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Why the fight over 'fake news' is so important to democracy
Why has there been so much attention paid in the past few weeks to the phenomenon of "fake news" sites? Well, its prevalence on Facebook might just have swung a close presidential election to Donald Trump. But it has also highlighted an urgent need to teach news literacy, has raised anew important questions about the power and responsibility of Google, Facebook and a handful of other big social media platforms to not spread false information. And it's also raised concerns about life under the coming administration of President Trump, who has frequently spread lies and conspiracy theories from such outlets, and whose newly-named senior advisor has run one of them.
Finally, if completely made-up news stories are treated the same as real ones, where does that leave serious, credible journalism outlets, and how soon will the phenomenon spread to local news?
FACEBOOK AND FAKE NEWS: Mark Zuckerberg says less than 1 percent of Facebook content is fake news. How does he know? The trouble with Facebook’s fake-news data. Renegade Facebook employees form task force to battle fake news. Facebook admits it must do more to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform. Facebook's fight against fake news was undercut by fear of conservative backlash. Did Facebook really tolerate fake news to appease conservatives? This hyperpartisan conservative Facebook page owner says Facebook’s fake news plan is “terrifying.” Viral fake election news outperformed real news on Facebook in final months of the election. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook must defend the truth. Call it a ‘crazy idea,’ Facebook, but you need an executive editor. Facebook’s fake news crackdown: It’s complicated.
GOOGLE AND FAKE NEWS: Fake-news fury forces Google and Facebook to change policy. Google’s top news link for ‘final election results’ goes to a fake news site with false numbers. Google admits it messed up with fake election story. Facebook, Google, Twitter et al need to be champions for media literacy. How tech and media can fight fake news.
ADVERTISING AND FAKE NEWS: Facebook bans fake news sites from using its advertising network. Advertisers don't care about fake news sites. Fake news sites are not terribly worried about Google kicking them off AdSense. Why “banning” fake news sites from ad networks won’t work. In response to complaints, some brands are pulling ads placed on Breitbart.
MAKERS OF FAKE NEWS: The fake news wars go viral with Melissa’s List. This is how Facebook’s fake-news writers make money. How fake news goes viral: A case study. Fake news is plentiful because people want it. For the ‘new yellow journalists,’ opportunity comes in clicks and bucks. What NPR learned after it tracked down a fake-news creator in the suburbs. Inside a fake news sausage factory: ‘This is all about income.’ How Macedonia became a global hub for pro-Donald Trump fake news that was shared millions of times by his U.S. supporters. Russian propaganda effort helped spread fake news during U.S. election. But no, Russian agents are not behind every piece of fake news you see.
TRUMP AND FAKE NEWS: Donald Trump, editor-in-chief of the fake news movement. Trump is turning Twitter into a state disinformation machine. Some fake news publishers just happen to be Donald Trump’s cronies. Watching the election from the post-truth future.
SOLUTIONS TO FAKE NEWS: So you want to clamp down on fake news. Who decides what’s fake? Washington Post disgracefully promotes a McCarthyite blacklist of alleged fake news sites from a new, hidden, and very shady group. The backfire effect: More on the press’s inability to debunk bad information. Fake news versus false news: Why they're different, and why it matters. Fixation on fake news overshadows waning trust in real reporting. The cure for fake news is worse than the disease.
After Trump victory, readers support news organizations
One unexpected benefit of Donald Trump's surprise victory in the presidential race? News organizations are seeing a surge in subscriptions and donations from readers who see a bigger need than ever for strong watchdog journalism.
Among the beneficiaries are nonprofit news outlets, including ProPublica, which saw a windfall in donations after John Oliver highlighted the news organization on his HBO show in discussing Trump's victory.
Sue Cross of the Institute for Nonprofit News explains why that's money well-spent in "The few & the fearless: What’s different about nonprofit news." And if you're so inclined, INN has a handy list of sites you can support.
