I have written on journalism and media trends eariler few years ago. So it is time for update. What is the state of journalism and news publishing in 2017? NiemanLab’s predictions for 2017 are a good place to start thinking about what lies ahead for journalism. There, Matt Waite puts us in our place straight away by telling us that the people running the media are the problem.
There has been changes on tech publishing. In January 2017 International Data Group, the owner of PCWorld magazine and market researcher IDC, on Thursday said it was being acquired by China Oceanwide Holdings Group and IDG Capital, the investment management firm run by IDG China executive Hugo Shong. In 2016 Arrow bought EE Times, EDN, TechOnline and lots more from UBM.
Here are some article links and information bits on journalist and media in 2017:
Soothsayers’ guides to journalism in 2017 article take a look at journalism predictions and the value of this year’s predictions.
What Journalism Needs To Do Post-Election article tells that faced with the growing recognition that the electorate was uniformed or, at minimum, deeply in the thrall of fake news, far too many journalists are responding not with calls for change but by digging in deeper to exactly the kinds of practices that got us here in the first place.
Fake News Is About to Get Even Scarier than You Ever Dreamed article says that what we saw in the 2016 election is nothing compared to what we need to prepare for in 2020 as incipient technologies appear likely to soon obliterate the line between real and fake.
Headlines matter article tells that in 2017, headlines will matter more than ever and journalists will need to wrest control of headline writing from social-optimization teams. People get their news from headlines now in a way they never did in the past.
Why new journalism grads are optimistic about 2017 article tells that since today’s college journalism students have been in school, the forecasts for their futures has been filled with words like “layoffs,” “cutbacks,” “buyouts” and “freelance.” Still many people are optimistic about the future because the main motivation for being a journalist is often “to make a difference.”
Updating social media account can be a serious job. Zuckerberg has 12+ Facebook employees helping him with posts and comments on his Facebook page and professional photographers to snap personal moments.
Wikipedia Is Being Ripped Apart By a Witch Hunt For Secretly Paid Editors article tells that with undisclosed paid editing on the rise, Wikipedians and the Wikimedia Foundation are working together to stop the practice without discouraging user participation. Paid editing is permissible under Wikimedia Foundation’s terms of use as long as they disclose these conflicts of interest on their user pages, but not all paid editors make these disclosures.
Big Internet giants are working on how to make content better for mobile devices. Instant Articles is a new way for any publisher to create fast, interactive articles on Facebook. Google’s AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is a project that it aims to accelerate content on mobile devices. Both of those systems have their advantages and problems.
Clearing Out the App Stores: Government Censorship Made Easier article tells that there’s a new form of digital censorship sweeping the globe, and it could be the start of something devastating. The centralization of the internet via app stores has made government censorship easier. If the app isn’t in a country’s app store, it effectively doesn’t exist. For more than a decade, we users of digital devices have actively championed an online infrastructure that now looks uniquely vulnerable to the sanctions of despots and others who seek to control information.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Alex Koppelman / CNN:
Social media took effective action when faced with a deluge of ISIS content years ago; big tech should take equally-large, public steps against white supremacy
The internet is radicalizing white men. Big tech could be doing more
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/17/tech/youtube-facebook-twitter-radicalization-new-zealand/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New York Times:
American officials citing intel reports say Jamal Khashoggi’s killing was part of a broad campaign to silence dissenters, authorized by MbS over a year before
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook:
Facebook says original Christchurch attack video was viewed <200 times during live broadcast; first user report came in 12 minutes after live broadcast ended — Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by the horrific terrorist attacks in Christchurch.
http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/03/update-on-new-zealand/
/ The Guardian: UK digital minister Margot James has raised concerns about the regulation of online live streaming in the aftermath of the New Zealand shootings
UK digital minister raises concerns over use of live streaming
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/18/uk-digital-minister-raises-concerns-use-live-streaming
Margot James says footage of Christchurch attack highlights issues around regulation
The digital minister, Margot James, has raised concerns about the regulation of online live streaming in the aftermath of the New Zealand shootings, in which an alleged terrorist broadcast footage of an attack on two mosques live on Facebook.
