Nieman Lab
The Daily Digest: April 22, 2025

Republican legislators (but not Democrats) who share low-credibility info get rewarded with more clicks

A study of the 6,500 state legislators in Facebook and Twitter finds the spoils of low-credibility information are not evenly distributed. By Yu-Ru Lin.
Blue checks (Bluesky’s version): What journalists need to know
What we’re reading
Pew Research Center / Michelle Faverio, Monica Anderson and Eugenie Park
Teens think social media is bad for other kids — but not for them →
“Teens’ views of the impact of social media on their peers has grown increasingly negative. The share who say these sites have a mostly negative effect on people their age is up 16 percentage points since 2022.”
The Verge / Dominic Preston
Instagram launches its own CapCut clone, Edits →
“Edits is described as a ‘video creation app designed for creators,’ and includes tools for project management, tracking notes and ideas, and data on video performance…AI animations created from static images, green screen replacement, and subject cutouts…The editing features are remarkably similar to those in CapCut, a standalone video editing tool from TikTok owner ByteDance.”
Star Tribune / Brooks Johnson
The New York Times’ Kathleen Hennessey is the new editor of the Minnesota Star Tribune →
“Hennessey’s first day leading the Midwest’s largest newsroom will be May 12. As editor and senior vice president, she’ll help guide a media company determined to grow digital subscriptions and better understand its audience amid a continued decline in print readership.”
The New York Times / Michael M. Grynbaum
The head of 60 Minutes just resigned, saying Trump and his corporate bosses were stripping away its independence →
“In an extraordinary declaration, [executive producer Bill] Owens — only the third person to run the program in its 57-year history — told his staff in a memo that ‘over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes, right for the audience.'”
Digiday / Ronan Shields
Turns out Google Chrome will keep allowing third-party cookies after all →
“…a shocking development…meaning ad tech companies can still use the targeting technology in the world’s most popular web browser. It’s a move that amounts to a U-turn on the Chrome team’s earlier updated approach to deprecating third-party cookies…with the latest development bound to cause ructions across the ad tech ecosystem.”
Sacramento Bee / Steven M. Glazer and Matt Pearce
“Tech platforms have an obligation to save California’s local newsrooms” →
“We were each critical of the Google deal because the program doesn’t direct enough money toward revitalizing community news in California. Other technology companies like Meta and Amazon are left out. It’s a short-term framework.”
404 Media
How 404 Media is navigating “economic headwinds” →
“The good news is that while we’re definitely seeing the impact of all this economic chaos, we are still in a very strong, resilient position. Our growth has slowed for the moment, and it might level off or shrink if the economy keeps going off a cliff, but we still have a ton of support thanks almost entirely to thousands of individual subscribers that make up the vast majority of our revenue and a few other streams of revenue like advertising and merchandise.”
New York Times / Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Stuart A. Thompson
As election nears, Canadians confront news void on Facebook and Instagram →
“This type of online content — hyperpartisan and often veering into misinformation — has become a staple in the Facebook and Instagram feeds of Canadians as the country heads toward a crucial federal election on April 28. While such posts have become familiar in political campaigns everywhere, the content is especially prominent in Canada during its first-in-the-world, long-term news ban on Facebook and Instagram.”
The Times / Ben Machell
TommyInnit is the young British antidote to Andrew Tate →
“One of the biggest reasons Andrew Tate’s got massive is because of short-form video content on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, where you don’t decide what you’re going to watch. It just starts filling your feed. You’re only ever two clicks away from a fun Minecraft video that’s warm and friendly to a guy saying terrible things about women.”
Bloomberg / Sarah Frier
The guy who connected Donald Trump to the podcast manosphere →
Shots Podcast Network co-founder John Shahidi helped arrange Trump’s appearances hosted by Joe Rogan, Adin Ross, Andrew Schulz, and Theo Von.
The Guardian / Michael Savage
How quiz shows are evolving →
“Puzzles and social media teasers shaking up trivia-based formats, as viewers seek games that anyone can enjoy”
SEO Blog / Ryan Law and Xibeijia Guan
Report: Google’s AI Overviews reduce clicks by 34.5% →
“It’s also telling that despite Google’s optimistic claim that ‘links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query,’ there is still no way to disambiguate AI Overview clicks and impressions from the rest of your Search Console data.”
The Washington Post
Expect to see more Washington Post content in ChatGPT →
“The Washington Post announced today a strategic partnership with OpenAI to make high-quality news more accessible in ChatGPT. As part of this partnership, ChatGPT will display summaries, quotes, and links to original reporting from The Post in response to relevant questions.”
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