Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest

Buying Grid gives The Messenger a boost in social, not just in staffing its newsroom

With the brand comes more than 80,000 followers on social media — roughly 80,000 more than The Messenger had before. By Joshua Benton.

Are BuzzFeed’s AI-generated travel articles bad in a scary new way — or a familiar old way?

I was Buzzy once. By Laura Hazard Owen.
What We’re Reading
BuzzFeed News / Katie Notopoulos and Pranav Dixit
Journalists are losing their blue checks on Twitter. Will newsrooms pay? →
“BuzzFeed News reached out to over two dozen major news outlets. Several, including the Washington Post and CNN, told us they were still working on a decision and couldn’t answer yet what their plans were.” The New York Times and LA Times both said they won’t pay.
Wall Street Journal / Sam Schechner and Jeff Horwitz
Meta will let users opt out of some targeted ads, but only in Europe →
“Users who wish to opt out will have to submit an online form objecting to Meta’s use of their in-app activity for ads, and the company will then evaluate any user’s objection before implementing the change, the people said.”
Variety / Brian Steinberg
ABC News executive team cut following Disney layoffs →
“In all, Disney is expected to cut 50 positions from the news unit, according to a person familiar with the matter, which produces ‘Good Morning America,’ ‘World News Tonight,’ and ’20/20.'”
Nieman Reports / Issac J. Bailey
Journalists once defended Fox as a news outlet. But that was then →
“There’s another reason many journalists might reflexively say Fox must still be considered a news outlet, because they know none of us is perfect and many contributed to reporting that also led to great harm.”
Washington Post / Paul Farhi and Sarah Ellison
Rupert Murdoch settles a lot of lawsuits. Why not Dominion v. Fox News? →
“It’s unusual for any defamation suit to go to trial…A storm of competing dynamics, however, appears to have brought this blockbuster case to the brink of a courtroom showdown.”
Intelligencer / Eric Levitz
Millennials aren’t killing “objective” news — the market is →
“Back when newspapers enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the market for classified advertisements, the tension between journalism’s civic purpose and its fiduciary obligation could be managed. In a hypercompetitive ad market, it cannot.”
Reuters
U.K. broadcasters must stay prominent on smart TVs and speakers, government says →
“These new laws will level the playing field with global streaming giants, ensuring they meet the same high standards we expect from public service broadcasters and that services like iPlayer and ITVX are easy to find however you watch TV.”
New York Times / Katie Robertson
The News Media Alliance is calling for AI guidelines that protect publishers →
“According to a draft, the principles say the use of publisher content for the development of A.I. should require ‘a negotiated agreement and explicit permission.’ The guidelines also call on tech companies to ‘provide sufficient value’ for high-quality, trustworthy journalism content and brands, and state that any new laws or regulations that make exceptions to copyright law for A.I. must not weaken protections for publishers.”
New York Times / Daniel Victor and Michael M. Grynbaum
Russia has detained a Wall Street Journal reporter, accusing him of espionage →
“The journalist, Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent based in Moscow, is believed to be the first American reporter to be held as an accused spy in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.”
The Texas Tribune / Sewell Chan
Texas Observer will continue publishing after staff crowdfunds nearly $300,000 →
“The vote to rescind layoffs was unanimous, and the board is eager to move the publication to its next phase.”