James, whose department is preparing to unveil the government’s proposals on tackling online harms, said she was unhappy that footage of the attack, which could never be allowed on traditional television channels, was easily available on social media.
“The tragic events in New Zealand last week have highlighted more issues, not least the ease with which intrusive, deeply offensive and very harmful content which contravenes every known broadcasting standard could be broadcast with such ease to a global audience,” she said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Honest Government Ad
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OL8a1YEhk_o
Tomi Engdahl says:
Education and Science Giant Elsevier Left Users’ Passwords Exposed Online
Due a to a misconfigured server, a researcher found a constant stream of Elsevier users’ passwords.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/vbw8b9/elsevier-user-passwords-exposed-online
Elsevier, the company behind scientific journals such as The Lancet, left a server open to the public internet, exposing user email addresses and passwords. The impacted users include people from universities and educational institutions from across the world.
It’s not entirely clear how long the server was exposed or how many accounts were impacted, but it provided a rolling list of passwords as well as password reset links when a user requested to change their login credentials.
“Most users are .edu [educational institute] accounts, either students or teachers,” Mossab Hussein, chief security officer at cybersecurity company SpiderSilk who found the issue, told Motherboard in an online chat. “They could be using the same password for their emails, iCloud, etc.”
Elsevier is controversial, after acquiring a number of platforms that distributed academic material for free. Profit-driven Elsevier’s legal threats against other sites that openly host millions of scientific papers have forced them to go into the digital underground, and distribute their material with the protection of the Tor anonymity network. Some universities have boycotted Elsevier.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facebook settles with ACLU over allegedly discriminatory ads for employment, housing, and credit, paying ~$5M and making changes to prevent discrimination
ACLU reaches settlement with Facebook over discriminatory ads
https://www.axios.com/aclu-reaches-settlement-with-facebook-over-ad-discrimination–f91778c9-d594-401d-8f57-5373663d857d.html
New York Times:
Facebook announces that it would stop allowing ad targeting to race, gender, and age groups in the housing, jobs, or credit categories by the end of the year — After years of criticism, Facebook announced on Tuesday that it would stop allowing advertisers in key categories to show …
Facebook Halts Ad Targeting Cited in Bias Complaints
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/technology/facebook-discrimination-ads.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
AAP:
Some Australian telcos have blocked access to 4chan, 8chan, Voat, Zerohedge, and video hosting platform Liveleak for continuing to host Christchurch footage
Telcos block access to 4chan, other sites
https://www.9news.com.au/2019/03/19/16/47/telcos-block-access-to-4chan-liveleak
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
House Homeland Security Committee chair seeks briefings from the CEOs of Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube on their responses to the Christchurch attack
House Homeland Security chair calls on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Microsoft to explain the spread of mosque shooting video
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/19/rep-bennie-thompson-asks-tech-to-explain-mosque-shooting-video-spread.html
House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson wrote to the CEOs of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Microsoft requesting a briefing next week on the spread of violent content on their platforms.
Thompson’s request follows Friday’s mosque shootings in New Zealand, where a suspected shooter livestreamed a video of one of the attacks, which was later shared repeatedly on tech platforms.
Thompson said tech companies must display the same transparency around how they handle all forms of violent extremism, not just that of ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jane Lytvynenko / BuzzFeed News:
As platforms crack down on other forms of hate, experts and researchers say anti-Muslim bigotry has spread unchecked on Facebook and other social networks
Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Is Absolutely Relentless On Social Media Even As Platforms Crack Down On Other Extremist Groups
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/islamophobia-absolutely-relentless-social-media
“Islamophobia happens to be something that made these companies lots and lots of money,” said one researcher, who added that it keeps people on the platform and available to see ads.
