Top News:
Laura Benshoff / WHYY:
A look at the “ghost papers” of suburban Philly, which rely on press releases and write-ups of community events to fill space formerly filled with local news — There's been a lot of upheaval lately in the world of local news. Has it affected you? Where do you go for information about your community?
Discussion:
@hugetinymistake, @rw_briggs, @lebenshoff, @laurapaskus and @jonpoet
Katherine Rosman / New York Times:
Profile of Paul Huntsman, the Salt Lake Tribune owner who refuses to embrace Trump and is planning to turn the paper into a nonprofit — SALT LAKE CITY — Life was tranquil for Paul Huntsman, a scion of a rich and powerful Utah family, before he got into the news business.
Discussion:
@katierosman, @aubreywieber, @juliaritchey and @nytnational
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Research shows HBO Now users are twice as likely as customers of other streaming services to cancel subscriptions when a specific show ends — Fan reaction to Game of Thrones' final season may be mixed, but the show has been undeniably good for HBO's network — and for its over-the-top streaming service, HBO NOW.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, Observer, AdExchanger, The Stranger, Vanity Fair, Washington Post and Wired
Nicholas Megaw / Financial Times:
Martin Sorrell's S4 faces investor revolt over pay — Martin Sorrell's new marketing venture faces a potential shareholder revolt at its first annual meeting later this month, after a pair of influential proxy advisory groups criticised its complex long-term bonus scheme.
Cal Newport / New Yorker:
The IndieWeb, a loose collective of developers and techno-utopians, aims to create alternatives to mass social media via projects like Micro.blog and Mastodon — In the summer of 2016, I gave a talk at a small tedx conference in northern Virginia. I began by admitting that I've never …
Alexander Frandsen / Storybench:
Journalism schools are teaching students to focus on data, local news, social media, and business models, four areas Nieman Lab predicts will be crucial — It's no secret that journalism is at a bit of a crossroads. With technology and media consumption habits changing constantly …
Kevin Poulsen / The Daily Beast:
Four former employees of OANN recall their unsettling experiences of working at the far right network popular for conspiracy theories and Kremlin propaganda — Conspiracy theories, racist outbursts, and a whole lot of Putin love. Working for the far-right One America News Network was a deeply weird experience, former employees say.
Discussion:
@peterwsinger, @kurtschlichter, @adamweinstein and @noahshachtman
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Vice has more than 60 TV series in development worldwide, including unscripted series and some based on Vice articles — LOS ANGELES — Danny Gabai was used to being ignored. For years, he ran what may have been Vice Media's most uncool business — the production of feature films, made to be shown in theaters.
Shaya Tayefe Mohajer / Columbia Journalism Review:
Profile: The Liberator, a black newspaper published from 1900-1914 that sold the California dream to freed slaves while pushing for equality and voting rights — Standing on Slauson Avenue last month, Arianne Edmonds joined Angelenos who gathered along the 25-mile route of rapper Nipsey Hussle's funeral procession.
Discussion:
@cbellantoni, @losangelista, @tyreebp and @shaya_in_la
Emily Stewart / Vox:
Q&A with Sen. Ron Wyden on writing early legislation that shaped the internet, technology consolidation, and protecting publishers without requiring neutrality — “Section 230 is not about neutrality. Period. Full stop." — Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is one of the co-authors …
Discussion:
@emilystewartm, more at Techmeme »
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
RTDNA/Hofstra University survey shows number of people working in local TV news is nearly 28K, half of stations are focusing on investigations, 55% have a drone — While local TV is by no means perfect — see overblown crime coverage and the faux Momo challenge — it's one of the most trusted sources of news in the United States.
Discussion:
@whague, @niemanlab, @niemanlab and @aliwatkins
John Scott-Railton / The Citizen Lab:
Inside Endless Mayfly, an Iran-aligned network of websites and online personas used to spread false information targeting Saudi Arabia, the US, and Israel — Endless Mayfly1 is an Iran-aligned network of inauthentic websites and online personas used to spread false and divisive information …
Discussion:
@theatlantic, @gabriellelim and Nieman Lab