Why Telegram — despite being rife with Russian disinformation — became the go-to app for Ukrainians
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Tuesday, March 29, 2022
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Why Telegram — despite being rife with Russian disinformation — became the go-to app for UkrainiansMany Russians, in light of the Kremlin’s crackdown of independent media, are also turning to the messaging app for information. By Mamoun Alazab Kate Macfarlane. |
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With cable subscribers on the decline, CNN makes a big bet on streaming with CNN+CNN has called its new subscription-based service “the most important launch for CNN since Ted Turner launched the network in June of 1980.” By Sarah Scire. |
What We’re Reading
The Philadelphia Inquirer / Layla A. Jones
How Philly reinvented TV news and harmed Black America →
“More than half a century later, the impact of this efficient and pioneering approach remains, but continues to be condemned as harmful, as critics call for a reimagining of stories that tell a fuller story of communities, one that more accurately captures the humanity and dignity of all who live there.”
The Washington Post / Elahe Izadi
Vogue, Bon Appétit and other Condé Nast staffers are unionizing →
“The union would cover more than 500 editorial, production video workers across 11 publications, including Bon Appétit, Architectural Digest and Allure. Those leading the effort say nearly 80 percent of eligible workers have indicated support.”
Politico / Nektaria Stamouli
Between curbed press freedom and deteriorated trust, media in Greece is under threat →
“The [Media Freedom Rapid Response] report notes that the situation in the Greek media landscape is not new, but sees a deterioration in press freedom since the conservative New Democracy party came to power in 2019. The current ruling party, the report says, is ‘obsessed with controlling the message’ and ‘minimizing critical and dissenting voices.'”
The Daily Beast / Zachary Petrizzo and Lachlan Cartwright
BuzzFeed’s union overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike →
“The vote, which closed at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, earned overwhelming support from 90 percent of the 61 person BuzzFeed union. The secret ballot vote further achieved a 90 percent participation rate among the union.”
Society of Professional Journalists / Society of Professional Journalists' Freedom of Information Committee
Who’s allowed to talk to the press? Policies show that employee speech is heavily restricted across government agencies →
“Our findings are consistent with what journalists experience in the field: 12 of the 25 agencies explicitly state that all contact between employees and journalists must be handled by minders, often with titles like ‘public information officer’ or ‘public affairs,’ while 10 include vague language that can create confusion and leave employees unsure.”
CNBC / Jessica Bursztynsky
Spotify rolls out Covid disclosures after Joe Rogan boycott →
“Spotify promised the feature, a small blue tab that directs to its Covid-19 information hub, nearly two months ago. It comes after a handful of musicians and creators boycotted the platform for its airing of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ which they say spread Covid-19 vaccine misinformation.”
The Commercial Appeal / Micaela A. Watts Daniel Connolly
Memphis Spanish-language reporter Manuel Duran just won his political asylum case →
“Duran had been free on bond since 2019 and continued to work for his online news outlet, Memphis Noticias. The Wednesday decision by a Memphis Immigration Court judge now means Duran has a clear path toward long-term legal status in the United States.”
TechCrunch / Sarah Perez
Spotify is testing a new podcast discovery feature →
“Podz had originally attempted to solve the problem of podcast discovery with something it called the ‘first audio newsfeed.’ That is, it presented users with 60-second audio clips from various shows that you would scroll through in a vertical feed, similar to the format popularized by social apps like TikTok. What made the company's technology interesting is that it didn't rely on podcast creators to produce their own clips for its feed.”
The Rebooting / Brian Morrissey
How Skift survived Covid →
“Skift used the pandemic to refit its business, casting off the expenses of offices and event venues, and building new high-margin products. Skift is more profitable now than it's ever been. It has just crossed its employee count from pre-pandemic, even as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Covid outbreaks in Asia and a new Covid variant circulating Europe signal even more turbulence ahead.”
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY / Newmark J-School Staff
The Newmark Journalism School is launching the Criminal Justice Reporting Initiative →
“The two-day ‘Anatomy of a Police Cover-up’ training will take place June 13-14 at the Newmark J-School in Manhattan. Participants will engage in a deep examination of investigative stories that exposed corruption in the wake of two killings by police. They'll hear from the people involved in the stories, including civil rights lawyers, whistleblower law enforcement officers, the mothers of the victims, and the reporters.”
The Nation / Rachel Sanders
BuzzFeed doesn’t deserve its newsroom →
"It's one of those things where the writing was on the wall, but none of us really wanted to believe it," said Brianna Sacks, a senior reporter who's worked on the breaking news and investigations desks. "After having been at BuzzFeed for six years, I don't think I should be as stunned as I am. But it's still just really hard to process."
The Verge / Aria Bracci
At least 11 podcasts have been launched to cover news from Ukraine →
“A podcast isn't usually the preferred format for such a quickly moving story since audio shows can be difficult to turn around — or build an audience for — on short notice. But the creators of these series tell The Verge that the process is worth it, as audiences were already coming to their teams for information (often through existing podcast offerings), and they felt that audio as a medium allows can give listeners a personal connection to the story.”
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