Charlie Warzel / New York Times:
Instead of focusing only on moderation, the debate around New Zealand massacre should look at how platforms incentivize and provide infrastructure for extremism — It’s time for a real conversation about the infrastructure and incentives that Big Tech provides far-right extremists.
We’re Asking the Wrong Questions of YouTube and Facebook After New Zealand
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/opinion/facebook-youtube-new-zealand.html
It’s time for a real conversation about the infrastructure and incentives that Big Tech provides far-right extremists.
Late Saturday night, Facebook shared some dizzying statistics that begin to illustrate the scale of the online impact of the New Zealand massacre as the gunman’s video spread across social media.
According to the social network, the graphic, high-definition video of the attack was uploaded by users 1.5 million times in the first 24 hours. Of those 1.5 million copies of the video, Facebook’s automatic detection systems automatically blocked 1.2 million. That left roughly 300,000 copies ricocheting around the platform to be viewed, liked, shared and commented on by Facebook’s more than two billion users.
YouTube dealt with a similar deluge. As The Washington Post reported Monday, YouTube took “unprecedented steps” to stanch the flow of copies of the video that were mirrored, re-uploaded and, in some cases, repackaged and edited to elude moderation filters.
In the hours after the shooting, one YouTube executive revealed that new uploads of the attacker’s livestream appeared on the platform “as quickly as one per second.”
The volume of the uploads is staggering — for what it says about the power of the platforms and our collective desire to share horrific acts of violence. How footage of the murder of at least 50 innocent people was broadcast and distributed globally dredges up some deeply uncomfortable questions for the biggest social networks, including the existential one: Is the ability to connect at such speed and scale a benefit or a detriment to the greater good?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Media Matters for America:
Despite Alex Jones’ YouTube ban, an account posting only InfoWars content, called Resistance News, had millions of views, before YouTube took it down today
Alex Jones has a secondary YouTube channel where he claims the New Zealand mosque shootings were a false flag
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/03/19/alex-jones-has-secondary-youtube-channel-where-he-claims-new-zealand-mosque-shootings-were-false/223170
The channel has posted several videos promoting conspiracy theories about the mass shootings carried out by a white supremacist at two New Zealand mosques on March 15. In a video posted on March 18, Jones suggested the shooting was a “false flag” and played distressing footage from the gunman’s livestreamed video of the moments leading up to his attack.
Jones said that the gunman “has an intelligence agent cutout and he says he wants to cause a global civil war. Well, that’s the definition of a false flag is when you stage something to blame someone else or to get a desired political outcome.” He then played a clip of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh pushing the false flag conspiracy theory.
Despite YouTube’s attempt to enforce its ban against Jones and Infowars, the conspiracy theorist remains a large presence on the video-sharing platform.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Patreon will offer creators three new plans beginning in May, with fees ranging from 5-12%, but existing creators can keep their current pricing model
Patreon now offers creators 3 plans, with fees ranging from 5-12%
https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/19/patreon-now-offers-creators-3-plans-with-fees-ranging-from-5-12/
Patreon, a subscription and donation platform that lets YouTubers and other creators earn money for their online content, thank you announced a major deviation in its monetization model.
Up until now, Patreon took a set 5 percent cut from all processed payments, while there are additional processing and payout fees. Moving forward, Patreon will offer three creator plans with a range of features and prices. Wary of blowback, however, Patreon is quick to stress that these changes won’t impact existing creators, which is why they will be kept on their current pricing and payment processing rates.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Baby boomers share nearly seven times as many ‘fake news’ articles on Facebook than anyone else, new study finds
https://nordic.businessinsider.com/baby-boomers-more-likely-to-share-fake-news-on-facebook-study-2019-1?utm_content=buffer3934e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-ti&r=US&IR=T
A new study by researchers at Princeton and New York University found that people over 65 years old were far more likely to share intentionally false or misleading information on Facebook than all other adults.
