Monday, September 18, 2023 |
| Long before the Panama Papers and other high-profile international projects, a global network of investigative journalists collaborated over snail mail. By Mark Schapiro. |
What We’re ReadingThe Rebooting / Brian Morrissey
R.I.P. traffic →“‘It was all built on clickbait,’ Jason [Wagenheim] said. ‘It was all built on writing 37 articles about the solar eclipse. The game of gaming Google is long gone.'”The New York Times / Sarah Bahr
Lessons learned by a digital editor writing print headlines →“Reader, I was quickly humbled.”The Guardian / Margaret Sullivan
With democracy on the ballot, the mainstream press must change its ways →“Christiane Amanpour has reported all over the world, so she recognizes a democracy on the brink when she sees one…’We have to be truthful, not neutral,’ she urged. ‘I would make sure that you don’t just give a platform…to those who want to crash down the constitution and democracy.'”Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
SCOTUS should make live audio streaming of oral arguments permanent →“Though the Supreme Court only sets aside 50 seats for members of the public to attend oral arguments, 100,000 people tuned in to listen to the first two weeks of Supreme Court arguments in May 2020 when the live broadcasts began. Oral arguments from the 2021-2022 term were streamed at least 3.8 million times.”Semafor / Max Tani
Media’s political divide plays out in Maine →“Two of the country’s key left-leaning political spenders, George Soros’s Open Society Foundation and the medical device billionaire philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, played a central — and previously unreported — role in the nonprofit purchase of nearly two dozen respected local newspapers in Maine, including the Portland Press Herald, the Lewiston Sun Journal and the Kennebec Journal.”Financial Times / Cristina Criddle and Javier Espinoza
Meta mulls putting ads in WhatsApp as it seeks revenue boost →“According to three people familiar with the matter, these conversations have explored showing ads in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen. No final decisions have been made, they said. On Friday, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘This @FT story is false. We aren’t doing this.'”The Washington Post / Barry Svrluga
An ode to the newspaper sports section, as it gasps for air →“In the same way ESPN’s “SportsCenter” once was a necessary gathering place to digest the day’s events, the newspaper sports section was a town square at which a city’s teams and stars could be evaluated, analyzed and discussed…If I sound as though I have a romantic, even outdated notion about all this, it’s because I have a romantic, even outdated notion about all this.”Bloomberg / Ashley Carman
A fight over missing ad money roils the podcast industry →“Comedian Theo Von lit up X last week with a viral video lambasting Kast Media, a podcast company that historically produces and puts ads in shows. Von accused Kast of owing various podcasters over $4 million in back pay…With the podcasting boom of recent years now decidedly over, expect more of these types of disputes to boil over into public. We’ll be continuing to watch this one as it unfolds.”Embedded / Kate Lindsay
Gen Z loves the newspaper (on TikTok) →“I came across 23-year-old Kelsey Russell on TikTok while she was doing something decidedly un-TikTok-y: reading The New York Times out loud. There was no dancing, no suspenseful music, not even much editing, but she was still drawing audiences of ten thousand, fifty thousand, even one million viewers — numbers that some news outlets themselves only dream of seeing on Chartbeat.”The Texas Tribune / Uriel J. García
Mexican journalist’s 15-year quest to receive U.S. asylum ends with a yes →“Emilio Gutiérrez Soto, who now works at a farm in Michigan, and his son Oscar fled their country in 2008 when Gutiérrez Soto’s reporting led to threats against him by members of the Mexican military. Robert Hough, an immigration judge in El Paso, denied Gutiérrez Soto’s asylum request twice, but on Sept. 5, a three-judge appeals panel said Hough was ‘clearly erroneous.'”Canadian Press
Toronto Star owner cutting 600 jobs at regional papers, seeking bankruptcy protection for unit →“The Metroland business owns dozens of community newspapers delivered alongside advertising flyers. Nordstar says it is getting out of the flyer business entirely and converting the newspapers to a digital-only format.”The Washington Post / Max Hoppenstedt
Under Musk, Twitter is handing over more user data to investigators →“While Twitter, now known as X, has generally followed the law, in the past it touted its position on fighting back against overreaching government requests — particularly when it came to prosecuting speech online. Now, in Germany, X under Musk’s ownership is complying with requests to turn over more information about its users to prosecutors in online hate-crime investigations…As a result, hundreds of new cases are being pursued, they said.”The Guardian / Hibaq Farah
Social media firms “not ready to tackle misinformation” during global elections →“This is a big challenge for large platforms to do effective moderation in different cultural contexts, and the further from English language it gets, the more complicated it is. Moderation of sponsored content, or organic content to eliminate political violence, misogynist content, various types of abuse are not so obvious when you just look at the language.”CNN / Oliver Darcy
ABC News staffers “freaking” out over reports Disney is in talks to sell the outlet →“In conversations with more than a half-dozen people inside and around ABC News that CNN spoke to Thursday evening, it was made clear that a feeling of dread and trepidation is washing over the outlet as they face the unknown…Will a new parent move to install its own leadership? Cut costs? Make other changes?”The Information / Rachel Graf
Can Yahoo be saved? How Apollo Is rebuilding an internet icon →“‘I always knew these products had seen better days,] said [Jim] Lanzone, the CEO of Yahoo, over a video call in late August. ‘Even though they still have large audiences, they needed to be modernized — pretty much every single one of them.'”Public Notice / Aaron Rupar
How not to interview Trump →“To be clear, I don’t necessarily think interviewing Trump is a bad idea. He almost certainly will be the next Republican nominee for president, and as a result some of what he says is newsworthy. But to the extent that journalists are on the side of democracy and want to interview him responsibly, you have to bring receipts and be prepared for confrontation.”Digiday / Ronan Shields and Seb Joseph
Apple’s expanding ad ambitions: A closer look at its journey toward a comprehensive ad tech stack →“In the same week it unveiled the iPhone 15 devices, Apple’s ad platforms division was recruiting for 40 senior roles, hunting for engineers, product managers, and salespeople. While Apple is renowned for keeping its cards close to its chest, said job listings offer a window into its intentions as it continues to pitch its wares such as Apple TV on Madison Avenue.”The New Yorker / Clare Malone
Hasan Minhaj’s “emotional truths” →“Minhaj’s projects blur the lines between entertainment and opinion journalism…The former ‘Patriot Act’ host often recounts harrowing experiences he’s faced as an Asian American and Muslim American. Does it matter that much of it never happened to him?”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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