Monday, March 25, 2024 |
| Ask FT is in a very limited beta, but it promises to bring the wisdom of its archives to bear on your information needs. By Joshua Benton. |
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| Plus: What investment ownership has done to local news, the credibility of photos on social media vs. news sites, and Republicans in Congress share far more low-quality news than ordinary people do. By Mark Coddington and Seth Lewis. |
Over 100 watchdog groups sign letter demanding Meta keep CrowdTangle running What We’re ReadingThe Washington Post / Will Oremus
A judge has thrown out the lawsuit of Elon Musk’s X against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, calling it an attempt to intimidate critics →“‘X Corp.’s motivation in bringing this case is evident,’ U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer wrote in a 52-page ruling. ‘X Corp. has brought this case in order to punish CCDH for CCDH publications that criticized X Corp. — and perhaps in order to dissuade others who might wish to engage in such criticism.'”The New York Times / Michael M. Grynbaum
For once, the British tabloids held back. It didn’t make a difference. →“…London newspapers pioneered the celebri-fication of the House of Windsor, famously hounding the previous Princess of Wales, Diana, and exposing the most microscopic details of her and her children’s private lives. In the case of Catherine’s recent whereabouts, however, the British press largely showed an unusual level of restraint.”The Guardian / Vanessa Thorpe
Apologies for Kategate, but will the spirit of restraint on social media last? →“‘What this proves is that Kensington Palace can still control the British press to some extent,’ said [Helen] Lewis. ‘But they can’t control the internet, or the American media, who are hugely interested in our royal family but have very different standards on privacy and libel.'”Big Technology / Alex Kantrowitz
A look inside Google’s generative AI tool for newsrooms →“A journalist first selects a ‘seed’ source like a city council, parks department, local school, etc. they plan to cover. With a link from that single source — whether that’s a press release, 500-page report, or even a tweet — Google’s generative AI software produces a first draft of the story, complete with a lede, nut graf, quotes, and the rest…The idea is that a journalist can add to that draft with reporting and fact-checking and eventually publish a full story.”Fast Company / Christ Stokel-Walker
CrowdTangle’s former CEO has questions about Meta’s decision to close the research tool in an election year →“It’s not surprising. A lot of us who’ve been following this closely, I think had a sense that they were getting less interested in providing this sort of transparency. When I left, two years ago, one of the big conclusions and takeaways I had from the entire experience is that private companies and tech platforms are only going to go so far when it comes to their transparency efforts.”The Verge / Sarah Jeong
United States v. Apple is pure nerd rage →“The surprisingly readable 88-page complaint is a very relatable litany of all the annoying things Apple has done to you and me…You can almost forget this is a lawsuit and not just the compiled observations of a single very motivated poster in The Verge comments section — until you get to page 57.”The Wall Street Journal / Alexa Corse
Elon Musk’s Twitter needs creators, but they don’t need him →“So far, X is still trailing well behind platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Meta Platforms’ Instagram as a destination for many creators…Some creators have cited concerns about the state of X’s advertising business as a hurdle to the platform’s efforts to woo them, while others have complained about payments being inconsistent.”Antenna
Airing NFL games seems to be working for streaming looking to boost subscriber numbers →“In the case of Peacock, by the end of February, nearly seven weeks after the AFC Wild Card Weekend, Antenna observed 29% of the AFC Wild Card sign-up cohort had canceled their subscription, meaning 71% remained subscribed. Peacock’s one-month survival rate across all 2023 sign-ups was 78%.”Associated Press
The AP and The Texas Tribune will now share content →“The Texas Tribune will receive access to AP’s Texas news and its comprehensive immigration coverage from across the United States and beyond. The AP will now distribute the Tribune’s reporting on Texas to its members and customers, complementing the news organization’s existing coverage of the state.”The Washington Post / Jeremy Barr
The unexpected voice of dissent on Fox News: Steve Doocy →“In particular, Doocy has stood out as a skeptic of congressional investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden, bucking the party line while Fox hosts such as Sean Hannity regularly decry what they call ‘the Biden crime family.’ He has also emphasized the significance — and veracity — of the legal challenges facing former president Donald Trump, talked up Trump challengers like Nikki Haley, and dinged the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.”Los Angeles Times / Christi Carras
