But did you know: The New Republic’s longtime literary editor Leon Wieseltier disputed rumors that he’s buying the magazine, but Wieseltier is starting a new publication with Laurene Powell Jobs. The new publication is unnamed right now, but will “discuss the effects of technology on our lives and think critically about it.” But, Wieseltier is clear that this new publication will not be a reboot of The New Republic: “I can’t imagine a more distressed asset. [Chris Hughes] vandalized it. He sacked it.”
While Snapchat itself has evolved from a communication tool to a storytelling medium to a distribution platform, NPR’s Vesta Partovi writes about how NPR’s Snapchat strategy has evolved. To produce a Snapchat story today, Partovi says NPR’s social media team is using four key concepts: storyboarding, captioning, collaborating, and engaging. A story is pitched to the social team, reporters and producers collaborate on how to make the story work for Snapchat, a storyboard is created, and the Snapchat story is filmed, with audience engagement and feedback following publication.
Just a few weeks after Twitter’s plans to increase its character limit were reported, Chinese social network Weibo says it will also increase its character limit. Weibo is a microblogging platform similar to Twitter. Weibo will begin testing the increased character limit on Jan. 28. Users will still only see the first 140 characters in their timeline, but will be shown a “read more” option to reveal the rest of the post.
“In modern business, collaboration is next to godliness,” but research is starting to show that there’s a downside to open office spaces. University of California, Irvine’s Gloria Mark has found that even short interruptions increase the time needed to complete a task by a significant amount, while other studies have shown that multitasking reduces the overall quality of work. The Economist writes: “Helping people to collaborate is a wonderful thing. Giving them the time to think is even better.”
Mic CEO Chris Altchek said last week that to get the Millennial generation to care about news, they need a different kind of news than what appeals to older generations. But, BuzzFeed’s executive director of news Shani Hilton explains why Millennials really aren’t that different: “Millennials are interested in the same things that other people are. ‘Tell me something I don’t know. Tell me something I care about.’”
When Quartz launched in 2012, it intentionally did not have an app because it created a barrier for readers to discover Quartz, publisher Jay Lauf says. Now, Quartz has plans to launch its first app in the first quarter of 2016. That’s because audiences are changing and the app landscape is changing, Lauf says: “Over the past four years, the places where people spend time reading have changed greatly. We’re trying to position ourselves to be wherever those users are.”
But did you know:Leon Wieseltier says he won’t be buying The New Republic, but he is starting a new publication with Steve Jobs’ widow (New York Magazine)
The New Republic’s longtime literary editor Leon Wieseltier disputed rumors that he’s buying the magazine, but Wieseltier is starting a new publication with Laurene Powell Jobs. The new publication is unnamed right now, but will “discuss the effects of technology on our lives and think critically about it.” But, Wieseltier is clear that this new publication will not be a reboot of The New Republic: “I can’t imagine a more distressed asset. [Chris Hughes] vandalized it. He sacked it.”
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The week in fact-checking As part of our fact-checking journalism project, Jane Elizabeth highlights stories worth noting related to truth in politics and on the Internet. This week’s round-up includes why Iowa’s ethanol debate isn’t as complicated as it seems, what gets journalists interested in accountability journalism, and fact-checking survival tactics in the new movie “The Revenant.”
How NPR has formalized its strategy for making Snapchat stories (NPR Social Media Desk)
While Snapchat itself has evolved from a communication tool to a storytelling medium to a distribution platform, NPR’s Vesta Partovi writes about how NPR’s Snapchat strategy has evolved. To produce a Snapchat story today, Partovi says NPR’s social media team is using four key concepts: storyboarding, captioning, collaborating, and engaging. A story is pitched to the social team, reporters and producers collaborate on how to make the story work for Snapchat, a storyboard is created, and the Snapchat story is filmed, with audience engagement and feedback following publication.
Why some say the culture of collaboration in the workplace has gone too far (Economist)
“In modern business, collaboration is next to godliness,” but research is starting to show that there’s a downside to open office spaces. University of California, Irvine’s Gloria Mark has found that even short interruptions increase the time needed to complete a task by a significant amount, while other studies have shown that multitasking reduces the overall quality of work. The Economist writes: “Helping people to collaborate is a wonderful thing. Giving them the time to think is even better.”
Because it’s seeing its audience change, Quartz will launch an app in early 2016 (Nieman Lab)
When Quartz launched in 2012, it intentionally did not have an app because it created a barrier for readers to discover Quartz, publisher Jay Lauf says. Now, Quartz has plans to launch its first app in the first quarter of 2016. That’s because audiences are changing and the app landscape is changing, Lauf says: “Over the past four years, the places where people spend time reading have changed greatly. We’re trying to position ourselves to be wherever those users are.”
The American Press Institute presents a roundup from the world of fact-checking, debunking and truth-telling — just in case you haven’t been paying as much attention as we do.
Quote of the week
“Oscar voters are 94% white, 76% men, with an average age of 63. The last time I was around a bunch of 63-year-old white men was never.” — Eugene Lee Yang, BuzzFeed video producer, on last year’s Oscar nominations. Might as well read Wired’s fact check again.
Research
We know that fact-checking and accountability journalism has increased by more than 300 percent in recent years. But what gets journalists interested in doing this type of reporting? To promote an informed democracy? Not exactly. Read what three university professors found during their research for the American Press Institute.
