Thursday, December 9, 2021 | “By working alongside local journalists as equal partners — not as assistants or fixers — newsrooms can finally put to rest the practice of ‘parachute journalism’ and build longterm, mutually beneficial relationships.” By Wilson Liévano. |
| “The days of poking fun at Instagram influencers are over — because they, at least, have a game plan.” By Candace Amos. |
| “Most of your journalism graduates probably aren’t going to work as reporters and editors.” By Cindy Royal. |
| “This is a problem because people from such similar socioeconomic backgrounds often share the same cultural outlook and the same blind spots.” By Matthew Pressman. |
| “If it is, I hope we use the space freed up in our heads to learn some lessons from the craziness we have been through.” By Richard Tofel. |
| “Covering CPAC has always been ethically dubious; covering it now is journalistic malpractice.” By A.J. Bauer. |
What We’re ReadingCourthouse News Service / Rose Wagner
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing to pass a bill for free access to PACER →The House passed a version of the proposed legislation to make the online records service free to users back in 2019, but it has often fallen low on the list of legislative priorities, failing to become formalized law. The committee’s recommendation on Thursday now paves the way for a Senate and House vote on the updated bill.LION Publishers / Ben DeJarnette
What does it mean to be a “sustainable” news business? →“Several [publishers] didn’t have a profit and loss statement for their news business. That was our first clue that folks were experiencing some operational pain points that might be holding them back.”Columbia Journalism Review / Mathew Ingram
“A determining role”: Myanmar refugees are suing Facebook →The lawsuit argues that Facebook’s algorithms “amplified hate speech against the Rohingya people” and that Facebook failed to “take appropriate and timely action” to remove posts or ban accounts that incited violence.Off the Record / Andrew Fedorov
Inside the Ghislaine Maxwell media scrum →“There’s absolutely an advantage to being in the actual courtroom,” said Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter at the Miami Herald. “When I was in the courtroom, for example, on Friday, the prosecution lost a couple of rounds, so to speak, and they were arguing about certain pieces of evidence that can get in or can’t get in. I could see Maxwell very clearly, and you could tell she was elated. She was happy. She was smiling, you know? You can’t really gauge that from a screen in another courtroom.”Lenfest Institute for Journalism / Hayley Slusser
How Santa Cruz Local uses surveys to shape coverage →“Readers will pay for coverage they have a connection with: Santa Cruz Local has focused on remaining a free resource for its readers, all while maintaining enough paid members to account for around 80% of its funding.”The Guardian / Helen Davidson
A “great leap backwards”? Journalists in China are facing a “nightmare” worthy of the Mao era, press freedom group says →Reporters Without Borders (RSF) listed a growing number of obstacles to journalism in the country, including online censorship and surveillance, paid amateur propagandists known as the “50 cent army,” increasing use of detention without trial, Hong Kong’s national security law, forced televised confessions, daily instructions from the Communist party to newsrooms and other platforms, use of allegations ranging from “picking quarrels” to espionage to silence journalists, and the weaponizing of exit bans.International Press Institute / Jacqui Park
In South Africa, Scrolla is growing its readership with an affordable data-lite site →“The big thing we discovered was that one of the major impediments to growth is data costs … For most people in rich countries, most of us have contracts and data, but if you’re using pay-as-you-go, you have to be incredibly careful about how you use your data. So you’re very reluctant to surf and to play around because it just eats up your data.” Next, Scrolla expects to roll out in Nigeria and Ghana.People vs Algorithms / Troy Young
Every media company seeks to become a habit for users. It’s never been harder. →“Few media companies, traditional or otherwise, have had luck finding habit, outside of a couple of dominant news and sports outlets like NYT and ESPN. That’s why mobile media apps have not worked for most — consumers have limited time and interest in a daily direct relationship. Everyone else competes for attention from the attention brokers in search and social.”Committee to Protect Journalists / Arlene Getz
The number of journalists behind bars continues to climb globally →“China remains the world’s worst jailer of journalists for the third year in a row, with 50 behind bars. Myanmar soared to the second slot after the media crackdown that followed its February 1 military coup. Egypt, Vietnam, and Belarus, respectively, rounded out the top five.”The Hollywood Reporter / Mia Galuppo
Netflix wants to own online news about its streaming content →The new site Tudum will feature SEO-driven content like “Where can I find the Squid Game tracksuit?” and “Where else have I seen the cast of The Witcher?” Netflix already runs several editorial and social channels, including Strong Black Lead and Geeked. Washington Post / Sarah Ellison and Elahe Izadi
Lee Enterprises has unanimously rejected Alden’s attempt to buy its local newspapers →The board said
the proposal lowballs Lee’s true value “and is not in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.” Lee owns at least 90 newspapers in 26 states, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Buffalo News.New York Times / Taylor Lorenz
“Birds Aren’t Real”: Inside the Gen Z “parody social movement” masquerading as a conspiracy theory →“In a post-truth world dominated by online conspiracy theories, young people have coalesced around the effort to thumb their nose at, fight and poke fun at misinformation. It’s Gen Z’s attempt to upend the rabbit hole with absurdism.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego / Encyclo
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