Monday, March 20, 2023 |
| A massive study of Upworthy headlines — remember Upworthy? — shows how a few emotionally charged words can mean the difference between viral and ignored. By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re ReadingAxios / Peter Allen Clark
Meta is putting the metaverse on the back burner →“According to PitchBook data compiled by Axios Media Deals’ Tim Baysinger, through March 16, 2022, companies that played in the metaverse or web3 space had raised nearly $2 billion in funding. So far this year, metaverse and web3 companies have raised $586.7 million, a bit more than a quarter of last year’s total.”The Wall Street Journal / Jennifer Calfas and Joseph Pisani
TikTok creators contemplate life after a possible ban: “It all can be taken away” →“Some users are already planning for a future without the platform. Shay Regis, a 33-year-old lifestyle influencer and secondhand clothing reseller based in Houston, sat down with her husband over the past week to discuss their finances in various scenarios without TikTok.”The Wall Street Journal / Alexandra Bruell
Labor strife at The New York Times intensifies, dividing staff →“Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger last week sent a note to members of the union’s bargaining group for the first time, expressing his concern about the lengthy negotiations. Mr. Sulzberger claimed the committee is refusing to negotiate in person in small groups, a chance ‘to lock eyes, shake hands and hash out a deal,’ according to a copy of the email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.”The Drum / Christ Sutcliffe
“It’s very TikTok-led”: BuzzFeed’s Tasty is making its videos look less professional →“The original kitchen, with its sheer white backdrop and countless drawers and cupboards, looked “too professional” and less authentic to the experiences of viewers. For a brand that wants to be the de facto voice of multicultural cooking in the UK, that was anathema.”Harper / Kyle Paoletta
A new mode of environmental reporting is here … and it’s optimistic →“Where once the climate corps provided weary summations of daunting research, now they offer assurances that progress has been made and the future may be just fine. Given how quickly the tone has shifted, the average news consumer might assume that something fundamental has changed.”Twitter / Elon Musk
Elon Musk has made [email protected] auto-respond to all emails with a poop emoji →Really.The Guardian / Margaret Sullivan
With $1.6 billion at stake, Fox News is suddenly interested in freedom of the press →“…somehow, when it comes time to defend the network’s profit-driven willingness to circulate lies, Fox News is eager to claim solidarity with those supposedly despicable cowards. Now, you see, it’s all about journalists standing together, arm-in-arm, on the very underpinnings of American democracy.”Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
The U.K.’s right-wing network GB News wants an American audience online →“GB News moved from its gbnews.uk URL to gbnews.com at the start of March to help build its presence outside the U.K….’there’s a clear appetite for GB News across the English-speaking world.'”Associated Press / Jill Colvin
In all caps, Donald Trump returns to Facebook after reinstatement →“Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business.”NPR / Didrik Schanche
NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli is retiring after 41 years →“It’s been a wild ride – from endemic Italian political chaos (and food, art and movies) and three popes (and scandals) at the Vatican, to the fall of Communism in East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, and more than a decade covering disinformation, wars and war crimes in the Balkans.”Esquire / Jack Holmes
Jake Tapper knows there’s no such thing as purely objective news →“I mean, I see clips from other channels in which they’re describing American politicians in the most pejorative ways possible, not based on descriptions of what they’re doing, but just based on trying to create enemies. That is a business model, and no doubt it’s a successful one, but it’s not news.”The Washington Post / Katherine Ellison
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks about living with hearing loss →“The ability to listen is essential for a journalist — and also for a mother of teenagers. Yet in her early 40s, while juggling both roles, veteran NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly realized that she was going deaf.”Columbia Journalism Review / Anjan Sundaram
A reporter’s perilous trip to document war in the Central African Republic →“The obscurity of the war made it hard to justify a reporting trip, which would require leaving my family behind. I also found it difficult to persuade editors to commission a story. ‘Which central African republic?’ they asked.”Engadget / Kris Holt
Meta’s paid verification program is now live in the U.S. →“It costs $12 per month via the web and $15 per month if you become a Meta Verified member through iOS or Android to account for those platform’s cuts of in-app payments. You’ll also get some stars each month (which you can use to tip Facebook creators) and extra stickers for Stories and Reels.”Press Gazette / William Turvill
BBC advises staff against using TikTok on work devices unless for “editorial and marketing” →“If the device is a BBC corporate device, and you do not need Tiktok for business reasons, Tiktok should be deleted from the BBC corporate mobile device. If you have any queries regarding how to remove the app from your device, please contact your usual technical support or service desk.”The New York Times / Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin
CNN’s prime-time experiment is off to a slow start →“Last week, when the network aired the Biden and Zelensky interviews, as well as a town hall with Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, CNN delivered its fourth-lowest 9 p.m. weekly ratings in 24 years.”Editor & Publisher
McClatchy promotes Robyn Tomlin to chief news officer →“In this role, Tomlin will lead the division responsible for all news, opinion and multimedia content created across McClatchy’s network of 30 local news sites and affiliated brands.”The Plug / Sherrell Dorsey
The Plug, a site that covers Black innovators and founders, is shutting down →“We’re closing our doors, but never abandoning our convictions.”Axios / Sara Fischer
YouTube has restored Donald Trump’s channel →“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run-up to an election.”The Guardian / Danya Hajjaji
BBC chair Richard Sharp reportedly helped a friend get a paid job advising the network →“Sharp, 67, is under pressure to resign after it was revealed he had helped then-prime minister Boris Johnson secure a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000 in 2020…His reputation took another hit this month, after the BBC’s controversial move to suspend the Match of the Day host Gary Lineker after he criticized the government’s language when discussing asylum seekers.”Press Gazette / William Turvill
The Daily Mail has signed a deal with Google to join News Showcase →“All of the UK’s big national newspapers have now signed up to the aggregator.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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