February | 2020 | Nieman Journalism Lab

Archives: February 2020

Joshua BentonFebruary 13, 2020

McClatchy files for bankruptcy, likely ending 163 years of family control and setting up more consolidation in local news

The hedge fund that will likely soon control America’s second-largest newspaper chain, Chatham Asset Management, is also majority owner of the National Enquirer and Canada’s largest newspaper chain. It is advancing its “fundamental thesis on late-stage media consolidation in North America.”

Hanaa' TameezFebruary 11, 2020

Americans of all political stripes expect 2020’s fake news to be biased against their side

It’s not just the real news media partisans think is rooting for the other team — it’s the fake news media too.

Joshua BentonFebruary 11, 2020

In one move, the Dayton Daily News gets to avoid (a) private equity ownership, (b) the daycutting knife, and (c) a misused federal regulation

That makes Cox buying back the “daily” newspaper it sold to Apollo Global Capital a year ago a rare newspaper win-win-win.

Nicholas QuahFebruary 11, 2020

If people will pay for MP3s of people whispering them to sleep, why won’t they pay for podcasts?

Plus: A fair-use fracas, audio rom-coms without a business strategy, and the overwhelming whitemaleness of podcast acquisitions.

In New Hampshire, local news goes national (in more ways than one)

Joshua BentonFebruary 10, 2020

The Wall Street Journal joins The New York Times in the 2 million digital subscriber club

But will the Journal and The Washington Post be able to catch up to the market leader going forward? Or is the Times preparing to lap the field?

Sarah ScireFebruary 6, 2020

Readers reign supreme, and other takeaways from The New York Times end-of-year earnings report

CEO Mark Thompson says “the single biggest reason” behind the paper’s success was the decision to give more autonomy to teams working on the publication’s various digital products.

Sarah ScireFebruary 6, 2020

The New York Times is using The 1619 Project to market how “the truth can change how we see the world” (and subscriptions)

A new TV ad set to air during the Oscars shows the Times, flush with digital success, expanding the sort of journalism it highlights to potential paying subscribers.

Sarah Scire and Joshua BentonFebruary 5, 2020

Protocol — think Politico, but for tech — launches into a crowded space

“Technology is no longer just a sector of the economy or an industry — it’s a global power center akin to any nation’s capital. And it’s time for a publication to cover it like one.”

Nicholas QuahFebruary 5, 2020

Spotify is buying The Ringer, expanding its podcast footprint (and dipping its audio toes into plain old text)

Can the streaming audio giant really turn Bill Simmons’ operation into “the next ESPN”? Or is the goal of building “the world’s flagship sports audio network” too ambitious?

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