Long Beach Post staffers laid off after moving to unionize and going on strike →“The unit, which is seeking voluntary recognition from its employer, the Long Beach Journalism Initiative, said that nine of its members were laid off, while three surviving members remain on strike. The entire Long Beach Post staff was reduced from 17 to eight, said a source close to the nonprofit who was not authorized to comment.”Financial Times / Sara Germano and Sujeet Indap
The Amazon play that could change the game for streaming sports →“The Diamond saga is more than just a run-of-the-mill corporate restructuring. The case has become a proxy war for the future of live sports and television broadcasts in the US, as leagues and distributors debate the proposition of when, or even if, live fixtures migrate entirely away from linear television and onto digital streaming platforms.”Press Gazette / Aisha Majid
New on the list of the 50 biggest U.S. news websites: climate startup The Cool Down →“Month-on-month, the fastest-growing news brand [in February] was The Cool Down (24.3 million visits, up 52% compared to January). Ranked 42nd in this month’s top 50, the site was launched by founder and CEO of the sports media outlet Bleacher Report Dave Finocchio and Anna Robertson, an ABC and Yahoo News executive, and purports to be the “first mainstream climate brand” in the U.S.”Semafor / Ben Smith
Want to find news less reliable than Russian state media? Check “verified” users on Twitter →“…when apparent Islamic State terrorists attacked a concert in Moscow last week, Twitter (now X) was full of claims that were crazier and worse-sourced than what you’d see on Telegram…Over on Telegram — whose premium app offers automatic translation — even Russian state-controlled media like Interfax, and permitted ones like Mash, were more reliable than those verified X accounts.”Ars Technica / Ashley Belanger
Users shocked to find Instagram limiting political content by default →“Instagram rolled out the change in February, announcing in a blog that the platform doesn’t ‘want to proactively recommend political content from accounts you don’t follow.’ That post confirmed that Meta ‘won’t proactively recommend content about politics on recommendation surfaces across Instagram and Threads,’ so that those platforms can remain ‘a great experience for everyone.'”Semafor / Max Tani
Led by NBC, U.S. corporate media is learning to live with Trump →“Behind the move is the reality that is sinking in for U.S. corporate media, and corporate America in general: They may soon be dealing again with a Trump administration, willing to use the tools of government to reward allies and punish enemies. For the great publicly traded conglomerates like NBCUniversal Media’s parent, Comcast, that may leave little choice but to extend an olive branch to the former president.”The Washington Post / Drew Harwell
NBC News’ latest hire — former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel — faces blistering criticism →“The airing of internal dissent reflected deep discomfort at NBC and many media organizations with how to treat Republicans who indulged Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and undermine Americans’ trust in the media…’There’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this, because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination,’ [Chuck Todd] added.”Medium / Buster Benson
Medium suspended 1.7% of its rev-share writer accounts over suspected “fraudulent activity” →“So, to state it plainly: we will revoke Partner Program enrollment from writers that publish spam, fraud, AI-generated stories, and other low-quality content that demonstrates clear misalignment with our mission. And we’re proud to protect the community from this kind of behavior.”The Guardian / Jane Croft
The UAE-backed bid for The Telegraph seemingly killed by new legislation to ban foreign state newspaper ownership →“Rishi Sunak’s government unveiled the legislation, which could be on the statute book within weeks, in the form of an amendment to the Enterprise Act 2002 that will effectively block foreign powers from owning UK newspaper assets.”The Guardian / Martin Pengelly
Candace Owens leaves Daily Wire site amid Israel and antisemitism tensions →“Owens subsequently came under fire from the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL, which campaigns against antisemitism, posted a report by the progressive watchdog Media Matters about remarks in which Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and white supremacist, praised Owens for mounting ‘a full-fledged war against the Jews.'”
Nieman Lab / Fuego
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