“No other demographic characteristic seems to have a consistent effect on sharing fake news, making our age finding that much more notable,” wrote the authors of the study, which was published in Science Advances on Thursday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Www:n keksijä: Netti on kehittynyt monissa asioissa ihan vääriin suuntiin
https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/www-n-keksija-netti-on-kehittynyt-monissa-asioissa-ihan-vaariin-suuntiin-6761209
Tällä viikolla 30 vuotta täyttäneen internetin tulevaisuudesta käydään kovaa vääntöä. Netti on kehittynyt monissa asioissa ihan vääriin suuntiin ja tavalla, joita World Wide Webin keksijäkään ei olisi osannut etukäteen ennustaa.
“Vuosien varrella internet on muuttunut dramaattisesti ja tavalla, jota kukaan ei olisi osannut ennustaa. Verkon moniin hienoihin asioihin kuuluvat Wikipedia ja blogit, mutta näiden vastapainoksi netissä on myös todella ilkeitä ilmiöitä”, Sir Tim sanoi juhlapuheessaan.
The web in 30 years? It’ll be beyond our imagination, says Tim Berners-Lee
https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-web-in-30-years-itll-be-beyond-our-imagination-says-tim-berners-lee/
Working out where the web will go next is hard. But figuring out where we would like it to go is a little easier, says the inventor of the world wide web.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Guy Rosen / Facebook:
Facebook says it blocked 800+ distinct variants of New Zealand shooting video, in contrast to ISIS-style propaganda which is not rebroadcast or reshared widely
A Further Update on New Zealand Terrorist Attack
https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/03/technical-update-on-new-zealand/
Tomi Engdahl says:
James Vincent / The Verge:
Four European Wikipedia sites are blocking access and directing users to contact their EU representatives on March 21 to protest the copyright directive — Sites including Reddit, Twitch, and PornHub are also encouraging users in the EU to contact local politicians
European Wikipedias have been turned off for the day to protest dangerous copyright laws
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/21/18275462/eu-copyright-directive-protest-wikipedia-twitch-pornhub-final-vote
Sites including Reddit, Twitch, and PornHub are also encouraging users in the EU to contact local politicians
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside YouTube’s struggles to shut down video of the New Zealand shooting — and the humans who outsmarted its systems
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/03/18/inside-youtubes-struggles-shut-down-video-new-zealand-shooting-humans-who-outsmarted-its-systems/?utm_term=.b57ac1d9794b
As a grisly video recorded by the alleged perpetrator of Friday’s bloody massacres at two New Zealand mosques played out on YouTube and other social media, Neal Mohan, 3,700 miles away in San Bruno, Calif., had the sinking realization that his company was going to be overmatched — again.
Mohan, YouTube’s chief product officer, had assembled his war room — a group of senior executives known internally as “incident commanders” who jump into crises, such as when footage of a suicide or shooting spreads online.
The team worked through the night, trying to identify and remove tens of thousands of videos — many repackaged or recut versions of the original footage that showed the horrific murders. As soon as the group took down one, another would appear, as quickly as one per second in the hours after the shooting, Mohan said in an interview.
As its efforts faltered, the team finally took unprecedented steps — including temporarily disabling several search functions and cutting off human review features to speed the removal of videos flagged by automated systems. Many of the new clips were altered in ways that outsmarted the company’s detection systems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alphabet-made Chrome extension is designed to tune out toxic comments
It uses AI to moderate comments on YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and Disqus
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/3/14/18265851/alphabet-google-jigsaw-tune-chrome-extension
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Di Stefano / BuzzFeed:
Leaked docs show a pro-Corbyn “alt left” news site Evolve Politics is paying freelance journalists as little as £10 an article plus slice of digital ad revenue
Leaked Documents Show A Pro-Corbyn Website Pays Journalists As Little As £21 Per Article
https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/evolve-politics-leaked-documents-21-pounds-article
The owners of Evolve Politics have a “pay-per-click” model with writers getting a fee of £10 plus a share of their article’s ad revenue.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Being An Instagram Influencer Is Hard Work, So This Guy Made A Bot To Do It For Him
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/automated-instagram-influencer-bot-free-meals
A data engineer who created a 100% automated Instagram account to earn free meals at restaurants looking for promotion is offering his services to clients too.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Influenced Midterm Elections, May Have Cost Republicans Seats: Study
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-22/google-influenced-midterm-elections-may-have-cost-republicans-seats-study
Tomi Engdahl says:
What’s the cost of buying users from Facebook and 13 other ad networks?
