Category: Journalism
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Surprise! The News Reporter Is AI
Surprise reveal at the end of UK Channel 4’s documentary Will AI Take My Job? The news reports (presenter) was…actually AI. “AI is going to touch everybody’s lives in the next few years. And for some, it will take their jobs. Call centre workers? Customer service agents? Maybe even TV…
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Coming Soon: Major Changes in the Broadcast TV Industry
We’re about to see a major shift in broadcast TV unlike anything we’ve seen before. Big statement, but it’s true if a few things fall into place. While radio consolidated years ago, letting big ownership groups control a significant number of stations in a marketplace, the FCC has limited anyone…
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Bill Defends Reporters’ Communication Records Against Government Seizure
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) released new legislation to protect reporters and journalists against unnecessary government surveillance that can chill First Amendment activities. SUMMARY OF BILL TEXT OF BILL Wyden proposed these new legal restrictions on government surveillance of reporters following recent revelations about the Trump administration’s abusive, politicized surveillance…
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Why Do People Pay for Live Television? News.
We’ve heard so much about cord-cutting in the past few years. As streaming has increased, broadband-only homes are on the rise and now make up as much as 37% of homes, according to Kagan. If you’re wondering why those still paying for satellite or cable haven’t joined the cord-cutter movement,…
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Facebook Threatens to Stop Allowing News Sharing over Pending Legislation in Australia
Facebook is publicly ramping up the battle with the Australian government over pending legislation that would force it to pay royalties for use of copyrighted news content. It’s a battle being watched closely in both media and tech circles because the implications go farther than just what’s happening in Australia.…
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Changing Consumption Habits During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Remember all the headlines about the death of network news? It turns out the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir is the #1 program on television right now. It’s not just the #1 news program; it’s the #1 program period – beating everything in prime time. During the coronavirus…
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Senators Ask for Relief for Journalists Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
“Local news is in a state of crisis,” said a letter written by a group of 19 Senators in a letter to Senate leadership. The senators warn that the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – including plummeting advertising revenue – could decimate local and regional news outlets even as…
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Trust in News Sources: The Great Political Divide
Americans may be more polarized than ever when it comes to news about politics. While that may not be a shocker, we now have hard data to show just how it plays out and the differences between party affiliation and trust in news organizations. The research from Pew Research Center…
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Morning Consult Poll: Only 8% Trust News Media to Do the Right Things
When you look at the top line results of the survey from Morning Consult, it’s scary. Only 8% of American have a lot of trust in the news media. Media does better than just a few others: The US Government, Wall Street, and Hollywood which rank at the bottom of…
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Photos of men appear twice as often as women in news stories
A new study by the folks at the Pew Research Center turned up an interesting finding: Men appears twice as often as women when it comes to being featured in news photos on Facebook. The research group analyzed posting from 17 national new outlets with at least 20 million unique…
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Sunshine Law request results in $82,000 bill for public records search
Group seeks information on how dogs are being used in research by Universities The Beagle Freedom Project is an animal rights activist group that’s filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri. The suit has to do with its claim that the University is violating the state’s Sunshine Laws. The group’s been…
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Overall trust in news is up significantly: Local TV News is the most trusted source
More people trust local TV news than any other source. That’s the key finding in the latest Poynter Media Trust Survey. Trust in the media overall, the report shows, has increased since President Trump took office. The survey shows similar results to a Gallup poll and a survey done for The…
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Journalism shouldn’t be dangerous — but it is now
When newsrooms need to lock their doors, their ability to serve their readers and viewers is sadly impeded I became a journalist, in part, because I was able to walk through the unlocked rear door of my hometown newspaper directly into the newsroom unchallenged and unimpeded. In the immediate…
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In this era of “Fake News,” TV News is still rated as most accurate by all parties
Despite all the cries about fake news, and people’s concerns, there’s one place they still trust for the most accurate political information: Television. All parties to the political debate are concerned about the amount of fake news on social media, according to a survey done by the Video Advertising Bureau.…
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Social Media falling out of favor as a news source
Reuters Institute surveyed more than 74,000 people in 37 countries about where they get their news online. What they found is that social media is quickly falling out of favor for news consumption after years of continuous growth. “For the last seven years we have tracked the key sources for…
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When local media dies, government spending and waste increases
We have many real world examples to draw from when looking at newspaper shutdowns and the aftermath. A study from researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois/Chicago has been able to quantify the impact on the community, or at least the local government, and the…
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How Tom Brady, Danny Ainge, and Kevin Durant changed everything on the internet
You may remember the story at the heart of this legal case: NBA Superstar Kevin Durant was a free agent before joining the Golden State Warriors. The Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge was pulling out all stops to get Durant to head East and joint he Celtics. Ainge had called…
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Facebook expands its Breaking News test
Facebook is expanding its test group of local and national publishers that get to put that BREAKING NEWS banner on stories. It added another 50 this round based on the initial results of testing. “Drawing attention to breaking news on Facebook will help get important information to people when…
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Is Facebook looking at moving media content out of the news feed?
