Journalism roundup: Algorithmically constructed news and more…

Dan Gillmor says journalists are uninformed about who controls the platforms they publish on

from Nieman Journalism Lab by Caroline O’Donovan

Dan Gillmor is writing a book (maybe), and he has a lot of questions. The project, which will probably be self published, will probably be called Permission Taken. Gillmor already owns that domain, so why not, he said in a talk at Harvard?s Berkman Center for Internet and Society last week. (Also, his agent likes the title.)

The newsonomics of the Orange County Register?s contrarian paywall

from Nieman Journalism Lab by Ken Doctor

 

Algorithmically constructed news

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

In Wired, Steven Levy has a long profile of the fascinating field of algorithmic news-story generation. Levy focuses on Narrative Science, and its competitor Automated Insights, and discusses how the companies can turn “data rich” streams into credible news-stories whose style can be presented as anything from sarcastic blogger to dry market analyst. Narrative Science’s cofounder, Kristian Hammond, claims that 90 percent of all news will soon be algorithmically generated, but that this won’t be due to computers stealing journalists’ jobs — rather, it will be because automation will enable the creation of whole classes of news stories that don’t exist today, such as detailed, breezy accounts of every little league game in the country.

 

AP v. Meltwater: Disappointing Ruling for News Search

from EFF.org Updates by Corynne McSherry and Kurt Opsahl

A federal district judge in New York City issued a troubling ruling today holding that an electronic news clipping service infringed copyright when it republished excerpts of news stories in search results for its clients seeking news coverage based on particular keywords.

5 Key Takeaways from Pew’s State of the News Media 2013

from MediaShift

This morning, the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) released the 10th annual State of News Media report. To little surprise, digital operations continue to dominate change in the news media, creating opportunities and posing challenges on every front — from advertising to content strategy, user experience to social media. According to the report, “Online was the only category of news that showed growth” in 2012. Below is a rundown of major findings in the realm of digital news, with insights by Mark Jurkowitz, associate director at PEJ.

 

Digital pay plan gives hope to US newspapers: report

from Hurriyet Daily News

US newspaper organizations will be able to increase their revenues thanks to digital pay plans that demand charges from subscribers for their contents..

 

Shaping technology to the story: The Brown Institute for Media Innovation is finding its niche

from Nieman Journalism Lab by Caroline O’Donovan

The Brown Institute for Media Innovation just began accepting applications from students or alumni of Columbiaand Stanford for its second round of Magic Grants. Helen Gurley Brown made headlines last year when she donated $30 million jointly to Columbia and Stanford to found the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, a bicoastal effort toward helping students build ?usable tools? for the proliferation of ?great content.?

 

Getting personal: A Dutch online news platform wants you to subscribe to individual journalists

from Nieman Journalism Lab by Loes Witschge

?It?s my own little shop, that?s what I like about it. You decide what goes in ? like having your own newspaper.?

Arnold Karskens has his own channel on Dutch news startup De Nieuwe Pers (The New Press). For ?1.79 a month, readers can subscribe to him and read his war reporting and investigations into war criminals. Don?t care about war crimes? Maybe some of the other journalist-driven channels ? on subjects from games to France, from the science of sex to environmental sustainability, from Germany to the euro crisis ? would be of interest.

Game Changer? Inside BuzzFeed’s Native Ad Network

from MediaShift

After quietly piloting the concept for months, BuzzFeed officially launched its own native ad network this March. The mechanics of the network are bizarre, yet intriguing: Participating publishers allow BuzzFeed to serve story previews on their sites which, when clicked, bring visitors to sponsored stories on BuzzFeed.com. The network, whose ads resemble real story teases, is brash and a bit risky, but it may just help publishers circumvent the abuses of today’s established, banner reliant, ad network ecosystem.

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