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/22/extra-crunch-whats-the-cost-of-buying-users-from-facebook-and-the-other-ad-networks/
Google Search, Google Shopping, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Quora, Snapchat, LinkedIn & more
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Rahoittaa Suomalaista Innovaatiota, Joka Torjuu Digitaalisen Median Asiakaskatoa Tunneälyn Avulla
http://www.inspiraatio.mediaparkki.com/2019/03/21/google-rahoittaa-suomalaista-innovaatiota-joka-torjuu-digitaalisen-median-asiakaskatoa-tunnealyn-avulla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook says the original New Zealand shooter video was viewed about 4,000 times before removal
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/18/facebook-says-the-original-new-zealand-shooter-video-was-viewed-about-4000-times-before-removal/
Tomi Engdahl says:
I’m 14, and I quit social media after discovering what was posted about me
https://www.fastcompany.com/90315706/kids-parents-social-media-sharing
When 8th grader Sonia Bokhari joined social media for the first time, she discovered that her mom and sister had been posting about her for her entire life.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James Williams
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/13/the-adversarial-persuasion-machine-a-conversation-with-james-williams/
The attention economy, Twitter, reverse censorship, and fighting AI for our human future
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Do People Believe In Pseudoscience?
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2019/03/why-do-people-believe-in-pseudoscience/?fbclid=IwAR2CcZj0byfSliCDsVCWmsX8AANF5bEW8ZeTaG8FM4Rfo7ard20eCpH41uY
It’s difficult to change someone’s mind if they have anything like a strong opinion on the risks of vaccination, or the usefulness of orbs and essential oils in the treatment of late-stage liver cancer. But if you’re ever going to stand a chance of doing so, you’re going to need to wipe the rage-spittle off your face and set about the hard, not especially rewarding work of trying to understand these people.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emma Best:
In-depth profile of Maksym Igor Popov, an infamous Ukrainian hacker whose stated goal was to create conflict and cyberwar between nations using disinformation
Leaker, Liar, Hacker, Hoaxer: The Russian contractor who infiltrated Anonymous
https://emma.best/2019/03/20/the-russian-contractor-who-infiltrated-anonymous/
ears before the Russian-operated persona Guccifer 2.0 appeared on the internet to claim they were a hacktivist responsible for the DNC breach, a hacker with alleged ties to the Russian government used similar obfuscation strategies. Using numerous false identities and several distribution platforms, they released hacked materials, both genuine and forged, while often lying about the real documents’ provenance. In 2016, refined versions of these tactics would infamously be used by the linked and Russian sponsored fronts Guccifer 2.0, DCLeaks and CyberBerkut.