But beyond financial considerations, Trump's election and the hatred he and some supporters directed at the media has raised many issues for journalists.
Related:
Journalism was the big loser this election. Here’s how to pick up the pieces. Why did newsrooms miss the Trump wave? Lack of diversity played a huge part. Will the new political landscape reinvigorate local news? In Trump territory, local press tries to distance itself from national media. Why journalism has a rural diversity challenge. The shift in media’s business model played a critical role in Trump's victory. How journalism lost the big picture by ignoring ‘small’ stories.
Journalists need to better explain what journalists do. After the election, news organizations need to listen more than ever. How to listen better.
Rallying cry for media under Trump: Make FOIA great again. A guide to public records and the Trump presidential transition. Canadian journalists who covered Rob Ford offer tips on Trump. Covering the Trump era — with shrinking newsrooms. Eight steps reporters should take before Trump assumes office. Doubling down on catering to white people or so-called impartiality is not the answer.
Why Richland Source just produced an album
A local independent online news site in Ohio is drawing attention to its community's local music scene and making a name for itself in the process by releasing a CD and digital music album.
"Newsroom After Hours" features music from a series of concerts that Richland Source has hosted in its newsroom and is available for $7.
Richland Source has been praised in the past for its creative branding and community engagement. It previously produced its own line of T-shirts, and partnered with local McDonald's franchises to have a presence inside the restaurants and promote download of its mobile app over their wifi.
Richland Source was recently named "Small Business of the Year" by the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. The news site is led by Jay Allred, who serves on LION Publishers' board of directors.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
LOCAL NEWS NOW: A day in the life: Bringing local news to the community at ARLNow.com.
CANADA: Canadian news outlet aims to shake up local journalism by only sourcing stories from its members.
COMPETITION: To survive, newspaper publishers must think like an online competitor.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Route Fifty takes a niche (but jargon-free) approach to covering innovation in local government.
NEVADA: Jon Ralston to launch Nevada news site. The Nevada Independent will include polls and Spanish-language features.
PARENTING: Moms and dads do the crowdsourcing at new hyperlocal network ParentNation.
VERMONT: This Vermont-focused nonprofit news site is looking to podcasting to add new revenue streams.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD FORMATS: German tabloid Bild's ad cleanup cuts ad space by 20 percent.
AMP: Google expands AMP, as it presents a friendly face to publishers.
APPLE: Apple opens up Apple Pay donations to non-profit organizations. PBS adopts Apple Pay, enabling one-click donations for stations.
E-COMMERCE: BuzzFeed wants to sell you stuff. The New York Times wants to help you meditate (and run and lose weight and just feel good). How publishers will wring more money out of their gift guides.
EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: There are at least eight promising business models for email newsletters. Newsletters, briefings: curating content while creating a habit. Email newsletters have a measurement problem.
FACEBOOK: Facebook says it found more miscalculated metrics. Facebook acts to restore trust after overstating video views. Facebook's metrics blunder causes publishers to fret, too. Scale-hungry Facebook video publishers are in trouble if they don't think long term. Facebook is testing real-time ads for live videos.
MOBILE: FAQ: All about the Google mobile-first index.
OUTBRAIN: 'The money is real; that's the problem': Publishers turn a blind eye to content-recommendation ads driven by companies such as Outbrain and Taboola.
PAYWALLS: The Wall Street Journal left its paywall up on Election Day and saw a subscriber bump.
PLATFORMS: Journalism’s delivery system, not the coverage itself, is broken.
SEARCH: Is search a publisher’s best friend again?
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
ANALYTICS: How Trinity Mirror’s in-house analytics platform helps journalists. How Mizzou’s school newspaper learns from audience analytics.
CITIZEN JOURNALISM: Newspapers need citizen journalists more than citizen journalists need newspapers.
DATA: Six pointers for effective data visualizations from Google.
