Wednesday, January 22, 2025 |
| “People across the city were lacking things that they felt that they needed in a news publication.” By Sophie Culpepper. |
What We’re ReadingSubstack / Lindsey Adler
Ten years in a crumbling industry →“It is deeply wounding to feel your industry get squeezed into a misshapen lump of clay. Something could be rebuilt from this material, but it’s going to require innovative thinking and people willing to provide the capital for the future of journalism. I see this in the television and film industry, too. The music business. Anywhere creativity lies is being borne down on by a hydraulic press, like in that disgusting commercial by Apple that reduces access to cultural fulfillment down to a goddamn iPad.”Boston Globe / Aidan Ryan
Boston Globe Media is acquiring Boston Magazine →“Globe Media acquired Boston Magazine from Metro Corp, a Philadelphia-based media company that also owns Philadelphia Magazine.”The New Yorker / Cal Newport
Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food? →“The question now is not whether these platforms are harmful to kids (they are) or even whether some action should be taken (it should). Instead, we have to decide whether, to children, social media is more like a Big Mac or a Marlboro. If the former, then the U.S. may be on the right track. If the latter, then Australia might provide a better example.”The Washington Post / Tatum Hunter, Lisa Bonos, Gaya Gupta and Heather Kelly
“The vibes are off”: How half a day without TikTok changed everything →“‘A lot of people are traumatized by the back and forth, especially people I know who rely on TikTok for income,’ said Ariel Tusa, 35, who has been using TikTok since 2020. ‘I think we’re all afraid it’s going to be Meta or, worse, owned by the government.’”404 Media / Jason Koebler and Joseph Cox
Hundreds of subreddits are considering banning all links to X →“The bans have run the political gamut, with the subreddits for many cities and states such as r/NewJersey, r/londonOntario, and sports teams banning all Twitter links. r/christianity banned Twitter links with a gif in which Musk’s salute was put side-by-side with a neo-Nazi’s. Some subreddits are allowing screenshots from Twitter but not direct linking. Big sports subreddits such as r/NFL, r/hockey, r/baseball, and r/nba are all considering a ban, with moderators saying they will announce decisions shortly. A poll in r/baseball shows that users are overwhelmingly in favor of having links banned in the subreddit.”Bloomberg / Davey Alba, Leon Yin, Julia Love, Ashley Carman, Priyanjana Bengani, Rachael Dottle, and Elena Mejía
How 9 popular YouTubers helped Trump win a second term →“To hear them tell it, America is in a desperate place, destabilized by soaring inflation, migrants streaming across the border and the beginnings of a third world war. Gender politics have gotten out of hand while schools and the medical establishment duped the public. The same messages were communicated in Trump’s inaugural address on Monday. Now that Trump is back in power, the broadcasters are well-positioned to help build support for his political agenda, transforming grievances into policy that could have lasting effects even beyond Trump’s term in office.”Subtext
The New York Times will text “handpicked articles” to readers →“All links can be freely accessed for 30 days. (This program is open to U.S. residents only.)”Axios / Sara Fischer
The Ankler is launching Like and Subscribe, a standalone trade publication about the creator economy →“The new product, authored by veteran tech and entertainment journalist Natalie Jarvey, will launch as a standalone Substack newsletter, separately from The Ankler, and will be priced at $129 a year to start.”Columbia Journalism Review / Jake Lahut
The White House press corps gears up for another Trump term — and they’re excited →“The return of Donald Trump to the White House has prompted predictable worries among many DC-based reporters about how his administration might seek to control and intimidate the press. But for a surprising number of people on the daily White House beat, that concern is mixed with another, more privately expressed emotion: relief at finally being rid of the Joe Biden press operation…the Biden team preferred to offer background quotes from in-house experts whose job it was to speak to the press…Trump, on the other hand, adores the attention of the media, even as he frequently maligns the reporters themselves.”WIRED / Alex Cranz
Broadcast TV is dying. Trump is threatening it anyway. →“‘This is a political cudgel being used against national news networks,’ says David Greene, civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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