Thursday, August 3, 2023 |
| A study of New York Times headlines about wars in Yemen and Ukraine reveals a bias in recording civilian harm. By Esther Brito Ruiz and Jeff Bachman. |
The BBC launches its own Mastodon server What We’re ReadingThe New York Times / Tiffany Hsu
What can you do when A.I. lies about you? →“The limited protection is especially upsetting for the subjects of nonconsensual deepfake pornography, where A.I. is used to insert a person’s likeness into a sexual situation. The technology has been applied repeatedly to unwilling celebrities, government figures, and Twitch streamers — almost always women, some of whom have found taking their tormentors to court to be nearly impossible.”Adweek / Mark Stenberg
Publishers are already using AI internally to optimize revenue operations →“At Politico, an internal team has identified an AI application that would scan its CRM software, analyzing inputs such as historical data and business cycles to present salespeople with clients with a high propensity to buy, according to Bowers. Ultimately the sales staff would still make the client calls themselves, but the tool would reduce the prospecting timeline and helps them compile a more compelling pitch by drawing from volumes of historical precedent.”The Washington Post / Paul Farhi
She paid a fortune for her town’s paper. Years of turmoil followed. →“Despite pledging to preserve the paper’s independence and integrity, McCaw quickly turned its moderate editorial pages — which had won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962 for exposing the extremism of the John Birch Society — into a forum for her libertarian politics and private crusades. The paper inveighed against the Coastal Commission and elected officials who had crossed her….As the News-Press limped toward bankruptcy, and as the business model for newspapers collapsed in the internet age, McCaw seemed to have grown bitter about her adopted hometown. ‘Santa Barbara, once the gem of the Central Coast, is deteriorating into a city that is crime-ridden, graffiti-covered, with inebriated indigents and a disgusting downtown mess,’ she wrote Dec. 31, 2022, in what became her final piece for the paper.”CNN / Oliver Darcy
She reported a scientist was under FBI investigation. Now a judge is ordering her to reveal her source →Caitlin Vogus, deputy director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation: “Requiring journalists to reveal their confidential sources deters whistleblowers and others from coming forward, meaning the public has less access to information…The court’s decision in the Herridge case shows the limits of current protections for journalists and sources.”Press Gazette / Aisha Majid
News is second most popular type of social media video, according to Ofcom report →“The Media Nations UK report found that 63% of adults who watched short videos at least once a month watched news, second only to ‘how-to’ videos (64%), and ahead of videos from friends and family (54%), music videos (54%) and videos by influencers (48%).”Vanity Fair / Charlotte Klein
Will the public get to watch Donald Trump on trial? →“Former acting U.S. solicitor general Neal Katyal also stressed the importance of camera access. ‘This is the people’s court and they should be able to see what it is doing,’ he wrote in an email, adding that ‘this shouldn’t be a partisan issue — everyone benefits from increased transparency.'”Platformer / Casey Newton
How Google and Meta are building AI bots differently →“Google appears to be betting it all on its ubiquitous Assistant chatbot, whereas Meta is developing a range of personality-driven chatbots that are designed to serve different purposes.”The Financial Times / Jemima Kelly
Advertising has reached a new low in the age of podcasts →“It is quite disconcerting to suddenly realise that the person you’ve just been listening to speak with authority and credibility — on, say, the threat from China, or how to get over your ex — is now using that very same voice to try to convince you that being able to find a therapist on an app is a revolutionary development (I’m talking to you, BetterHelp). So revolutionary that you must immediately download the app and use their discount code. When did we collectively decide to accept this level of grift?”The New Yorker / Alex Ross
Apple again fails to save classical music →“The most established of the bespoke apps is Idagio, which was founded in Berlin, in 2015. Presto Music and Qobuz also serve up classical music in quantity. In March, Apple launched Apple Music Classical, which grew from a now defunct service called Primephonic.”Poynter / Amaris Castillo
How two local reporters have prepared for the possible Trump indictment in Georgia →“We know the defense attorneys who are well known locally, but who aren’t national names, who maybe have worked with the DA or can provide context about previous cases in Georgia that can speak to what’s going on in this particular case.”The Guardian / Adam Gabbatt
“Political germ warfare”: Right-wing media fervently defend Trump →“In America’s rightwing media ecosystem it was a largely united front. News outlets repeatedly pressed the idea that Trump’s free speech was being criminalized: that the former president had done nothing more than talk about the election being stolen.”Esquire / Michael Sebastian
How does Jake Tapper find time to write so many books? →“It probably would be better for my psyche if I were wired differently. But I don’t know how one fixes such a thing.”The Washington Post / Julian Mark
Agence France-Presse takes Elon Musk’s X to court over news content →“Agence France-Presse, the French news service, said Wednesday that it is taking legal action against Elon Musk’s X, alleging that the social media company, formerly known as Twitter, is refusing to negotiate payment terms for the agency’s news content.”The New York Times / Sam Roberts
Lois Libien, who found a readership with household tips, dies at 87 →“While most women’s magazines described products without evaluating their performance or cost, the How column and the handbook delved into the details of maintaining a household. Readers learned to concoct a homemade grease remover (hot water, liquid dishwashing detergent and ammonia); why ammonia and chlorine bleach should never be mixed (they release noxious fumes); not to seal butcher block counters with polyurethane (it can be absorbed by food during chopping); the best way to care for silver (use it every day); and how to make use of expensive china (leave the washing and drying to friends and relatives).”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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