Are you legally liable for the contents of every web page you link to? Australia finally gets sensible
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Monday, August 22, 2022
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Are you legally liable for the contents of every web page you link to? Australia finally gets sensibleIts High Court overruled a finding that Google was legally responsible for the contents of news articles it had no role in publishing. But it wasn’t unanimous. By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re Reading
The Guardian / Ben Doherty
The Australian news site Crikey is challenging Lachlan Murdoch to sue it for defamation →
“In dispute is an apparent opinion piece, and associated social media posts, published by Crikey.com.au in June headlined: ‘Trump is a confirmed unhinged traitor. And Murdoch is his unindicted co-conspirator’ — analysing the 6 January insurrection by supporters of defeated presidential candidate Donald Trump.”
Deadline / Ted Johnson
Brian Stelter signs off on Reliable Sources’ sudden finale →
“I know it's not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It's not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It's required. It's patriotic. We must make sure we don't give platforms to those who are lying to our faces. But we also much make sure we are representing the full spectrum of debate and representing what is going on in this country and this world.”
The Washington Post / Margaret Sullivan
Margaret Sullivan’s final column: 2024 and the dangers ahead →
“I hope that newsroom leaders are thinking hard about moving outside their long-standing practices as the presidential campaign approaches. This will not be a traditional contest, and the stakes are high. We simply have to get it right.”
the Guardian / Mark Sweney
Younger viewers shun traditional TV channels as 90% opt for streaming services →
“Watching traditional TV channels has almost stopped among younger viewers [in the U.K.], with 90% of 18- to 24-year-olds heading straight to their favorite streaming service…The report, which found that Netflix is the most common destination for younger viewers to seek out content, highlights a rapidly widening generation gap in viewing habits.”
New York Post / Alexandra Steigrad
20% of the New York Daily News has quit in the past 3 months, and the union blames Alden Global Capital →
“We were already hanging on by a thread after Alden issued buyouts last year. Now we can barely put out the paper.”
The New York Times / Katie Robertson
After Roe v. Wade reversal, readers flock to publications aimed at women →
“We are able to cover this in an unflinching and honest way, with a perspective that I think a lot of traditional media outlets sort of aren't able to do.”
The New York Times / Blake Hounshell and Jeremy W. Peters
A former Fox News insider spills the beans →
“In Stirewalt's view, the network has played a leading role in the coarsening of American democracy and the radicalization of the right. At one point in the book, he accuses Fox of inciting ‘black-helicopter-level paranoia and hatred.'”
The New York Times / Neil MacFarquhar
What Russians see in the news: A war over Western plans to subjugate them →
“In the six months since Russia invaded, the state media's emphasis in reporting the war has gradually shifted. Gone are predictions of a lightning offensive that would obliterate Ukraine…Instead, in the Kremlin version — the only one most Russians see, with all others outlawed — the battlefields of Ukraine are one facet of a wider civilizational war being waged against Russia.”
The Verge / Jess Weatherbed
Google says it will boost real reviews over clickbait in search results →
“This update will help make sure that unoriginal, low-quality content doesn't rank highly in Search, particularly for online-educational materials, entertainment, shopping, and tech-related content.”
The Guardian / Leyland Cecco
Anger as Lisa LaFlamme dropped as Canada TV anchor after going grey →
“LaFlamme, who started hosting the flagship show in 2011, was one of many women who stopped dyeing her hair during the pandemic, and allowed her natural hair colour to show…the Globe and Mail reported that Michael Melling, a senior executive at CTV News, had ‘asked who had approved the decision to 'let Lisa's hair go grey.'”
Press Gazette / Nick Waters
Why Bellingcat hopes focus on accountability can help mitigate horrors of war in Ukraine →
“The Russian Government has a rather peculiar/interesting relationship with reality. While Western governments often play fast and loose with facts, it is sometimes difficult to understand quite how absurd the Russian government's relationship with the truth has become.”
Reuters / Lizbeth Diaz
Mexico records its deadliest year yet for journalists, with 18 murders so far →
“In a little over eight months, the death toll for 2022 has already outpaced the 13 murders recorded last year and the 14 recorded in 2020. Article 19 found the deaths were linked to the victims’ profession in about half of the cases in 2021 and 2020, it said.”
Digiday / Sara Guaglione
How digital news publishers will compete for political ad dollars in this year’s U.S. midterm elections →
Total political ad spend in the 2018 election cycle: $3.9 billion. Projected total for 2022: more than $9 billion.
The Washington Post / Paul Farhi
Why the media declared Anne Heche dead twice →
“Anne Heche died Friday, according to her hometown paper, the Los Angeles Times. Or she died Sunday, per the New York Times and others. Between those dates, the 53-year-old actress was in a state of mortal ambiguity that challenged the media to parse a legal, even philosophical question: When is someone actually dead?”
Sounds Profitable / Tom Webster
The podcasting problem hiding in plain sight: Listeners don’t stick around →
“If 40% of podcast listeners are new-ish to the medium, we might expect the growth curve here to be a bit sharper, yes?”
Deadline / Ted Johnson
Vice World News is launching a channel on Twitch →
“Our audience is young, plugged-in, and doesn't always access news in a traditional way, so it's a natural fit for us to take our global reporting to Twitch.”
Data World
USA Today, AP, and Northeastern University have compiled a dataset of all mass killings in the U.S. since 2006 →
“The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database tracks all U.S. homicides since 2006 involving four or more people killed (not including the offender) over a short period of time (24 hours) regardless of weapon, location, victim-offender relationship or motive. The database includes information on these and other characteristics concerning the incidents, offenders, and victims. The AP/USA TODAY/Northeastern database represents the most complete tracking of mass murders by the above definition currently available.”
Vice / Tim Marchman
Free speech bastion Substack fired an editor for editing a blog critical of Substack →
“Meservey didn't answer a question about how a company that pays and gives editorial and legal support to writers is not a journalistic outlet, or one about why it is that Substack is so closely identified with an intense focus on so-called cancel culture issues. I didn't expect answers to my questions because they've been asked many times and Substack has always declined to really answer them.”
Second Rough Draft / Richard J. Tofel
A halfhearted eulogy for the Local Journalism Sustainability Act →
“I come to this burial not to praise that proposal but to explain why the mourning for it should be limited.”
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