Monday, December 18, 2023 This week, we’re concluding our
Predictions for Journalism 2024 series. You can read all the predictions
here.
| “We cannot fight the battle for truth and for our own reputations through disappointed silence, any more than an army can engage its enemy with careful, detailed descriptions of weapons.” By Philip Bump. |
| “We find and fund these outlets by literally meeting audiences where they are — going into towns and neighborhoods and asking, ‘Where do you get your news and information, and who do you trust?'” By Tracie Powell. |
| “When layoffs come, those who sold us the false business ideas of ‘pivot to video’ or ‘get me their emails’ or ‘put on live events’ or ‘we need new podcasts’ or ‘let’s get IP to sell to Netflix’ aren’t the ones paying the layoff price.” By Robert Hernandez. |
| “The EU’s governance approach to the problem of media independence holds some promises that we should be open to explore.” By Elena Herrero-Beaumont. |
| “New local newsrooms can be part of that revisiting. As they create their own histories in relationship to the communities they serve, they are well-suited to change the way history has been told.” By Logan Jaffe. |
| “If AI is indeed a white-collar job eater, then an ancient blue-collar convention might be in order.” By Jennifer Coogan. |
| “It may not catch on. But it feels good to engage in new ways to cultivate our audience instead of just standing still.” By Rick Berke. |
| “People want to feel wiser about the nuanced, generational crises that we are facing, and the solutions that might turn the various tides.” By Courtney Martin. |
| “With the help of AI, explanatory journalists and the newsrooms they work in will compete on judgment, perspective, process, and personalization.” By Walter Frick. |
| “Our approach to AI should shift from just considering it for content generation to innovating and creating new, engaging news experiences.” By Nikita Roy. |
| “It is frustrating that in 2023, we’re still trying to figure out what African journalism is.” By j. Siguru Wahutu. |
| “We can fight to ensure that our media embody the principles of participatory democracy and are dedicated to serving social needs, not private profits.” By Victor Pickard. |
| “We have the control to change what we see, and what we choose to report on. This isn’t a decision made by platforms or third parties.” By Jennifer Brandel. |
| “What’s changed is there’s now a lot less secrecy around journalist-moonlighters. There’s no longer any illusion that, if you were actually any good, someone would have hired you. (Who is there to hire you?)” By Joanne McNeil. |
| “What was annoying then is exactly what we need now.” By Marie Gilot. |
What We’re ReadingSemafor / Max Tani
A fight over Trump and “balance” at The Messenger →“I can’t think of another way to get this across but in a group slack. Jimmy does not want any Trump trial coverage on the HP, period. I’m repeatedly getting calls on it. Please make sure we don’t slip one in.”The Washington Post / Ben Strauss
As local sports coverage suffers, startups try (again) to fill the void →“Sports were not part of the [Baltimore] Banner’s launch, but the newsroom hustled to ramp up its coverage ahead of last baseball season. The Orioles are now the Banner’s third-best subscription driver, after food and breaking news.”The Verge / Jay Peters
Adam Mosseri spells out Threads’ plans for the fediverse →“Eventually, it should also be possible to enable creators to leave Threads and take their followers with them to another app/server. I believe that it’s important that creators own their relationship with their audience.”Marketplace / Savannah Maher
How a small-town New Mexico newspaper rewrote its unhappy ending →“In October 2022, Seibel bought the Deming Headlight for ‘not very much money’ (he said that $60,000 in loans, mostly from friends and family, more than covered the purchase) from Gannett, the country’s largest newspaper chain.”The Washington Post / Pranshu Verma
The rise of AI fake news is creating a “misinformation superspreader” →“Since May, websites hosting AI-created false articles have increased by more than 1,000 percent, ballooning from 49 sites to more than 600, according to NewsGuard.”Wall Street Journal / Alexandra Bruell
New York Times staffers form journalistic “independence caucus” amid concerns over NewsGuild’s actions →“The tensions over the NewsGuild’s actions show how the strong impulse of some workers to take a stand on major political or social debates is running up against long-held values at major journalistic institutions.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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