Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism
OFF THE TOP
You might have heard: To build trust, most Americans say it’s important for journalists to offer more about a story’s sources or evidence, according to our 2018 Media Insight Project survey.
But did you know: Data journalism at The Washington Post and The New York Times often lacks transparency (Journalist’s Resource)
Data journalism produced by The New York Times and The Washington Post has lacked transparency, often failing to explain the methods journalists or others used to collect or analyze the data on which the articles were based, a new study finds. In addition, the news outlets usually did not provide the public with access to that data. In the study, media scholar Rodrigo Zamith, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, examines the data journalism published by the Times and the Post during the first half of 2017. While previous research has focused on data journalism projects submitted for awards contests, Zamith wanted to assess newsrooms’ day-to-day data work. He writes that the Times and Post articles fall short of the ideal of data journalism — to promote transparency and improve journalistic accountability.
+ Related: Journalists can change the way they build stories to create organic news fluency
+ Noted: More than 200 McClatchy employees take buyouts, out of the 450 offered (Miami New Times); Dean Baquet responds to Trump’s anti-New York Times tweet (YouTube, Arthur W. Page Center); The Washington Post announces the Jamal Khashoggi Fellowship, a new global opinions program established to honor the late Post columnist (The Washington Post)
TRY THIS AT HOME
How Tribune Publishing, The Guardian and Slate tackled reader revenue by valuing their journalism more (Nieman Lab)
Reader revenue — it’s much easier said than done. But these two case studies from Tribune Publishing, the Guardian, and Slate prove that it’s possible, writes Christine Schmidt. In a report from Digital Content Next and the Lenfest Institute, Matt Skibinski and Rande Price outline for-profit and nonprofit approaches to increasing readers’ contributions, a key focus of the industry in a world where tech giants eat up a large chunk of digital advertising. Tribune Publishing eased up on its advertising-driven pageview focus, tightened its meter over the past few years, and more. The Guardian and Slate both emphasized the mission of their journalism and appealed to readers’ desire to support its quality.
+ What to look for before writing a story about an academic study (Columbia Journalism Review); How News 12 is working with ProPublica’s Documenting Hate database to track local hate crimes (Nieman Lab)
OFFSHORE
Tsek.ph, which means “check” in English, launched Feb. 11 in anticipation of the May midterm elections in the Philippines. Eleven news organizations and three universities, including Rappler and fact-checking site Vera Files, are involved in the initiative, which will publish fact checks during the election campaign. The project will rate claims based on a scale similar to Snopes’: Accurate, False, Misleading, No Basis or Needs Context. “This is exactly the ideal situation when the guardians of fact, the newsgroups, actually all come together to make sure that truth is protected and that lies are debunked,” said Maria Ressa, CEO of the news site Rappler.com.
+ Investigative Journal, a UK-based non-profit website, launches with reports on wiretaps exposing Turkish terrorist support and silencing of Pakistani journalists (Press Gazette)
OFFBEAT
Hollywood and Silicon Valley aim to earn more from podcasts through on-screen adaptations and acquisitions (Bloomberg)
Anyone who lived through the early days of the online video boom, when investment and hype outpaced profit, may experience some déjà vu with podcasting — the same sense of exhilaration, the same thin financial rewards, writes Gerry Smith. Hollywood and Silicon Valley aim to make more money from podcasts through on-screen adaptations and acquisitions. For example, Spotify Technology SA, owner of the world’s most popular paid music streaming service, recently made the largest deal yet in the podcasting space. In a filing it said it had paid $340 million for podcast company Gimlet Media Inc. and Anchor FM Inc., an app and web tool that helps podcasters record and distribute their work. (It was widely reported that it spent $230 million on Gimlet and $110 million on Anchor.) By investing in the medium, Spotify becomes less reliant on music, which requires paying royalties to labels. The company plans to spend as much as $500 million on podcast deals this year, a big bet that profits will eventually match enthusiasm.
+ Focusing on subscribers, Netflix has different incentives than polarizing ad-based platforms, highlighting what its viewers in 190 countries may have in common (New York Times)
UP FOR DEBATE
Things we don’t talk about (but should): An open letter to media funders (Medium, Molly de Aguiar and Jessica Clark)
Ahead of the Knight Media Forum in Miami, Molly de Aguiar and Jessica Clark say there’s an important conversation missing from the conference schedule: a discussion of the power imbalance inherent in funder-grantee relationships, and what we can do about it. According to de Aguiar and Clark, funders wield immense power over the field of nonprofit news, from what they choose to value and support, to how the boundaries of “journalism” are defined, to how they design their systems and processes. They intend to provoke discussion, and acknowledge that funders hold disproportionate power in ways they are often unaware of, or unwilling to admit. “Just as many funders exhort journalists to be more transparent and responsive in order to increase trust and fortify democracy, they must be willing to examine their own practices and beliefs, so that they are not complicit in perpetuating the very same structural imbalances that fuel inequality.”
+ Why tech platforms need to be built on journalistic values (Nieman Reports)
SHAREABLE
Scott Van Pelt closed an episode of “SportsCenter” last month with a two-minute monologue about the 31st anniversary of his father’s death. The segment went viral. It embodied the essential traits of Van Pelt’s version of ESPN’s flagship show — sensitivity, nuance and the courage to be vulnerable — that help him connect with viewers. “It’s a great reminder of the power of the microphone we hold in our hands,” Van Pelt said. But that power is changing — disappearing, even — as television viewing habits change and sports media develop new ways to bring fans what they want when they want it. (Now!) That means what was once a premier placement in TV sports — the anchor desk — is not the high perch it used to be. It is not clear anymore what it is at all.
+ The endgame of Craigslist founder’s $85 million in donations to journalism (Quartz)
The post Need to Know: Feb. 25, 2019 appeared first on American Press Institute.
from American Press Institute https://ift.tt/2GL9X21
0 التعليقات:
Post a Comment