What We’re Reading

We keep an eye out for the most interesting stories about Labby subjects: digital media, startups, the web, journalism, strategy, and more.

The Verge / Andrew Webster

Zach Gage’s Puzzmo gets acquired as the newspaper games space heats up →

“Hearst — which publishes the likes of Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and the San Francisco Chronicle — has announced that it has acquired Puzzmo, a puzzle gaming platform led by indie developers Zach Gage and Orta Therox. The move puts Hearst directly up against the gaming efforts of The New York Times.”

What else we were reading on December 7

Poynter / Tom Jones

Taylor Swift shows Time magazine’s person of the year still matters →

“There was a time when Time’s cover stories, on a weekly basis, were talked about everywhere from boardrooms to living rooms. Today, the magazine is printed just twice a month and Time, like pretty much every other magazine, has become a digital-first news outlet. There is still good journalism at Time, but does it have the overwhelming impact that it used to? That’s debatable. But, there’s no question that once a year, Time is still a really big deal. That’s when it names its person of the year, which is generally one of the most talked about media stories of the year.”

CJR / Kevin Lind

Q&A: Angus M. Thuermer Jr. on covering climate in a polarized state →

“I think you have to earn readers one at a time. There are some people who just can’t be convinced—they’re certain that elk will break their legs in the forest and antelope bask in the shade of drilling rigs. But there is a way, I believe, to tell the story that the people who are genuinely interested in seeing their communities advance will take on the challenges they’re facing. There are people who are definitely willing to read news stories and reports that are even-handed, explaining relevant topics. Perhaps even just a small bite at a time.”

Defector / Kelsey McKinney

There’s so little to say about Taylor Swift being Person of the Year →

“Swift just … doesn’t say much. She is clearly well-coached, and clearly thoughtful about the things she wants to talk about, but her power has reached a level now where she doesn’t have to say anything at all in exchange for whatever cultural cachet Time has left to give.”

The Verge / Mia Sato

TikTok’s biggest hits are videos you’ve probably never seen →

“What I’m seeing on TikTok isn’t necessarily what you’re seeing — and according to this recap, the overlap is slim between my For You page and the net average of all TikTok users. How do we make wide-ranging conclusions about an app where a consensus doesn’t exist? And what counts as ‘viral’ on a platform where anyone can rack up half a million views and it would still be a drop in the bucket of attention and not at all representative of ‘what’s happening on TikTok’?”

The New York Times / Katie Robertson

Washington Post journalists go on one-day strike →

“About 700 Washington Post employees walked off the job for 24 hours on Thursday, protesting stalled union contract negotiations and expected layoffs.” —SC

Reuters / Maya Gebeily, Anthony Deutsch, and David Clarke

Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah killed by Israeli tank, investigation finds →

“The two strikes killed Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Christina Assi, 28, just over a kilometre from the Israeli border near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Chaab. Reuters spoke to more than 30 government and security officials, military experts, forensic investigators, lawyers, medics and witnesses to piece together a detailed account of the incident. The news agency reviewed hours of video footage from eight media outlets in the area at the time and hundreds of photos from before and after the attack, including high-resolution satellite images. As part of its investigation, Reuters also gathered and obtained evidence from the scene including shrapnel on the ground and embedded in a Reuters car, three flak jackets, a camera, tripod and a large piece of metal.” —SC