Need to Know
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism
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You might have heard . . .
BuzzFeed encourages reporters to write more stories in attempt to turn profit (Wall Street Journal)
. . . but did you know:
Two out of three journalists have been impacted by economic uncertainty (Muck Rack)
A new Muck Rack survey polled more than 2,200 journalists about the current state of the industry and its future. The survey found that one in five journalists switched jobs or made a career change due to the economy, while layoffs and furloughs have increased the workload for 20% of respondents. Other concerns about the industry include a lack of funding, trust in journalism and time to thoughtfully cover stories — but more than half of respondents were optimistic about the journalism profession.
+ Noted: How to use the lesson the media learned about Trump now (Slate); The new push to make Google and Facebook pay for journalism (CNET)
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API is hiring a web applications engineer
The Web Applications Engineer is a member of the Product Strategy team, which works at the intersection of journalism and product to help news organizations navigate the needs of being effective, successful digital organizations. Candidates should have two to four years of experience in a developer role. We will consider remote candidates anywhere in the continental United States, as well as those who prefer to work in and/or want to relocate to our office.
API offers free Google Analytics 4 training for newsrooms
API’s Product Strategy team is here to ensure that your transition from Google Universal Analytics (GUA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is successful and that you’re capturing the data that is most useful to your newsroom. The first workshop this Friday will focus on using Google Tag Manager, and the second workshop on March 24 will explain how to set up key events to focus on tracking subscribers, members and general visitors who make up your audiences. Sign up here.
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Publishers move past seeing social media platforms as traffic drivers (Digiday)
As social media continues to diversify and fluctuate, publishers are grappling with whether to use the platforms as traffic drivers or brand builders. Vice Media Group uses social media and original platform-specific content to connect with audiences who aren’t seeking out their websites. Notably, advertisers’ interest in sponsored content and custom video to share on TikTok and Instagram Reels has grown in the past six months, and Sara Guaglione writes that Vice is pursuing an advertising model for vertical platforms.
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Why counting bylines is important (Columbia Journalism Review)
Andrea Grimes, a journalist who launched the Texas Writers Byline Scan two years ago, detailed what she’s learned about the Texas media ecosystem while looking at writers’ racial and gender identities and where they’re located. A dozen of the 14 publications surveyed in 2022 published a majority of white writers, despite the fact that the majority of Texans are Hispanic. Grimes learned to glean identity data from writers themselves, not their publications, and has realized that a long-term commitment to the project is essential for quality data.
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Forced out from print and airwaves, news media in Venezuela shift to digital to survive (Reuters Institute)
In Venezuela, more than 60 newspapers have shut down since 2013 and 285 radio stations have gone off air since 2003 due to government pressure or lack of funds. The government’s targeting of news outlets often leaves organizations only two options: shut down or get bought off to alter their coverage of government policies. In response, there has been a surge of independent journalism online, both due to a forced migration from traditional formats and to avoid censorship. But finding funding and navigating firewalls continues to affect Venezuela’s media ecosystem.
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Federal investigators examined Trump Media for possible money laundering, sources say (The Guardian)
New York prosecutors have started investigating whether Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, violated money laundering statutes when it accepted $8 million in loans with suspected Russian ties. The social media company first came under criminal investigation after a potential merger. The two loans under investigation were wired through the Caribbean through two obscure entities who may have ties to an ally of Vladimir Putin.
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It’s time for the media to stop mincing words (Newsweek)
Journalists’ adherence to impartiality can turn into a minefield when navigating word choices on a polarizing topic. But when the names of things are disputed, former AP reporter Dan Perry asks how anyone can report the truth. The phenomenon is especially apparent in the way people talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Perry writes — should the foreign press describe recent proposed legislation as “judicial reform” or “systematic coup”?
+ Related: Axios fires Tampa Bay reporter Ben Montgomery after he replied to a press release about a Governor DeSantis event with, “This is propaganda, not a press release” (Twitter, @charlottetklein)
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