According to leaked evidence collected by the FBI in one of the WikiLeaks investigations, the hacker’s stated goal was to sow disinformation and create conspiracies that would increase international tensions. In one exchange with an FBI informant known as Sabu, the Russian hacker/alleged contractor described a plan for a false flag cyberattack that aimed to start a “real cyberwar.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Robert Peck / Wired:
A moderator for the /r/aww, a cute animal subreddit with 19M subscribers, details his processes for identifying and banning bots, trolls, and propagandists
The Punishing Ecstasy of Being a Reddit Moderator
https://www.wired.com/story/the-punishing-ecstasy-of-being-a-reddit-moderator/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Blocks More Accounts Over Influence Campaigns
https://www.securityweek.com/facebook-blocks-more-accounts-over-influence-campaigns
Facebook said Tuesday it shut down more than 2,600 fake accounts linked to Iran, Russia, Macedonia and Kosovo and aiming to influence political sentiment in various parts of the world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Memo: Microsoft’s marketing chief Chris Capossela tells employees not to engage in any public-facing April Fool’s Day pranks because of “unwanted news cycles”
Microsoft leads the way in banning April Fools’ Day pranks
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/27/18283674/microsoft-april-fools-day-ban-pranks-internal-memo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Once again, Apple isn’t following its own advertising rules
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/27/18284628/apple-news-plus-auto-subscription-breaking-rules-how-to-cancel
The Apple News Plus subscription screen is the latest example of a double standard
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Brown / Reuters:
US Census Bureau has asked Google, Facebook, and Twitter for help protecting upcoming 2020 count from disinformation campaigns designed to dissuade participants
Exclusive: Fearful of fake news blitz, U.S. Census enlists help of tech giants
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-census-fakenews-exclusive/exclusive-fearful-of-fake-news-blitz-u-s-census-enlists-help-of-tech-giants-idUSKCN1R812S
The U.S. Census Bureau has asked tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter to help it fend off “fake news” campaigns it fears could disrupt the upcoming 2020 count, according to Census officials and multiple sources briefed on the matter.
The census, they said, is a powerful target because it shapes U.S. election districts and the allocation of more than $800 billion a year in federal spending.
“We expect that (the census) will be a target for those sorts of efforts in 2020,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Casey Newton / The Verge:
The EU’s Copyright Directive, with its controversial Article 11 and 13 provisions, has the potential to further fracture the open web based on location
Europe is splitting the internet into three
How the Copyright Directive reshapes the open web
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/27/18283541/european-union-copyright-directive-internet-article-13
Tomi Engdahl says:
Motherboard:
Facebook says it will ban white nationalist and white separatist content, pointing users to nonprofits, after initially only banning white supremacist content
Facebook Bans White Nationalism and White Separatism
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nexpbx/facebook-bans-white-nationalism-and-white-separatism
After a civil rights backlash, Facebook will now treat white nationalism and separatism the same as white supremacy, and will direct users who try to post that content to a nonprofit that helps people leave hate groups.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Don’t change your Twitter birthday to 2007 unless you want to get kicked off for being under 13
You can’t actually unlock new color schemes!
https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/3/26/18282942/twitter-birthday-prank-2007-13-color-scheme
A viral prank trying to get people to change their Twitter birthdays to 2007 is getting users locked out of the platform for being under 13. The prank tweets tell users that changing the Twitter birthdays on their profiles will do everything from unlocking new color schemes, getting them admin privileges, or even a verified check. It gives me great pain to have to narc on a solid prank, but this won’t actually happen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digitaalinen kaksoisolento voi sabotoida vaaleja tai kiristää rahaa väärentämällä kostopornoa
https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/digitaalinen-kaksoisolento-voi-sabotoida-vaaleja-tai-kiristaa-rahaa-vaarentamalla-kostopornoa-6762133
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook bans white nationalism, white separatism on its platforms
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-hatespeech/facebook-bans-white-nationalism-white-separatism-on-its-platforms-idUSKCN1R81ZH
Tomi Engdahl says:
April Glaser / Slate:
ISPs that block access to sites hosting the Christchurch shooting video set a worrisome precedent that ISPs may put up barriers between customers and content
Where to Draw the Line on Deplatforming
https://slate.com/technology/2019/03/new-zealand-shooting-8chan-isps-block-facebook-youtube.html
Facebook and YouTube were right to delete the video shot by the New Zealand shooter. Internet providers were wrong to try to do it, too.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will Oremus / Slate:
How a 119-word local crime brief amassed more than 800K Facebook shares, nearly twice as many as any other piece of English-language content this year so far
How a 119-Word Local Crime Brief Became Facebook’s Most-Shared Story of 2019
A tale of accidental virality in the age of algorithms.
https://slate.com/technology/2019/03/facebook-most-viral-story-texas-child-predator.html
On an otherwise ordinary Sunday in late January, a 32-year-old web editor for a chain of local radio stations in Central Texas ran across a news item that he found interesting. Ten minutes later, he had written and published what would become Facebook’s most-shared story of 2019 so far.