Facebook is thinking, apparently, about moving Page feeds out of the newsfeed everybody sees and moving them to a new Explore Feed that’s buried under the More menu on the mobile site. That means publishers and media companies that have spent years building an audience and gotten hooked on using…
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Nearly half of all Americans think the national media makes up stories about Trump
One more sign that the public’s trust in national media has eroded to a startling level. A revealing poll by POLITICO/Morning Consult shows considerable distrust of the national media. Overall, 46% believe the media fabricates news stories about President Trump and his administration. Only 37% say the media doesn’t make…
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TV still #1 choice for news consumption, but the gap is narrowing
Only a third trust social media as a news source Half of all Americans report they get their news on television, but the gap with online is narrowing. 43% now say they often get their news online. The gap is just 1 points, narrowing from 19 points in 2015, according to…
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Partisan views on media are more entrenched than ever
If anything, partisan views of the national news media have gotten even more entrenched… and the gap has widened, according to a national survey by Pew Research Center. While Democrat views on the impact of the national news media have grown more positive, Republicans have grown even more negative in their…
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Some good news for the newspaper industry
Here’s some good news for the newspaper industry. Gen Z (under 18), 18-24-year olds, and 30-34 years olds are increasing their readership. Comparing traditional newspaper use (either in print or online) with the same study done in 2015, Civic Science found a stark increase among the youngest demos. Newspapers may…
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A scary chart for the newspaper industry
The decline of U.S. newspaper has been well documented by now, but this chart from the American Enterprise Institute shows just how deep the cuts have been.
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Partisan views on media more entrenched than ever
If anything, partisan views of the national news media have gotten even more entrenched… and the gap has widened, according to a national survey by Pew Research Center. While Democrat views on the impact of the national news media have grown more positive, Republicans have grown even more negative in…
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We’ve got work to do: Majority of public thinks media is biased
Media folks, we’ve got a lot of work to do. The general public now believe overwhelmingly that news organizations are biases and subject to partisan agendas. We used to joke in newsrooms that if we had both Democrats and Republicans calling to complain about our story, we were probably OK,…
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Facebook discussing metered paywalls for publishers on platform
Publishers that have tried out Facebook’s Instant Articles have been pleased with the speed in which pages load, but not necessarily pleased about the economics. By keeping readers within Facebook’s walled garden, publishers didn’t see the activity translate directly to page views – and exposure to the accompanying ads. Ad…
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News organizations ask Congress for authority to collectively bargain with Google, Facebook
The New Media Alliance represent almost 2,000 news organizations, primarily newspapers. This week, the organization starting asking Congress for some help in taking on the big internet companies. Call it a pre-emptive strike for collective bargaining with Google and Facebook. It’s no secret that Goo-book dominates digital advertising. In the…
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The difference between NATIONAL news reporting and LOCAL News reporting? Trust.
With all the talk about fake news and how much the public doesn’t believe journalists, it’s important to note that there’s a huge difference in how people view NATIONAL news media versus LOCAL news media. The local folks live and work in your community, go to church there, shop at…
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We’re hiring serious journalists to do the important stories
Have you become disillusioned with the TV news business? Tired of the fluff and happy talk? We want serious, experienced reporters that are willing to take on the tough stories, dig deeper, and do the important journalism our town deserves. Here’s the kicker: We’re willing to pay for experience. If…
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When the majority of people tell me that doing something will negatively impact my brand, I take it seriously
When my son was very young, he was watching television one day and noticed one of the characters was drinking a “cola.” That’s what it said on the can. He asked me if that was Coca Cola and we talked about how they often substituted generic products so they didn’t…
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Will people still read long-form content when it’s on a tiny cell phone screen?
With more and more traffic going to mobile, specifically smart phones, every day, is there a future for long form journalism on line? That’s one of the questions a Pew Research Center study tried to answer. Researchers looked at 125 million cellphone sessions accessing 74,840 articles encompassing 30 news websites…
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Would you rather pay for content or put up with advertising?
85% say give us ads. 75% say they would drastically reduce their online activities if they had to pay. In fact, Americans assigned a value of nearly $1,200 per year to the array of free, ad-supported services and content currently available to them on computers and mobile devices, according to…
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Who you trust more: Advertising or News Media?
