Blame Craig: How Facebook’s AI bot explains the decline of the news industry
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Monday, August 8, 2022
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Blame Craig: How Facebook’s AI bot explains the decline of the news industry“Definitely craigslist…. I don’t know that facebook is really to blame for anything specific.” And maybe the Pope did endorse Trump after all! By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re Reading
CJR / Jon Allsop
An incomplete list of local TV anchors who have pivoted to running for office →
“There's nothing inherently wrong with local anchors running for office…but local TV can confer great visibility and trust on its journalists, and the potential for that trust to be abused by would-be politicians is clear.”
The Present Age / Parker Molloy
How Alex Jones’ path to success was paved by the mainstream media →
“In 2011, ABC's The View invited Jones to appear on air to discuss Charlie Sheen getting fired from CBS's Two and a Half Men. While there, Jones went on a rant that included a mention of ‘Tower 7,’ a reference to a 9/11 conspiracy theory. Cool. Great. Awesome. Really insightful stuff, everyone.”
The Verge / Allison Johnson
We live in notification hell →
“The apps never shut up. They're hungry for engagement. They want you to know that your favorite items are on sale, that you haven't practiced your Spanish today, that your delivery driver is five stops away, that your child at daycare just had a blowout — all day, all at once. Welcome to a place we all live, a place called notification hell.”
The Wall Street Journal / Suzanne Vranica and Alexandra Bruell
The ad slowdown has spread from tech companies to publishers →
“Advertising is often among the first expenses cut by companies looking to trim spending in times of economic uncertainty. When that happens, digital companies are often the first to be hit since marketers can turn off spending in real time.”
TechCrunch / Aisha Malik
Too shy to hit the Clubs? Clubhouse would like to offer you a House instead →
“Think of Houses as private hallways just for your favorite people. You can drop in anytime, hop from room to room, catch up with friends, and meet their friends. Houses usually have regular meetup times, and everyone gets to nominate a few friends, so the House grows through people you trust. Or, you can keep it closed if you like — it's fun either way.”
Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
Why some news publishers don’t mind Instagram’s shift to Reels →
“I imagine the changes now will take place over a longer period and happen more subtly, but overall for publishers it would be wise to be working on their Reels strategy.”
Sports Business Journal / Hunter Cooke
Outlets that cover esports are retreating into layoffs →
“2022 has been a brutal year for media that cover esports. The cutbacks have left editors and writers at the remaining publications and aspiring journalists distraught about the industry's future…It's clear that the audience that consumes traditional sports-adjacent coverage styles — match reports, interviews with players, regular beat coverage — is small.”
Deadline / Jill Goldsmith
A new CNN Originals hub is launching on Discovery+ →
Some of CNN+’s digital cremains.
NPR / Danielle Kurtzleben
Republicans have long feuded with the mainstream media. Now many are shutting them out entirely. →
“The phenomenon is impossible to quantify, but many Republican candidates are showing that they don’t want — or need — to get their messages out via legacy media outlets. That can reduce the scrutiny they face while running for public office, hampering voters’ ability to make informed choices.”
CJR / Kathryn Foxhall
The growing culture of censorship by government PR →
“Initially, Nowak says, political administrations wanted to know about media interviews; then they wanted approval powers for some interviews; and, finally, they wanted to approve every contact between a reporter and staff person.”
The Washington Post / Timothy Bella
How Alex Jones was embraced by Joe Rogan and others years after his Sandy Hook lies →
“‘What is he doing that's so awful?’ Rogan asked. ‘It's entertaining!'”
Press Gazette / Bron Maher
The Fence: How one ad-free satirical magazine startup is betting on print →
(It does help to have “the 30-year-old second son of the Earl of Yarborough” serving as your personal Medici.)
The Guardian / Tom Chatfield
The fate of Alex Jones is a small battle won in the war against alternative facts →
“‘I believe what I said was true,’ Jones answered. The judge's riposte has since been shared hundreds of thousands of times: ‘You believe everything you say is true, but it isn't. Your beliefs do not make something true. That is what we're doing here. Just because you claim to think something is true does not make it true.'”
CJR
Inside Climate News’s Marianne Lavelle on the long road to climate action →
“What often stops too many good stories in their tracks is this idea that ‘Oh, we know all about that already’ or ‘That's an old story.’ Everyone knew about Manchin's coal interests, but still these reporters said it's worth it to dig up the documents, to parse through the history, and to really tell this story of how Manchin became this big coal guy and how that overlapped with his official duties.”
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