Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest

Media owners in the crosshairs as Trump craves retribution

“The big difference now is that Trump’s anti-press tirades are also campaign promises. The words of Trump’s first term will translate to actions in a second term.” By Brian Stelter.

TV rewards the authoritarian candidate

“We will not learn who the best person for the job of the presidency actually is, but we might come away from campaign coverage knowing who the best person is to play president on TV.” By Dannagal G. Young.

Newsrooms (re)discover the magic of project management

“Strong project management makes newsrooms more adaptable and more able to survive industry turmoil.” By Robin Kwong.

Humans hold their own against the robots

“Rather than despair, we need to find ways to highlight the people and processes behind our journalism.” By Rubina Madan Fillion.

Local news will adapt to low demand

“In today’s marketplace of news, you literally cannot give local newspapers away.” By Joshua P. Darr.

The rise of the AI class

“In an industry shedding publishers and jobs and routinely challenged to do more with less, we’re foolish not to at least try on the generative AI suit.” By Rodney Gibbs.

We get past “post-platform”

“With a seemingly limitless number of platforms on which to meet and engage audiences — but still a finite number of hours in the day — teams will need to develop frameworks to understand where to start, stop, and pivot.” By Sarah Marshall.

News mirages (not news deserts) are the scarier problem

“We have to focus on the journalistic ‘last mile’ — not only producing reliable, independent information, but making sure that people actually receive it and can act on it.” By Sisi Wei.

The “touch grass” election cycle

“Major outlets and mediums are often still guided by a ‘who’s up or down’ ouroboros that cycles through horse-race snapshots shaping punditry shaping opinions shaping the horse race.” By Stephen Fowler.

Devices are the new gatekeepers

“What these devices have in common is that they use AI as a layer to synthesize incoming information and determine what and when information should reach users.” By Sam Guzik.
Semafor / Max Tani
Allbritton nonprofit plans to launch “News of the United States” to showcase rising talent →
“…in January 2024, [the Allbritton Journalism Institute] plans to launch News of the United States, or ‘NOTUS,’ a new publication that will explore Washington and the 2024 election…’Big newspapers where reporters used to get training are kind of gone,’ Allbritton told Semafor in an interview in May. ‘There’s got to be a track where we can provide opportunities for bright folks, and maybe do it in a way that’s more deliberate.'”
The Guardian / Edward Helmore
“It’s hell being famous”: The violent death of an S-Town character raises questions of podcast ethics →
“Last Sunday Tyler Goodson was fatally shot by police in what law enforcement described as a standoff, saying Goodson, 32, had ‘brandished a gun’ at the officers. His death — he was declared ‘brain dead’ on Tuesday — came eight years after the suicide of his friend and antiquarian horologist John B. McLemore.”
Financial Times / Oliver Barnes
End times: The Daily Mail is planning to put up a paywall for some stories →
“As part of the changes, MailOnline, one of the world’s most popular news sites, will charge users in its home market [the U.K.] to read a select 10-15 articles a day, according to a person familiar with the plans — although the vast majority of the nearly 1,500 stories published by the site every day will remain free-to-read.”
The New York Times / Benjamin Mullin
Shari Redstone is said to be in talks to sell her controlling stake in Paramount and CBS →
“In recent weeks, National Amusements has held talks with Skydance, the media and entertainment company founded by David Ellison, who is the son of the billionaire founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison. It’s unclear whether a deal will be reached, and the value the talks place on Ms. Redstone’s stake couldn’t be determined.”
Front Office Sports / Michael McCarthy and A.J. Perez
Following its AI scandal, Sports Illustrated let two top execs go →
“Manoj Bhargava, the 5-Hour Energy drink owner whose firm earlier this year purchased a controlling stake in The Arena Group, which operates Sports Illustrated, introduced himself in a meandering video call…’No one is important,’ Bhargava told staffers, per one source on hand for the presentation…’The amount of useless stuff you guys do is staggering.'”
Press Gazette / Bron Maher
Seven years after being founded to oppose Brexit, The New European is now profitable, with 33,000 paying readers →
“The pro-Europe, weekly publication ended November with more than 28,000 subscribers, a 62% year-on-year increase. Some 17,400 of the subscriptions are digital and 10,800 subscribe in print…Combined with average weekly newsstand sales of 5,000, [editor Matt] Kelly said the publisher now had a ‘headline paying readership’ of 33,000 a week.”
The Washington Post / Jeremy Barr
A CBS reporter refusing to reveal her sources could be held in contempt →
“U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled Aug. 1 that [Catherine] Herridge must reveal how she learned about a federal probe into a Chinese American scientist who operated a graduate program in Virginia — the subject of several stories Herridge reported [while working] for Fox.”
The New York Times / Frances Robles, Ken Bensinger, and Jeremy W. Peters
The conundrum of covering Trump has landed at Univision’s doorstep →
“While Univision’s shift may upset some Democrats, it reflects the political and business reality: To grow, Univision leadership believes, the company needs to change its programming to better serve the Hispanic voting population, which recent elections and polling suggest is inching to the right.”
Press Gazette / Rozina Breen
63 journalists killed in 63 days: The silence from newsrooms is deafening →
“The silence from many newsrooms about the deaths of journalists in this conflict — including my own to date — has been deafening…Journalists have a fundamental right to cover the news. And they are facing exponential risk in Gaza.”
Associated Press / Dasha Litvinova
Russia has put journalist Masha Gessen on its wanted list for criminal charges →
“Russian media reported last month that a criminal case against Gessen, an award-winning author and an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was launched over an interview they did with the prominent Russian journalist Yury Dud…the two among other things discussed atrocities by Russian armed forces in Bucha, a Ukrainian town near Kyiv that was briefly occupied by the Russian forces.”
Via Fuego: What the future-of-news crowd is talking about today around the web
Fuego is our heat-seeking Twitter bot, tracking the stories the future-of-journalism crowd is talking about most. Usually those are about journalism and technology, although sometimes they get distracted by politics, sports, or GIFs. Check out Fuego on the web to get up-to-the-minute news.