Fact check of the week
The governor of New Mexico opposes a law that allows people without proof of their immigration status to get a driver’s license in the state. For one thing, she said, the practice enables human traffickers. In a “Wait, what?” moment, the Santa Fe New Mexican fact-checks her statement. Read it.
Fact-checking fail
The Portland Press Herald’s editorial board apologized this week for a lack of fact-checking before they published a local commentary piece. It turned out to be Koch Industries’ propaganda in disguise. Read it, weep, don’t get fooled again.
Fact-checking tip
When your job is to write about retirement policy, it’s probably understandable that you do things like collect “favorite misleading statistics.” For Andrew Biggs, it’s the one about the number of Americans who haven’t saved anything for retirement. Heard that one recently? Stop and read his brief, clarifying fact-check before you repeat it.
The fact-checking gold mine
Everyone’s talking about Iowa and its endless ethanol debate, and hardly anyone —the media or the candidates — is getting the facts right. Possibly because it is“wonky,” says the Washington Post Fact Checker, “but really not as complicated as it may seem.” Read it.
Fast fact-checking
Fact-checkers from PolitiFact are racing around Iowa this week, and you probably know why. Read it.
Fact-checking: Not just for politics Just because you bought your shoes at Florsheim’s doesn’t mean they were made by cobblers out back in Florsheim’s garage. PolitiFact explains the basic concepts of modern production, in reference to a presidential candidate’s claim about his “American” boots. Read it.
Fact-checking Hollywood
In the new film “The Revenant,” should Leonardo DiCaprio have slept inside the bloody carcass of (a) a horse, (b) a buffalo or (c) seriously, just froze to death if those were his only two choices. A survivalist fact-checks the life-and-death tactics in the film. Read it.
But did you know:Journalism crowdfunding projects on Kickstarter are successful only 22 percent of the time, Pew finds (Pew Research Center)
According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, 658 journalism crowdfunding projects on Kickstarter have raised nearly $6.3 million from April 2009 to September 2015. But journalism projects still trail Kickstarter’s other categories in both the number of projects and money raised, and only 22 percent of journalism projects on Kickstarter are successfully funded. At the same time, the number of journalism projects on Kickstarter is increasing dramatically: In Kickstarter’s first year, 17 journalism projects were funded on the platform; in the first 9 months of 2015, 173 journalism projects were funded.
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Why a podcast in Wyoming doesn’t prep its host before interviewing guests (Poynter)
A new podcast from Wyoming Public Media called HumanNature purposefully doesn’t prepare its host Caroline Ballard for interviewing its guests. As a result, Ballard says this approach helps the guest tell their story better, but also helps her ask questions listeners might be thinking: “I’m not thinking ahead to my next question because I haven’t written it down, and I am totally locked in on what our storyteller is saying. That ultimately leads me to asking the question the listener would naturally ask.”
Business Insider is partnering with Veckans Affärer to launch a Nordic edition (Smashdig)
Business Insider Nordic will launch in Nordic countries, and business magazine Veckans Affärer will run its newsroom, Smashdig reports. Web traffic from all Nordic countries to Business Insider will be redirected to Business Insider Nordic. Veckans Affärer, which is owned by Bonnier Business Media, will adapt Business Insider’s content to fit the Nordic audience, as well as produce original content for the Nordic edition. Business Insider’s CEO and COO Julie Hansen says: “Business Insider’s audience in the Nordic countries is already significant and we are convinced that Bonnier and Veckans Affärer will make it grow exponentially by creating a good, local experience.”
A new ad format from Google aims to drive real-time engagement around events (Ad Exchanger)
Google’s new ad format called Real-Time Ads is trying to capitalize on live events, such as sporting events and awards shows, by delivering timely and relevant ads to users. Real-Time Ads can be “dynamically inserted” on YouTube, apps and through the Google Display Network, Google says. For an example of how Real-Time Ads works, EA Games is timing ads for Madden NFL around live sports events, showing GIFs with messages such as “It’s halftime, go think of a way to stop me!”
LinkedIn is once again sending traffic back to publishers, largely thanks to changes made to Pulse (Digiday)
After the traffic LinkedIn sent to publishers dropped dramatically, LinkedIn is now referring big traffic to publishers: Between July and December, Forbes says its referral traffic from LinkedIn increased by 127 percent, with other publishers reporting similar numbers. Ricardo Bilton reports that the increased traffic is largely a result of changes made by LinkedIn to its news aggregation app Pulse. With a new feature called “universal links” that loads articles within the app and a new publisher recommendations feature, it’s now easier for readers to find publishers’ content on Pulse.
But did you know: Univision’s investment in The Onion comes at a strategic time for the company, Sahil Patel writes. With its acquisition of The Root and the launch of Fusion, Univision is trying to diversify its business beyond just the Spanish-language TV content it’s known for. The Onion will continue to operate independently from Univision, but Univision will help The Onion increase its distribution and ad sales. For a preview of how this relationship might work, Fusion and The Root have signed a deal to create original content for Univision’s cable network.
The American Press Institute presents a roundup from the world of fact-checking, debunking and truth-telling — just in case you haven’t been paying as much attention as we do.
Just because you bought your shoes at Florsheim’s doesn’t mean they were made by cobblers out back in Florsheim’s garage. PolitiFact explains the basic concepts of modern production, in reference to a presidential candidate’s claim about his “American” boots. 