Tuesday, February 11, 2025 |
| An analysis of more than 185,000 tweets by New York Times staffers showed they got less opinionated — and less frequent overall — when a management memo asked the newsroom to scale back the takes. By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re ReadingReuters
Iran pardons journalists whose reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini sparked national protests →“Iran’s top judicial authority has pardoned two journalists who uncovered the death of a young woman in police custody that triggered nationwide protests in 2022, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan said on Tuesday. Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi had been sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison respectively by an Iranian Revolutionary Court in October 2023 for their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman in custody of the morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code.”Buzzfeed Island / Jonah Peretti
Jonah Peretti writes “manifesto” for Buzzfeed’s new social media platform →“Unlike the platforms, we care about internet content and know that it moves culture and the world forward. We have an opportunity to fight back against SNARF and bring some joy and fun back to the internet. People are craving the ‘beer and wine’ era of the internet and we can bring that back on BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Tasty. We can make content that gives you a little buzz, helps you relax, have a good time, and connect with your friends. But we can’t be naive about how hard it is to sell beer when your competitors are offering hard drugs free of charge. We need to be maniacal about packaging our content so it can compete in the social media feeds against SNARF.”The Boston Globe / Aidan Ryan
Once seen as a savior, the nonprofit owner of the Portland Press Herald is now weighing layoffs →“The new owners vowed to protect the jobs of Maine journalists even as it sought to modernize their operations … But a year and a half in, the Maine papers are facing persistent financial losses. Freelance budgets are being cut, newspapers are getting thinner and a succession of senior leaders have departed. Executives said they can’t rule out layoffs or the wholesale elimination of some print editions.”Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter
PBS closes DEI office after Trump executive order →“PBS confirmed it has closed its diversity, equity and inclusion office in order to comply with the recent executive order from President Donald Trump. The move has impacted staffers in that unit, which had been led by DEI head Cecilia Loving. However, the public broadcaster said it will continue to ‘reflect all of America’ in its ranks.”TechCrunch / Sarah Perez
YouTube AI updates include auto dubbing expansion, age ID tech, and more →“In his letter, Mohan says the auto dubbing feature will be available to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program later this month. The company also said it will be investing in tools to detect and control how AI is used on YouTube. This will include an expansion of its pilot program with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) that will give more people access to tech that can identify and manage AI-generated content featuring their likeness.”Schibsted Media / Schibsted Media
Schibsted Media signs licensing deal with OpenAI →“The partnership will mean OpenAI can integrate real-time news articles from a selection of Schibsted Media’s brands, such as VG, Aftenposten, Aftonbladet, and Svenska Dagbladet, into OpenAI’s products, including ChatGPT … The agreement will bring Schibsted Media’s trusted journalism to new audiences while enabling ChatGPT’s 300 million users to access up-to-date, relevant information from across the Nordics.”The Hollywood Reporter / Katie Kilkenny
New York Magazine walkout averted as union reaches deal with management →“After New York magazine’s parent company, Vox Media, signed a licensing agreement with OpenAI last May, the union narrowed in on securing related AI contract language for members. The tentative deal includes ‘a commitment [from magazine management] to transparency around its editorial use and to protecting members’ editorial voices and likenesses,’ according to the union. The contract also contains language banning layoffs solely because of AI and offers expanded severance if layoffs occur partially due to AI, adding four weeks to the typical severance package.”404 Media / Jason Koebler
Wikipedia prepares for an “increase in threats” to US editors from Elon Musk and his allies →“Wikimedia lawyers told the community that the project is trying to change how editing Wikipedia for logged-out accounts works. Currently, if a user edits an article while not logged in, their IP address will show publicly, which can provide information to someone looking to file a defamation or libel lawsuit.”the Guardian / Matthew Weaver
AI chatbots distort and mislead when asked about the news, BBC study finds →“More than half of the AI-generated answers provided by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity were judged to have ‘significant issues,’ according to the study by the BBC. The errors included stating that Rishi Sunak was still the prime minister and that Nicola Sturgeon was still Scotland’s first minister; misrepresenting NHS advice about vaping; and mistaking opinions and archive material for up-to-date facts.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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