ENGAGEMENT: Creating an engaged newsroom: A toolkit. How can journalism be more transparent? Explain the craft. Here’s another startup trying to make it easier for publishers to engage with readers. What I learned from seven years as the Guardian’s audience editor. When young people get involved in online communities, it leads them toward politics. Spread your masthead across the country, and other ideas to prevent groupthink.
FOIA: Local governments hide public records, face few consequences. State Secrets: Open records laws across the nation.
INSTAGRAM: How publishers can use links and mentions in Instagram stories. New to Instagram Stories: Boomerang, mentions and links. Why Mic is going all-in on Instagram with a 10-person team.
SECURITY: Digital security and source protection for journalists. Security compromises in journalism. New report shows the reach of online harassment, digital abuse, and cyberstalking.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Seven tips on how to succeed as a social-first publisher.
STORY COMMENTS: Comments: commit to them, or get out. 'Directing our lens at the room': How the FT uses comments and reader call-outs to engage with the audience. Anyone can become a troll: Causes of trolling behavior in online discussions.
STORYTELLING: Digital storytelling tips from ONA's South Florida meetup. Mobile journalism: Defining a new storytelling language.
VIDEO: Comparing live-streaming apps.
VIOLENCE: Considerations for journalists covering violence against women.
Industry News
BOSTON GLOBE: At The Boston Globe, Spotlight is changing, but it hasn’t dimmed.
CANADA: Canadian journalists push for ‘shield law’ to protect sources.
DATA: BuzzFeed’s pro tennis investigation displays ethical dilemmas of data journalism. Fact-checking and data-driven projects among winners of Google’s Digital News Initiative funding.
DETROIT: Detroit News offers buyouts to all editorial employees. The Gannett-owned Detroit Free Press is looking to cut 13 percent of its editorial staff. One-newspaper town? Analysts speculate on the News, Free Press joint operating agreement's future.
DIVERSITY: The effects of a less-than-diverse media workforce.
FACEBOOK: Facebook said to create censorship tool to get back into China. Facebook, YouTube are world’s most popular social networks. Facebook ad revenue (finally) tops media giants.
GATEHOUSE: GateHouse to acquire Salina Journal, other Harris newspapers.
LAYOFFS: Why journalism layoff season could be worse in an election year.
MOBILE: The key to making a mobile site customers want. How mobile, chat, notifications are changing the media industry.
PHILADELPHIA: In Philly, news orgs are teaming up to cover problems (and solutions) around prisoner re-entry.
PODCASTING: UK digital audio landscape: ‘Audio is the new video.’ With its new app, RadioPublic wants to tackle podcasting’s lingering challenges.
PRESS FREEDOM: A right to prohibit news sites from listing your age? IMDb sues the state of California over new 'ageism' law.
PRINT: Confessions of a national newspaper exec: ‘Publishers haven’t got their shit together.' Why The Wall Street Journal is cutting print sections and refocusing on its core coverage.
SNAPCHAT: 'Black hole of nothingness': Metrics concerns dog Snapchat's ad expansion.
TWITTER: Confessions of a brand manager on Twitter: 'It's more toxic than ever.' Twitter users to get ability to mute words and conversations.
VIRAL NEWS: 'It was a fad': Many once-hot viral publishers have cooled off.
Is Your LION Publishers Membership Up for Renewal?
For many of our LION Publishers members, it's time to renew! Your membership includes participation in the LION Publishers Den on Facebook, networking and support from fellow LION publishers, our new newsletter, discounted rates on media liability and directors and officers insurance and more.
Plus, being a member gives you access to a members-only rate to the LION Summit – a savings of up to $175 compared to the non-member rate. If your membership is due for renewal, please go to http://www.lionpublishers.com/members/dues/renew to submit your payment. Those who opt for multi-year membership save, and easy, secure payment options are available via credit card or through Paypal. (Not sure when your membership expires? You can look it up easily on LIONPublishers.com.) |
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