While we hear a constant drum beat that trust in the news media continues to drop, it’s not the same for advertising. In fact, more people think ads are more honest than they were three years ago, according to a YouGuv survey in March. Trust but verify
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Overall news consumption is up 18%
Overwhelming majority of consumption happens on TV Adults in the US spend more than 72.5 BILLION MINUTES consuming news during an average week. The Nielsen folks say total new consumption across platforms was up 18% last year. Broadcast TV (local and national) accounted for the biggest chunk of viewing (29.4…
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Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press
I put this up right outside my office door to remind everybody who walks into our TV station how important it is that journalists do their job. The Bill of Rights warrants Congress shall make no law abridging the Freedom of Speech, or of the Press. The founders saw journalists…
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Should Google & Facebook be regulated, pay license fees for news content?
The British government has officially opened an inquiry into “fake news.” Damian Collins MP, Chair of the Committee investigating, summed it up: “The growing phenomenon of fake news is a threat to democracy and undermines confidence in the media in general.” Now British publishers have responded. The newspaper group News Media…
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Who’s more truthful: Trump or the media?
If this isn’t a wake up call for the media, I don’t know what is. A Spring 2017 poll from Emerson College shows the nation is split on the job President Trump is doing: 48% of registered voters approve of the job he’s doing, versus the 47% that disapprove. It’s…
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Media, Pollsters get failing grades
There’s no question it was a nasty election season. The losers? According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, just about everyone. The press got blasted… even more than the candidates themselves.
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President-Elect Trump slips the press pool twice; media goes crazy
Media folks fight with each other every day. They’ll do all sorts of things to beat their competition. So, when 18 media organizations get together to unite on a common goal, it might make you wonder what they’re all worried about. It appears they are worried about President-elect Donald Trump’s…
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Turkish government jails hundreds of journalists, shuts down 170 TV and newspaper companies
If you work in journalism, be thankful you’re not working in Turkey. Journalism there is under attack at unprecedented levels. The government has forced the closure of more than 170 broadcasters, newspapers, magazine and media-related companies. Courts have ordered censorship of more than 30 news websites. The government has revokes…
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Were the Presidential polls really wrong – or was it just the way they were interpreted?
Pollsters have gotten a lot of grief over getting the election results wrong. There’s reason to criticize, but I think some people are placing blame when it’s not as clear cut as they might think. First, it appears that although Trump won the electoral college, Clinton won the popular vote. …
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Google News adds Fact Checking to top stories
In the world of social media and online aggregation, the one thing that is most rare is truth. Every day I come across stories and posts that stretch the truth or obliterate it completely. I believe it’s a big part of why the trust in media in general has plummeted…
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Majority don’t trust media, but one source does better than all the others
We’ve all heard that people don’t trust the media anymore. Heck, I’m in the media and I view everything through a skeptic’s lens these days. Through it all though, one media source continues to do better than all the others:
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Does a newspaper have an ethical obligation to reveal the source of its advertisers?
A controversial mailer and newspaper ads have the folks in Allentown, PA upset. It’s led to resignations of a school’s CEO and teachers and has been condemned by educators and public officials. The local newspaper knows who paid for it. Do they have an obligation to reveal who’s behind it?…
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Sunshine Law request results in $82,000 bill for public records search
Group seeks information on how dogs are being used in research by Universities The Beagle Freedom Project is an animal rights activist group that’s filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri. The suit has to do with its claim that the University is violating the state’s Sunshine Laws. The group’s been…
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Journalists get some help in battle over public records
It’s nice to see both parties working together on something, but it does happen. Both the House and Senate passed the FOIA Improvement Act and President Obama signed it into law. Now we’ll see if it makes any difference. The bill is designed to “boost government responsiveness” to Freedom of…
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Newspaper publisher, lawyer charged with felonies after filing Open Records request
“We are shocked that any journalist would be jailed for simply asking a question,” the Society of Professional Journalists said in a statement in Atlanta Journal-Constitution So are journalists across the country. Not only have the publisher and lawyer been charged with felonies (felonies!), but they had to post $10,000…
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Confidence in newspapers, TV news hits all-time lows
The folks at Gallup have been surveying everything about American society for decades. One advantage to that is tracking how people think about key issues over time. This June, when they asked about people’s confidence in newspapers, the numbers hit an all-time low. Television News wasn’t far behind, ranking just…
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How do you know what you’re seeing is real?
Breaking News! At the local TV station, they roll out a microwave live truck, a reporter and photographer, light up the studio, get the anchors in place, and bring in the control room crew. 7 or 8 people, a million dollars’ worth of equipment, and 10–15 minutes later, you’re on…
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Standing up for the First Amendment in the Digital Age
Make no mistake. The First Amendment has been under attack for some time now. The problem is the will to fight seems to be waning as news organizations too often don’t have the resources, or money, to fight the battles. Add to that a new generation of digital journalists and…
Paul Dughi.com 