Nieman Foundation at Harvard
HOME
          
LATEST STORY
You’re more likely to believe fake news shared by someone you barely know than by your best friend
ABOUT                    SUBSCRIBE
You’re more likely to believe fake news shared by someone you barely know than by your best friend
“The strength of weak ties” applies to misinformation, too.
By Joshua Benton
To find readers for longform investigations, Public Health Watch leans on partners and in-person work
Nonprofit newsrooms are competing for limited funding and attention spans, grappling with diminishing returns on social, and trying to address low trust in media. It’s forcing outlets large and small to adapt to survive.
By Sarah Scire
Could social media support healthy online conversations? New_ Public is working on it
“We talk to a lot of towns where there is no newspaper anymore; there’s no community center anymore; the town store shut down. And this is kind of it.”
By Sophie Culpepper
Mashable, PC Mag, and Lifehacker win unprecedented AI protections in new union contract
Ziff Davis can’t lay off workers or decrease their salary due to generative AI, according to the tentative contract.
By Andrew Deck
Bloomberg Businessweek’s editor believes print remains the ultimate “distraction-free news product”
“I’ve joked about Businessweek(ish); I don’t think that one was really considered.”
By Sarah Scire
The Copa, Euro, and Wimbledon finals collide on July 14. Here’s how The Athletic is preparing for its “biggest day ever.”
The Athletic intends to use its live coverage as a “shop window,” giving new readers a taste of what they might get if they subscribed.
By Neel Dhanesha
Making sense of science: Using LLMs to help reporters understand complex research
Can AI models save reporters time in figuring out an unfamiliar field’s jargon?
By Sachita Nishal
Are you willing to pay for CNN.com? Prepare to be asked before year’s end
The cable news network plans to launch a new subscription product — details TBD — by the end of 2024. Will Mark Thompson repeat his New York Times success, or is CNN too different a brand to get people spending?
By Joshua Benton
Errol Morris on whether you should be afraid of generative AI in documentaries
“Our task is to get back to the real world, to the extent that it is recoverable.”
By Andrew Deck
In the world’s tech capital, Gazetteer SF is staying off platforms to produce good local journalism
“Thank goodness that the mandate will never be to look what’s getting the most Twitter likes.”
By Hanaa' Tameez
You’re more likely to believe fake news shared by someone you barely know than by your best friend
“The strength of weak ties” applies to misinformation, too.
By Joshua Benton
Could social media support healthy online conversations? New_ Public is working on it
“We talk to a lot of towns where there is no newspaper anymore; there’s no community center anymore; the town store shut down. And this is kind of it.”
Mashable, PC Mag, and Lifehacker win unprecedented AI protections in new union contract
Ziff Davis can’t lay off workers or decrease their salary due to generative AI, according to the tentative contract.
What We’re Reading
BBC / Matt Murphy and Robert Greenall
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges
His employer, The Wall Street Journal, has been advocating for his release and called the verdict a “disgraceful, sham conviction.” The BBC reports that “Russian observers say a quick conviction could mean that an exchange is imminent. According to Russian judicial practice, an exchange generally requires a verdict to already be in place.”
The New York Times / Sapna Maheshwari and Ken Bensinger
Carlos Espina is a one-man Telemundo on TikTok
“Despite having more TikTok followers than Beyoncé or Reese Witherspoon, he has received little attention in the national press, perhaps because his videos are mainly in Spanish. But he drew attention last month with videos that he filmed with President Biden as he announced two new immigration measures.”
The Verge / Jay Peters
Google’s AI results are showing up less frequently in searches, a study found
“The data, collected by BrightEdge and reported on by Search Engine Land, suggests that Al Overviews dropped from appearing in 11 percent of queries on June 1 to 7 percent of queries on June 30. BrightEdge’s data also indicates that Al Overviews cite Reddit and Quora dramatically less than they did before.”
Reuters / Keith Weir and Gavin Jones
An Italian journalist has been ordered to pay the prime minister €5,000 for a tweet…calling her short
“The journalist, Giulia Cortese, was also given a suspended fine of 1,200 euros for a jibe on Twitter, now named X, in Oct. 2021 about [PM Giorgia] Meloni’s height, that was defined as ‘body shaming’…A high number of lawsuits brought against journalists was cited this year by Reporters Without Borders, which relegated Italy five places to 46th in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.”
Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
The London free daily Metro has gone from “in no way sustainable” to profitable
“We give the people what they want. We don’t take ourselves too seriously when appropriate. I think it’s Metro’s role to provide the UK with access to free, impartial and trustworthy news. But it’s news and entertainment.”
The Verge / Emma Roth
Instagram will help researchers study if it’s hurting teen mental health
“Researchers will gain access to Instagram data for up to six months, which may include information on how many accounts a teen follows, how much they use Instagram, their account settings, and more. However, Meta notes it won’t provide access to a user’s demographic information, nor will it include the contents of their posts, comments, or messages.”
The Guardian / Deborah Cole
Germany bans “rightwing extremist” Compact magazine
“…accusing it of whipping up “unspeakable” hatred of Jews, Muslims and foreigners while undermining the country’s constitutional democracy. In what she called a “hard blow” against the far right, the interior minister, Nancy Faeser, ordered dawn raids in four German states at properties linked to the publication, which is ideologically close to the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and promotes its drive for power.”
Deadline / Anthony D'Alessandro
Warner Bros Discovery is mulling splitting its TV networks (like CNN) from its streaming businesses
“The notion of a WBD split could see [up to $39 billion in] debt stay with linear networks, while the growing OTT service could hit a higher valuation multiple and be given the potential to invest in its growth, per FT.”
The New York Times / Michael M. Grynbaum
Is Maddow in Milwaukee? No, that’s an LED screen on MSNBC.
“The arrangement — which several veteran television news producers described as unorthodox — has created something of a trompe l’oeil effect. A casual glance at the screen would suggest that MSNBC’s top anchors were covering the convention in person.”
Om Malik
Taboola + Apple News? No thanks
“For over a decade, I have been critical of Taboola (and its one-time rival, Outbrain), equating them to the internet’s venereal disease that never goes away. In 2017, when the two companies merged, it became clear that what was the herpes of the internet was mutating into a superbug. I said as much on Twitter. Well, that day has come, and even Apple is now infected.”
Nieman Lab is a project to try to help figure out where the news is headed in the Internet age. Sign up for The Digest, our daily email with all the freshest future-of-journalism news.