Thursday, December 7, 2023 Today we share more
Predictions for Journalism 2024, our annual survey of some of the industry’s smartest people about where we’re headed.
| “The big difference now is that Trump’s anti-press tirades are also campaign promises. The words of Trump’s first term will translate to actions in a second term.” By Brian Stelter. |
| “We will not learn who the best person for the job of the presidency actually is, but we might come away from campaign coverage knowing who the best person is to play president on TV.” By Dannagal G. Young. |
| “Strong project management makes newsrooms more adaptable and more able to survive industry turmoil.” By Robin Kwong. |
| “Rather than despair, we need to find ways to highlight the people and processes behind our journalism.” By Rubina Madan Fillion. |
| “In today’s marketplace of news, you literally cannot give local newspapers away.” By Joshua P. Darr. |
| “In an industry shedding publishers and jobs and routinely challenged to do more with less, we’re foolish not to at least try on the generative AI suit.” By Rodney Gibbs. |
| “With a seemingly limitless number of platforms on which to meet and engage audiences — but still a finite number of hours in the day — teams will need to develop frameworks to understand where to start, stop, and pivot.” By Sarah Marshall. |
| “We have to focus on the journalistic ‘last mile’ — not only producing reliable, independent information, but making sure that people actually receive it and can act on it.” By Sisi Wei. |
| “Major outlets and mediums are often still guided by a ‘who’s up or down’ ouroboros that cycles through horse-race snapshots shaping punditry shaping opinions shaping the horse race.” By Stephen Fowler. |
| “What these devices have in common is that they use AI as a layer to synthesize incoming information and determine what and when information should reach users.” By Sam Guzik. |
| “We’ll set our sights on a public-powered future to ensure access to civic news and information for all.” By Simon Galperin. |
| “The pace of news demands not just reactive but proactive development — anticipating user needs and industry trends before they solidify.” By Upasna Gautam. |
What We’re ReadingReuters / Maya Gebeily, Anthony Deutsch, and David Clarke
Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah killed by Israeli tank, investigation finds →“The two strikes killed Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Christina Assi, 28, just over a kilometre from the Israeli border near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Chaab. Reuters spoke to more than 30 government and security officials, military experts, forensic investigators, lawyers, medics and witnesses to piece together a detailed account of the incident. The news agency reviewed hours of video footage from eight media outlets in the area at the time and hundreds of photos from before and after the attack, including high-resolution satellite images. As part of its investigation, Reuters also gathered and obtained evidence from the scene including shrapnel on the ground and embedded in a Reuters car, three flak jackets, a camera, tripod and a large piece of metal.”The New York Times / Katie Robertson
Washington Post journalists go on one-day strike →“About 700 Washington Post employees walked off the job for 24 hours on Thursday, protesting stalled union contract negotiations and expected layoffs.”The Verge / Mia Sato
TikTok’s biggest hits are videos you’ve probably never seen →“What I’m seeing on TikTok isn’t necessarily what you’re seeing — and according to this recap, the overlap is slim between my For You page and the net average of all TikTok users. How do we make wide-ranging conclusions about an app where a consensus doesn’t exist? And what counts as ‘viral’ on a platform where anyone can rack up half a million views and it would still be a drop in the bucket of attention and not at all representative of ‘what’s happening on TikTok’?”Defector / Kelsey McKinney
There’s so little to say about Taylor Swift being Person of the Year →“Swift just … doesn’t say much. She is clearly well-coached, and clearly thoughtful about the things she wants to talk about, but her power has reached a level now where she doesn’t have to say anything at all in exchange for whatever cultural cachet Time has left to give.”Columbia Journalism Review / Kevin Lind
Q&A: Angus M. Thuermer Jr. on covering climate in a polarized state →“I think you have to earn readers one at a time. There are some people who just can’t be convinced—they’re certain that elk will break their legs in the forest and antelope bask in the shade of drilling rigs. But there is a way, I believe, to tell the story that the people who are genuinely interested in seeing their communities advance will take on the challenges they’re facing. There are people who are definitely willing to read news stories and reports that are even-handed, explaining relevant topics. Perhaps even just a small bite at a time.”The Verge / Andrew Webster
Zach Gage’s Puzzmo gets acquired as the newspaper games space heats up →“Hearst — which publishes the likes of Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and the San Francisco Chronicle — has announced that it has acquired Puzzmo, a puzzle gaming platform led by indie developers Zach Gage and Orta Therox. The move puts Hearst directly up against the gaming efforts of The New York Times.”Poynter / Tom Jones
Taylor Swift shows Time magazine’s person of the year still matters →“There was a time when Time’s cover stories, on a weekly basis, were talked about everywhere from boardrooms to living rooms. Today, the magazine is printed just twice a month and Time, like pretty much every other magazine, has become a digital-first news outlet. There is still good journalism at Time, but does it have the overwhelming impact that it used to? That’s debatable. But, there’s no question that once a year, Time is still a really big deal. That’s when it names its person of the year, which is generally one of the most talked about media stories of the year.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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