Electionland, a reporting initiative involving 1,000 journalists across the U.S. using data and technology to provide a look into what was happening at polling stations nationwide on Election Day. Now, the coalition behind Electionland is releasing a 66-page case study of the project, detailing how it was conceived, planned and executed — and what others looking to launch a collaborative reporting project can learn from Electionland. You can download the full report here via ProPublica.
+ Tips for making national/local collaborations work: Good partnerships are based on shared values and skills, and both parties get content and tools they wouldn’t otherwise have (Nieman Lab)
The style of far-right misinformation and memes we saw in the US election isn’t taking hold in France, analysis finds (New York Times)
According to a review of social media activity completed for NYT, the kinds of misinformation and memes spread by the far right that swayed the U.S. election aren’t being shared as widely around the French election. The analysis found that one-third of posts linked to far-right political hashtags originated in the U.S., and few went viral in France. “There’s a big cultural gap that these groups have to jump over to expand their message. The language and iconography of the alt-right is pretty specific. Most of it just isn’t going to translate well,” says Atlantic Council senior fellow Ben Nimmo, who studied the far right’s recent efforts in France.
+ Paris’ prosecutor’s office says it’s opened up a preliminary investigation into whether “fake news” is being used to influence the French elections (NY Daily News)
Facebook’s Oculus Story Studio is shutting down, and Facebook will shift its focus to VR projects created by outside partners (Variety)
The Facebook-owned Oculus Story Studio is shutting down, and Facebook says it will up its investment in non-gaming, experiential virtual reality content created by outside partners. Oculus launched Story Studio in early 2015, after Facebook purchased Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion. Janko Roettgers reports that Facebook initially gave Oculus a lot of autonomy, but has recently started to exercise greater control over the company. Last year, Facebook pledged to invest $250 million in VR content produced by outside partners. “We’re going to carve out $50 million from that financial commitment to exclusively fund non-gaming, experiential VR content. This money will go directly to artists to help jumpstart the most innovative and groundbreaking VR ideas,” Oculus VP of Content Jason Rubin says.
‘We are collateral damage in the war between these platforms’ (CJR)
“I feel as if we are collateral damage in the war between these platforms. They’ll give some publishers a chance to play, but not others. They’ll give favorable rates and treatments to some and not to others. They are already picking winners,” David Skok tells CJR. Some publishers are able to leverage exclusive content (such as Snapchat Discover or Facebook Live) to their advantage. But for smaller publishers, Nushin Rashidian writes “the future looks grim. The platforms’ focus on exclusive and premium content is unlikely to change anytime soon. … As long as platforms are chasing users, it is inevitable that some publishers, as Skok put it, will be ‘collateral damage.’”
Former Philadelphia Inquirer editor Gene Roberts is the subject of a new documentary called ‘The Newspaperman’ (Nieman Storyboard)
Filmmaker David Layton is creating a new documentary called “The Newspaperman” about longtime Philadelphia Inquirer editor Gene Roberts. Layton says that his father worked with Roberts at the Inquirer, and says it is “still the most congenial workplace I have ever seen.” Julie Schwietert Collazo talks to Roberts, who is now retired and living in North Carolina, about the documentary, the culture he created at the Inquirer, and what advice he would give to editors and reporters. “As long as there was one little hole in a newspaper that you could fill up with a good story, a story that needed to be told, that life was worth living as a newspaperperson,” Roberts says. “Even though editors today are grappling with tough economic times, the best of them are managing to do some really good journalism — but not enough of it.”
FOR THE WEEKEND
+ The Atlantic is publishing a series of essays that “put a spotlight in particular on correcting institutional failures that have contributed most to inequality of access — to education, information, and voting — as well as to ideological divisiveness and the spread of misinformation”: Topics covered so far include what happens when Internet memes play a part in how people interact off of the Internet and what role technology companies play in combatting misinformation, and you can find all of the essays here (The Atlantic)
+ “One overwhelming message … is that you can’t be frightened of change. A traditional company is the most difficult to pivot and you have to be open to new ideas and not be worried about failure. I think when things are challenging and different, it’s actually also a very exciting time, because it does give you a freedom to try different things. I found the discussions that we’ve had over the past two or three years so helpful and so interesting, because I do find … that you get a little insular and caught up in your own world and doing things a little bit too much the same way. So when you open up the conversation to people who see things completely differently, it’s very inspiring,” Anna Wintour says in an interview with Business of Fashion (Business of Fashion)
+ In the conversation about readers shifting their focus to quality news, we have to define “quality,” Jeff Jarvis says: “One set of signals is obvious: sites whose content is consistently debunked as fraudulent. … But even more important, we need to generate positive signals of credibility and quality.” (Jeff Jarvis, Medium)
+ Some are adopting “digital minimalism” as a way to untether themselves from their devices (Fast Company): “It is motivated by the belief that intentionally and aggressively clearing away low-value digital noise, and optimizing your use of the tools that really matter, can significantly improve your life,” Cal Newport explains (Cal Newport)
The post Need to Know: May 5, 2017 appeared first on American Press Institute.
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