Were fears about the “infodemic” overblown?
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Wednesday, October 12, 2022
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Were fears about the “infodemic” overblown?Plus: studies on race in the newsroom, hostility from sources, and why it’s hard to build a subscription habit. By Mark Coddington Nick Mathews. |
What We’re Reading
The Washington Post / Margaret Sullivan
If Trump runs again, do not cover him the same way →
“As Trump prepares to run again in 2024, it's worth reminding ourselves of the lessons we've learned — and committing to the principle that, when covering politicians who are essentially running against democracy, old-style journalism will no longer suffice.”
Twitter / Ben Mullin
Gannett CEO Mike Reed announces ‘voluntary severance’ and other cost-cutting measures at the company →
Gannett will suspend 401(k) matching, require mandatory furloughs during the holidays in December, and enact a hiring freeze. The company will also pay severance to any employees that want to voluntarily resign.
Simon Owens's Media Newsletter / Simon Owens
Is Spotify’s podcast exclusivity strategy working? →
“For the first decade or so of its existence, the podcast industry was built on a largely open ecosystem. Episodes were distributed through RSS feeds, which meant that every podcast player, big or small, could carry virtually every show in existence. With most other mediums retreating behind walled, algorithm-governed gardens like Facebook and YouTube, the podcast industry remained truly decentralized. The rise of the podcast streaming wars threatened to upend all that.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Jem Bartholomew
‘Democracy on the line’: Brazil’s election and the Bolsonaro disinformation ecosystem →
“This time, we have a full-blown Bolsonaro disinformation ecosystem,” Patrícia Campos Mello, a reporter-at-large and columnist at Folha de São Paulo, said. “There's a universe of junk news sites, sites that pretend to be regular news but are actually propaganda and disinformation. And these websites are being promoted by Bolsonaro's supporters, allies, politicians, and ministers as the only trustworthy sources of information.”
Digiday / Sara Guaglione
How Rest of World pay its employees and freelancers equitably around the world →
“We want to have a continuous relationship [with freelancers] because we're not looking for one piece when a news is breaking. We don't do breaking news. It's really an investment in the relationship for the long term.”
TechCrunch / Manish Singh
Meta and The Wire’s spar is deepening India’s trust deficit →
“Wire is standing by its reporting. However, if Meta is proven right, tricking a reputable outlet into running an explosive story that could've been easily refuted by a big megacorp like Meta would damage press credibility across India at a time when the country's media is increasingly grappling with a series of existential crises.”
The Present Age / Parker Molloy
Taking a look at the Associated Press’ coverage of the Fetterman/Oz campaign →
“There was time to get this right, but instead, the AP ran a story that failed to identify one of the people quoted as an Oz employee and omitted that the other woman quoted is a partisan media consultant.”
Toolkits / Shareen Pathak
Why banks are becoming publishers →
“What is interesting is how these entities are able to take advantage of operating in sectors that are difficult to understand in order to propel editorial content. Brand publishing can flourish when faced with difficult to parse, complicated topics. For financial services brands that operate in the increasingly complex global economy, being in a position to explain and go deep inside these types of topics can be a powerful differentiator.”
The Associated Press / Ken Ritter
Slain Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter’s files will be protected, for now →
“The judge granted a Las Vegas Review-Journal request to block immediate review of the records, which are expected to include source names and notes by reporter Jeff German. Police and prosecutors say they need access to German's records for evidence that Robert "Rob" Telles, a former Democratic elected county official, fatally stabbed German on Sept. 2 in response to articles German wrote that were critical of Telles and his managerial conduct.”
The New York Times / Tiffany Hsu
Misinformation swirls in non-English languages ahead of the midterm elections in the United States →
"With mis- and disinformation in Spanish, we feel like we are fighting a giant," said Tamoa Calzadilla, Factchequeado's managing editor and the former head of Univision's fact-checking operation. "It's frustrating because we are trying to do something, and we need support from the platforms — we are doing our work, but Big Tech can do more."
Reuters / Parisa Hafezi
Iranian journalist Niloofar Hamedi, who broke the news on Mahsa Amini, is paying “a heavy price” for reporting on women’s rights →
“Friends of Hamedi described her as a brave journalist who is passionate about women’s issues and rights. Her investigative articles covers topics such as self-immolation among women suffering domestic abuse, and she interviewed the family of Sepideh Rashno, an Iranian writer and artist, who was arrested in July for defying the Islamic dress code.”
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