You’re more likely to believe fake news shared by someone you barely know than by your best friend

Thursday, July 18, 2024

You’re more likely to believe fake news shared by someone you barely know than by your best friend “The strength of weak ties” applies to misinformation, too. By Joshua Benton.

To find readers for longform investigations, Public Health Watch leans on partners and in-person work Nonprofit newsrooms are competing for limited funding and attention spans, grappling with diminishing returns on social, and trying to address low trust in media. It’s forcing outlets large and small to adapt to survive. By Sarah Scire.

Nearly all local online newsrooms produce newsletters, a LION report finds What We’re ReadingThe New York Times / Sapna Maheshwari and Ken BensingerCarlos Espina is a one-man Telemundo on TikTok →“Despite having more TikTok followers than Beyoncé or Reese Witherspoon, he has received little attention in the national press, perhaps because his videos are mainly in Spanish. But he drew attention last month with videos that he filmed with President Biden as he announced two new immigration measures.”The Verge / Jay PetersGoogle’s AI results are showing up less frequently in searches, a study found →“The data, collected by BrightEdge and reported on by Search Engine Land, suggests that Al Overviews dropped from appearing in 11 percent of queries on June 1 to 7 percent of queries on June 30. BrightEdge’s data also indicates that Al Overviews cite Reddit and Quora dramatically less than they did before.”Reuters / Keith Weir and Gavin JonesAn Italian journalist has been ordered to pay the prime minister €5,000 for a tweet…calling her short →“The journalist, Giulia Cortese, was also given a suspended fine of 1,200 euros for a jibe on Twitter, now named X, in Oct. 2021 about [PM Giorgia] Meloni’s height, that was defined as ‘body shaming’…A high number of lawsuits brought against journalists was cited this year by Reporters Without Borders, which relegated Italy five places to 46th in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.”Press Gazette / Charlotte TobittThe London free daily Metro has gone from “in no way sustainable” to profitable →“We give the people what they want. We don’t take ourselves too seriously when appropriate. I think it’s Metro’s role to provide the UK with access to free, impartial and trustworthy news. But it’s news and entertainment.”The Verge / Emma RothInstagram will help researchers study if it’s hurting teen mental health →“Researchers will gain access to Instagram data for up to six months, which may include information on how many accounts a teen follows, how much they use Instagram, their account settings, and more. However, Meta notes it won’t provide access to a user’s demographic information, nor will it include the contents of their posts, comments, or messages.”The Guardian / Deborah ColeGermany bans “rightwing extremist” Compact magazine →“…accusing it of whipping up “unspeakable” hatred of Jews, Muslims and foreigners while undermining the country’s constitutional democracy. In what she called a “hard blow” against the far right, the interior minister, Nancy Faeser, ordered dawn raids in four German states at properties linked to the publication, which is ideologically close to the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and promotes its drive for power.”Deadline / Anthony D'AlessandroWarner Bros Discovery is mulling splitting its TV networks (like CNN) from its streaming businesses →“The notion of a WBD split could see [up to $39 billion in] debt stay with linear networks, while the growing OTT service could hit a higher valuation multiple and be given the potential to invest in its growth, per FT.”The New York Times / Michael M. GrynbaumIs Maddow in Milwaukee? No, that’s an LED screen on MSNBC. →“The arrangement — which several veteran television news producers described as unorthodox — has created something of a trompe l’oeil effect. A casual glance at the screen would suggest that MSNBC’s top anchors were covering the convention in person.”Om MalikTaboola + Apple News? No thanks →“For over a decade, I have been critical of Taboola (and its one-time rival, Outbrain), equating them to the internet’s venereal disease that never goes away. In 2017, when the two companies merged, it became clear that what was the herpes of the internet was mutating into a superbug. I said as much on Twitter. Well, that day has come, and even Apple is now infected.”Press Gazette / Charlotte TobittAustralian publishers say it’ll be “catastrophic” if Meta follows through on banning news there →“Broadsheet Media, which publishes the culture and community news website Broadsheet and has 65 full-time employees, said it estimated it would lose up to 52% of its revenue if Meta no longer distributed news.”

Nieman Lab / Fuego

Twitter / Facebook

View email in browser

Unsubscribe

You are receiving this daily newsletter because you signed up for for it at www.niemanlab.org.

Nieman Journalism LabHarvard University1 Francis Ave.Cambridge, MA 02138
Add us to your address book