Top News:
Patrick Radden Keefe / New Yorker:
A profile of Mark Burnett, the Hollywood producer behind the TV hit “The Apprentice” which elevated Trump from a tabloid figure of fun to an icon of success — With “The Apprentice,” the TV producer mythologized Trump—then a floundering D-lister—as the ultimate titan, paving his way to the Presidency.
Discussion:
The Week, The Wrap, @pamelacolloff, @joenbc, @poniewozik, @janemayernyer, @andreachalupa, The Daily Beast, Mediaite and Deadline
Max Fisher / New York Times:
Over 1,400 pages of leaked Facebook content rules for moderators reveal gaps, biases, and errors as Facebook tries to distill complex issues into yes/no rules — Under fire for stirring up distrust and violence, the social network has vowed to police its users. But leaked documents raise serious questions about its approach.
Max Read / New York Magazine:
Studies suggest that less than 60% of web traffic is human, with fake metrics, news, and bot-driven conversations and transactions, leading to falling trust — In late November, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against eight people accused of fleecing advertisers of $36 million …
Discussion:
@chronotope, @joemarchese, Hit & Run, @buzzfeedben, @ekp, @necolas, @coreypein, @timmaughan, @trumpery45, @ganeumann, Marketing Land, @johnb78, @hselftax, @mjrobbins, @fs0c131y, @scottwamplerbmd, @toryanarchist, @toad_spotted, @mdudas, @kristapley, @scottwamplerbmd, @mattdpearce, @politicalshort, @mollymckew, @joshtpm, @taylorlorenz, @seldo, @taylorholiday, @sheril_, @slpng_giants, @mikeisaac, @saschasegan, @robpegoraro, @chronotope, @chronotope, @katienotopoulos, @mantzarlis and Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »
Emily Birnbaum / The Hill:
MSNBC says it beat Fox News in key ratings and in total viewers for the first time in 17 years during the week of December 17-21 — MSNBC beat out Fox News last week in key ratings for first time in 17 years, topping its competitor in total viewers for the first time since 2000, according to a news release from MSNBC.
Discussion:
NBC Universal, @badfoxgraphics, @davidwohl, @dchristakos84, TVWeek.com and Newser
Laura Kayali / Politico:
David Kaye, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, says Trump is the worst perpetrator of false information in the US — The President of the United States is the “worst” perpetrator of misinformation on the internet, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom …
Discussion:
@malloryknodel, @attalidesm, @dktatlow, @sarah_boxer, The Daily Caller and Mediaite
Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed News:
An NYT story about a disinformation experiment in Alabama election didn't disclose its reporter had spoken at an event organised by the company behind it — Last week the New York Times revealed that money from tech billionaire Reid Hoffman was used to run a small disinformation “experiment” …
Discussion:
The Week, Mashable and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
A look at Trump's relationship with the press in 2018: 70+ interviews granted but traditional briefings eschewed, anti-press rhetoric that led to violence, more — It can be easy to forget that, two years ago, the White House press briefing took place nearly every day.
Discussion:
@jonlemire, @stiles, @ennisnyt and @jayrosen_nyu
Alex Marshall / New York Times:
As Turkey's TV shows gain in popularity worldwide, Netflix produces its first Turkish show, free from the “decency” regulations that govern TV broadcasters — LONDON — On a recent evening, Nahid Akhtar, 47, sat on a sofa in London shouting at a TV.
James Ball / The Guardian:
The UK media's lobby system of political journalism, which encourages coziness between politicians and journalists and suits those in power, should be scrapped — Westminster is full of brilliant journalists but the shadowy briefing system that guides them should be more transparent
Discussion:
@mediaguido, @jamesrbuk and @christopherhope
Matthew Schafer / BuzzFeed News:
A look at the role public records played in BuzzFeed News reporting in 2018, a year during which it filed ten FOIA lawsuits in federal courts — Texas was in a bind. The manufacturer of pentobarbital, the drug Texas uses to execute death row inmates, had prohibited its distributors …
Shirin Ghaffary / Recode:
How unions can protect staff at digital media publishers during layoffs and mergers and the limits of their powers — Newly formed unions have been warning employees that winter is coming. Now that it has arrived, what can a union actually do about it? — 2018 has been a bumpy year for digital media publishers.
Jeff Jarvis / Whither news?:
What German media academics and journalists, including Mother Jones' CEO, are saying about the Der Spiegel scandal and the lessons to be learned — “Everyone who writes knows the seduction of the narrative.” — Bernhard Pörksen in Die Zeit — The German journalism world …
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, @danieldrepper, @willystaley, @danfagin, @emilyrooneywgbh, @albertocairo, @jayrosen_nyu, @moorehn, @derektmead, @nhannahjones, @moorehn, @moorehn, @driverwrites, @mad_science_guy, @1rossgittins, @scmitchp, @asteris, @lenifaye, @josephfcox, @siobhanftb, @nhaerting, @psskow, @jeffjarvis and The Guardian
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