Thursday, September 28, 2023 |
| “If we don’t change our thinking, the next incoming president will be the last president.” By Sarah Scire. |
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| “The tools that journalists are given [should be] accessible — and designed with people like me in an advisory role.” By Hanaa' Tameez. |
“It got too expensive to have all the subscriptions”: How people think about paying for news now What We’re ReadingThe Wall Street Journal / Alexandra Bruell and Ann-Marie Alcántara
Gannett has received 1,000 applicants for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé reporting positions in two weeks →“[One applicant] submitted a ‘Legally Blonde’ spoof—which she said took about six hours to produce—to Gannett as part of her application, alongside a less-colorful video in which she lists her career accomplishments, including freelance photography and video gigs for large sports networks.”Intelligencer / Shawn McCreesh
Masthead gladiators at The New York Times →“It’s easy to forget now that the Times is so massive, but up until recently it was a newspaper that catered to under 2 million subscribers, who cherished it for its singularity: the stacked headlines, the lofty writing, the serious-minded Manhattan snobbishness it exuded. Many reporters who work there now are dismayed that New York Times seems to be vanishing as it morphs into a far more mass-market enterprise, with many more readers than before, half-following the live updates on their phones and chewing over the vastly expanded ‘Opinion’ pages while Wordling daily. It’s all about the bundle [as
Nieman Lab has reported].”The New York Times / Yiwen Lu
To bring socializing back to social networks, apps try A.I. imagery →“Social networking apps are beginning to integrate A.I. into their image capabilities to make their platforms more social. After Facebook, Instagram and other apps have become more corporate over the years, A.I. imagery presents a way for them to bring back the whimsy and fun so users can rediscover what was once the point of the platforms: to share and interact with one another.”Columbia Journalism Review / Seth Stern
In defense of aggressive small-town newspapers →“The prevalence of ‘news deserts’ has apparently led some to think it’s normal for neighborhood news outlets to function as lapdogs rather than watchdogs. A Marion grocery store owner told the Times that the local paper ‘should of course be positive about everything that is going on in Marion, and not stir things up and look at the negative side of things.’” MuckRock / Albert Serna Jr.
After a decade, FOIAonline is shutting down. What’s next for FOIA requestors? →“On Sept. 30, FOIAonline will stop accepting new FOIA registrations and requests and begin the process of shutting down….A new tool, referred to as a ‘FOIA Wizard,’ is being developed by the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy and could go live as early as this fall, the office’s director, Bobak ‘Bobby’ Talebian, said in an interview with MuckRock. That tool, a mixture of machine learning and logic-based processing, could help users search for keywords related to their request and find what’s been previously requested.”The Guardian / Lisa O'Carroll and Dan Milmo
Musk ditches X’s election integrity team ahead of key votes around world →“Ahead of 70 elections around the globe in the coming year, the controversial businessman confirmed on X: ‘Oh you mean the ‘Election Integrity’ Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they’re gone.’”Adweek / Mark Stenberg
Bloomberg Media restructures to boost events business →“The reorganization by industry, which publishers like Hearst Magazines have also embraced, also reflects a growing emphasis on live events, a key source of revenue growth for the publisher, according to Sharon Mussalli, founder of media rep firm Xtracrisp. Publishers increasingly find themselves in need of unique ways to weave brand sponsors into their editorial, and events can provide that integration in a way social platforms are unable to replicate.”The Rebooting / Brian Morrissey
Back to the future: Bustle’s Bryan Goldberg leaves the scale era behind →“‘You can’t fight the platforms,’ Bryan said, quite a different tune from back in 2015 when Bustle and its peers were riding the Facebook distribution wave. Now, big numbers don’t matter: ‘We’re no longer focused on reaching 100 million or 50 million people,’ he said. ‘We’d rather reach the right 30 million.'”Second Rough Draft / Richard J. Tofel
You should know who’s funding your local paper →“I saw, and see, no reason not to take general support money from OSF, and would have felt the same way about the Wyss Foundation (or, for that matter, Charles Koch). It would be naïve or worse, however, not to understand that gifts from controversial people may come with controversy. If you disclose them, you send an important signal that you understand that and accept it, and also, at least in my view, bolster reasonable people’s confidence that you remain independent of these donors— along with all the others.”The Guardian / Jim Waterson
BBC updates “Lineker clause” to restrict presenters airing political views →“The small number of [freelance presenters who work on the BBC’s ‘flagship programmes’] will have their ability to share political views severely restricted while their BBC programme is on air. They will also have to stay quiet on party politics for a two-week period before and after the series has been broadcast.”The Verge / Jacob Kastrenakes
What went down at the Code Conference 2023? →“Linda Yaccarino is not confirming if the company plans to go to an all-subscription model. She’s completely dodged Julia Boorstin’s question about if everyone will be charged to use X.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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