Exactly how this news stub went mega-viral is a mystery no one has quite solved, though there are clues, starting with its alarming yet geographically ambiguous headline: “Suspected Human Trafficker, Child Predator May Be in Our Area.” At a time when fortunes can be built and lost on Facebook traffic, the story’s wild success might seem like a bizarre accident, a glitch in the system. But it also suggests that, for all of Facebook’s efforts to improve its news feed over the years, the social network remains as capricious and opaque an information source as ever.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rob Price / Business Insider:
Facebook says it “mistakenly deleted” some of Zuckerberg’s old Facebook posts that were public and reported on, including a post about the Instagram acquisition
Years of Mark Zuckerberg’s old Facebook posts have vanished. The company says it ‘mistakenly deleted’ them.
https://www.businessinsider.in/years-of-mark-zuckerbergs-old-facebook-posts-have-vanished-the-company-says-it-mistakenly-deleted-them-/articleshow/68639574.cms
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sheryl Sandberg says Facebook is ‘exploring’ restrictions following Christchurch attacks
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/30/sheryl-sandberg-says-facebook-is-exploring-restrictions-following-christchurch-attacks/
The first of part of the deadliest mass shooting in modern new Zealand history was live-streamed on Facebook by the attacker.
Facebook has largely stayed silent on the matter in the intervening two weeks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook’s dirty work in Ireland: ‘I had to watch footage of a person being beaten to death’
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/facebook-s-dirty-work-in-ireland-i-had-to-watch-footage-of-a-person-being-beaten-to-death-1.3841743?mode=amp
WORKERS IN DUBLIN ARE PAID TO WATCH DISTURBING MATERIAL ON FACEBOOK – SO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO. BUT AT WHAT COST TO THEMSELVES? MEET THE CONTENT MODERATORS…
Gray was part of an army of about 15,000 people in 20 locations around the world, whose job it is to decide what content should be allowed to stay on Facebook, what should be left up and marked as “disturbing”, and what should be deleted
Tomi Engdahl says:
Columbia Journalism Review:
Survey: 19 out of 21 news organizations studied had no documented policies for preservation of their web content and none were preserving social media posts
A Public Record at Risk: The Dire State of News Archiving in the Digital Age
https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/the-dire-state-of-news-archiving-in-the-digital-age.php
This research report explores archiving practices and policies across newspapers, magazines, wire services, and digital-only news producers, with the aim of identifying the current state of archiving and potential strategies for preserving content in an age of digital distribution. Between March 2018 and January 2019, we conducted interviews with 48 individuals from 30 news organizations and preservation initiatives.
What we found was that the majority of news outlets had not given any thought to even basic strategies for preserving their digital content, and not one was properly saving a holistic record of what it produces. Of the 21 news organizations in our study, 19 were not taking any protective steps at all to archive their web output. The remaining two lacked formal strategies to ensure that their current practices have the kind of longevity to outlast changes in technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Statt / The Verge:
One week with Apple News+: it is great value for those who enjoy reading magazines but its design and news delivery mechanisms are messy and inconsistent
One week with Apple News Plus: a messy but good-enough Netflix for magazines
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/1/18287637/apple-news-plus-review-subscription-magazine-service-pricing-features
Are more magazines than you could ever reliably read worth $120 a year?
