Top News:
Jim Morrill / Nieman Reports:
As some criticize horse-race political coverage, a look back at The Charlotte Observer's election work using a citizens agenda, from a reporter who was there — In 1992, the Charlotte Observer pioneered “public journalism” in its election coverage. Is that what voters need in 2020? — ARTICLE BY
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, @lauraelizdavis, @underoak, @niemanfdn, @jayrosen_nyu, @niemanlab, @jonfavs and @niemanreports
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Distributed Denial of Secrets, a WikiLeaks-like online repository launched last month by transparency advocates, publishes 175 GB of leaked Russian documents — A group of transparency advocates on Friday posted a mammoth collection of hacked and leaked documents from inside Russia …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, @drdenagrayson, @kpoulsen, @malwarejake, @nytimes, @justinhendrix and @ridt, more at Techmeme »
Lizzy Raben / The Idea:
Q&A with Sam Felix, Director of Audience + Platforms at NYT, about her role at the paper, how NYT uses different platforms to promote its content, and more — This week, The Idea caught up with Sam Felix to discuss how The Times thinks about reaching new audiences …
Discussion:
@adriana_lacy and @ideanewsletter, Thanks:@steverubel
Kate Bennett / CNN:
The Telegraph apologizes to Melania Trump for false statements in “The Mystery of Melania”, an article published last week, agrees to pay “substantial damages” — (CNN)A British magazine has issued an apology to first lady Melania Trump for an article it published …
Discussion:
Telegraph, Slate, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, The Wrap and The Gateway Pundit
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
Research at the University of Texas finds that when more than 75% of comments on news sites are uncivil, it negatively affects readers' perceptions of the site — You never get a second chance to make a first impression. — Grandma adage aside, the comments matter, folks.
Discussion:
@niemanreports
Jill Abramson / New York Magazine:
An excerpt from Jill Abramson's book “Merchants of Truth” on her time as the New York Times' executive editor as digital disruption took off — Adapted from the forthcoming book Merchants of Truth, by Jill Abramson. Copyright © 2019 by Jill Abramson. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @lauraelizdavis, @newrepublic, @sesmith, @kpfinnerty and @jbenton
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Edelman: number of people who read traditional news weekly rises 14% YoY to 40% as number of people who read traditional news less often drops 20% YoY to 28% — An urgent desire for societal change and a chaotic media environment is driving a renewed interest in fact-finding, according to Edelman's 2019 Trust Barometer.
JSource:
Canadian Journalism Innovators, a journalist-led collaboration of nine media outlets including The Discourse, launches to support innovation in Canadian media — In the wake of massive journalism layoffs, a new journalist-led initiative aims to accelerate what is succeeding in Canadian media.
Discussion:
@thediscourse, @nordicfreelance and @sprawlcalgary
Kali Hays / WWD:
Interview with Kate Lewis, the Chief Content Officer of Hearst Magazines, about the future of print, what advertisers really want, and more — The new chief content officer of Hearst Magazines on what people read “secretly,” whether magazines will last another 20 years and much more.
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
After appealing for paid subscriptions via a printed letter and social media, Arkansas Life magazine survives by gaining 1K subscribers, reducing print issues — How many fans does it take to keep a regional print magazine afloat? — In December, subscribers to Arkansas Life received a printed letter along with their January issue.
Oliver Darcy / CNN:
BuzzFeed News laid off 43 on Friday, closing its Spain bureau, eliminating the national desk and national security desk, and slashing the health and LGBT desks — New York (CNN Business)BuzzFeed laid off dozens of employees on Friday inside its prized news division as the media organization restructures …
Discussion:
The Cut, @csmcdaniel, HuffPost, @tomgara, @oliverdarcy, @arianelange, @catesish, @lisatozzi, @blakersdozen, @mike_giglio, NPR, Newser, @jeremymbarr, @sbstryker, @kenbensinger, @hshaban, @madeleine_rae, @lin_manuel, @andrewmartonik, @whatthebit, @arielle07, @davidmackau, @willoremus, @theferocity, @chrisgeidner, @mmasnick, @buzzfeedben, @kimzetter, @verambergen, @wexler, @talalnansari, @joshsternberg, @passantino, @elamin88, @annabroges, @oliverdarcy, @rositaboland, @natemcdermott, @kfile, @sarahjeong, @cairaconner, @emmacarew, @davechensky, @jgownder, @jameshercher, @fordm, @oliverdarcy, New York Post, New York Times, Business Insider and Adweek
RELATED:
Rafi Schwartz / Splinter:
A source shared BuzzFeed News Slack messages in which staffers criticized the CEO for the handling of layoffs; 40+ BuzzFeed News staffers were fired on Friday
Discussion:
@mathewi, @hcjewell, @sidizenkane, @ridt, @techworkersco, @mskellymhayes, @attackerman, Columbia Journalism Review, NPR, The Daily Beast, Recode and Splinter
Jim Milliot / Publishers Weekly:
Wattpad, the online reading and writing community, is launching its own publishing division, Wattpad Books, this fall with six YA titles — Wattpad, the Toronto-based online reading and writing community that says it has received 565 million story uploads since its launch, is starting its own publishing division, Wattpad Books.
Sahil Patel / Digiday:
Sources: The Players' Tribune lays off eight employees; the company had about 85 US full-time staffers as of April 2018 — The Players' Tribune, the athlete-centric sports publisher from Derek Jeter, has laid off eight employees as the company looks to shift its business strategy going forward …
Discussion:
@frntofficesport, Awful Announcing, @sportsrapport and Variety
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