Google News uses social media in new algorithm
Google is constantly changing its algorithms to try to provide users with the stories they want to read. It recently added a +1 button to connect users to stories their friends have enjoyed, but now it’s broadening its scope. According to Nieman Journalism Lab, the search giant has also added connections to social media for its Google News that allow it to pick up on the most popular stories on the sites.
Angry, unpaid Huffington Post bloggers file a lawsuit
The Huffington Post’s unpaid bloggers have been angry with Arianna Huffington ever since the publication’s $315 million merger with AOL. Many are displeased they haven’t been compensated for their work, and this displeasure has taken a solid form in a lawsuit. Some of the bloggers are suing for $105 million, according to the Guardian.
Long-form journalism and Twitter
For PBS I interviewed one of my favorite writers, Susan Orlean, about how the introduction of Twitter in her life affected her long-form journalism:
Orlean set up her account @susanorlean in early 2008 and at first didn?t understand the medium.
Citizen journalism: Al Jazeera’s key to successful reporting of Arab uprisings
Al Jazeera‘s extensive coverage of the unrest in the Arab world has helped the news agency become something of an authority on issues relating to the region. Riyaad Minty, Al Jazeera’s head of social media, recently took part in the Media140 conference in Barcelona. One of the discussed topics, Journalism.co.uk reported, was the network’s approach of making use of on-location sources.
Engaging readers through commenting, Facebook, crowd-sourcing and more
With increasing use of social media, as well as improved technology for commenting on articles, the potential for a publication to cultivate an online community is growing. And “more than ever before, communities are helping to define the news outlets around which they grow,” said Justin Peters, editor of the online version of the Columbia Journalism Review, speaking in a panel on engaging the community at the International Journalism Festival.
What would democracy look like without traditional journalism?
Given the abundance of new media and different ways for citizens to contribute to the news process, would it be possible for a democratic society to survive without traditional journalism? Panellists at the International Journalism Festival expressed very different perspectives on the question.
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