Tomi Engdahl says:
CENSORED! Words & Phrases You’re NOT Allowed To Say Anymore | 2019 Edition
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=i_UZEUSbKGQ
This is a PSA (Progressive Service Announcement). We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of words, phrases and “microaggressions” you’re NOT allowed to say anymore. Watch the video to protect yourself from saying the wrong thing!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Craig Roberts Rages: Western Culture Has Died A Politically Correct Death
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-31/paul-craig-roberts-rages-western-culture-has-died-politically-correct-death
It is amazing the power that politically correct kooks have acquired over language, art, and literature. It is a sign that the West is culturally dead.
When high museums rename paintings because some emotional weakling declares the name to be offensive, it becomes obvious that the custodians of Western culture have lost their belief in Western culture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frederic Filloux / Monday Note:
By joining Apple News +, the US magazine industry could lose 50% of its revenue per reader, with ARPU dropping from $120 per year per reader to $59
Apple News+ could lead to a massive value destruction for the magazine industry
https://mondaynote.com/apple-news-could-lead-to-a-massive-value-destruction-for-the-magazine-industry-752d297bffe
Apple digital kiosk is a terrible deal for the news industry. No wonder most newspaper publishers won’t join.
To assess the impact of a fully deployed AppleNews+ I did the following calculation.
In the United States, the magazine industry generates annual revenue of $27B, a loss of more than 40 percent in ten years.
Divided by 225 million readers of magazines (according to the trade association), the Average Revenue per User (ARPU) amounts to $120 per reader and per year, all sources included.
The revenue promised by Apple News+ is $9.9 a month => $119 a year. Minus Apple’s 50 percent cut, it gives a net income per reader of $59.
➜ By joining Apple News+, the US magazine industry will lose 50 percent of its revenue per reader.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:
Sources: YouTube execs ignored internal warnings, concerns about the spread of toxic videos, and proposals to change recommendations, in favor of engagement — A year ago, Susan Wojcicki was on stage to defend YouTube. Her company, hammered for months for fueling falsehoods online …
YouTube Executives Ignored Warnings, Letting Toxic Videos Run Rampant
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-04-02/youtube-executives-ignored-warnings-letting-toxic-videos-run-rampant
Proposals to change recommendations and curb conspiracies were sacrificed for engagement, staff say.
Ben Makuch / Motherboard:
In wake of Christchurch shooting, YouTube still hosts neo-Nazi propaganda and podcasts; after an inquiry, it demonetized several videos but did not delete them
YouTube Decides to Leave Neo-Nazi Propaganda Online
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mbzzzx/youtube-decides-to-leave-neo-nazi-propaganda-online
Neo-Nazi propaganda, podcasts, and audiobooks continue to exist on YouTube. Even when alerted to their existence, the platform demonetized and removed some features from them, but did not delete the videos.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pranav Dixit / BuzzFeed News:
Facebook says it removed over 800 Indian and Pakistani Pages, accounts, and Groups for spreading misinformation and propaganda, ahead of India’s election — NEW DELHI — Facebook and Instagram removed more than 800 political pages, accounts, and groups in India and Pakistan for spreading misinformation …
Facebook Removed Hundreds Of Indian And Pakistani Political Pages For Spreading Bad Information Before India’s Elections
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/facebook-removes-indian-pakistani-political-accounts-pages
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook’s Call for Global Internet Regulation Sparks Debate
https://www.securityweek.com/facebooks-call-global-internet-regulation-sparks-debate
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg’s call for “globally harmonized” online regulation raises questions about how internet platforms can deal with concerns about misinformation and abusive content while remaining open to free speech.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Sources: more than 200,000 people subscribed to Apple News+ in its first 48 hours, more than Texture had at its peak — Executives have been burned by their previous dealings with big tech companies. But Apple’s promise of a billion devices worldwide was too good to pass up. Even for Rupert Murdoch.
Media Companies Take a Big Gamble on Apple
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/business/media/media-companies-take-a-big-gamble-on-apple.html
Executives have been burned by their previous dealings with big tech companies. But Apple’s promise of a billion devices worldwide was too good to pass up. Even for Rupert Murdoch.