MediaShift Podcast

In the news this week, a mass shooting at YouTube was motivated by filtering and demonetizing videos about veganism and workouts. The video service was already dealing with disgruntled creators over filtering and now a shooting makes the situation even more fraught. Facebook tries to stem the tide of negative news by providing more context to news stories shared on the platform including Wikipedia entries, and Mark Zuckerberg will testify before Congress next week. And three-quarters of...

In the news this week, a mass shooting at YouTube was motivated by filtering and demonetizing videos about veganism and workouts. The video service was already dealing with disgruntled creators over filtering and now a shooting makes the situation even more fraught. Facebook tries to stem the tide of negative news by providing more context to news stories shared on the platform including Wikipedia entries, and Mark Zuckerberg will testify before Congress next week. And three-quarters of...

In the news this week, Facebook continues to be on the hot seat around data and privacy, with the FTC investigating, Congress asking for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify, and even Playboy dropping out of the social network. But on the good side, Facebook continues to support local news, and has been driving revenues for publishers through Facebook Groups. Netflix is going on a different kind of binge, hiring people at big salaries like $400,000 for a publicist, as the cost of content goes...

In the news this week, Facebook continues to be on the hot seat around data and privacy, with the FTC investigating, Congress asking for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify, and even Playboy dropping out of the social network. But on the good side, Facebook continues to support local news, and has been driving revenues for publishers through Facebook Groups. Netflix is going on a different kind of binge, hiring people at big salaries like $400,000 for a publicist, as the cost of content goes...

In the news this week, Facebook has taken one hit after another when the news broke that Trump consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had received Facebook profile data on 50 million users to help sway the election. Can the social giant turn the tide of bad news? Meanwhile Google made a splash by pledging $300 million for its new Google News Initiative to fight fake news, support subscriptions for publishers and more. As Facebook and Google lose share in online advertising, publishers are also...

This week YouTube announced it would add text blurbs from Wikipedia to counter conspiracy theory videos. The only problem is they forgot to tell Wikipedia about their plan. The big South by Southwest conference is known for launching hot new apps, but this year it’s been about politics, ideas and a big backlash against the tech giants. Apple announced it was buying Texture, a “Netflix for digital magazines” in an attempt to boost subscriptions within Apple News. Our Metric of the Week is...

In the news this week, YouTube announced it would add text blurbs from Wikipedia to counter conspiracy theory videos. The only problem is they forgot to tell Wikipedia about their plan. The big South by Southwest conference is known for launching hot new apps, but this year it’s been about politics, ideas and a big backlash against the tech giants. Apple announced it was buying Texture, a “Netflix for digital magazines” in an attempt to boost subscriptions within Apple News.

This week, the U.S. Congress doesn’t seem to be making much headway in regulating tech giants, so many states are stepping in and taking action. Facebook announces it will work with the Associated Press to debunk misinformation ahead of the mid-term elections, but will they be ready for the storm that’s coming? The Boston Globe plans to raise print subscriptions 80% to a whopping $1350 a year. Talk about sticker shock.

In the news this week, the U.S. Congress doesn’t seem to be making much headway in regulating tech giants, so many states are stepping in and taking action. Facebook announces it will work with the Associated Press to debunk misinformation ahead of the mid-term elections, but will they be ready for the storm that’s coming? The Boston Globe plans to raise print subscriptions 80% to a whopping $1350 a year. Talk about sticker shock. Our Metric of the Week is Conversational Health, and we speak...

In the news this week, many publishers are pivoting to subscriptions as online advertising dries up. And Facebook is starting a Local News Subscription Accelerator to help metro daily newspapers. But can everyone succeed with subscriptions? Independent publisher LittleThings is closing, citing the Facebook algorithm change as the culprit. And publishers are kicking the tires on yet another slate of micropayment startups. Will the audience buy in this time? And the Washington Post's media...

In the news this week, many publishers are pivoting to subscriptions as online advertising dries up. And Facebook is starting a Local News Subscription Accelerator to help metro daily newspapers. But can everyone succeed with subscriptions? Independent publisher LittleThings is closing, citing the Facebook algorithm change as the culprit. And publishers are kicking the tires on yet another slate of micropayment startups. Will the audience buy in this time?

In the news this week, Twitter bots and conspiracy theories abound after the school shooting in Florida, as one survivor is wrongly called out as a “crisis actor.” What can the social platforms do to stop misinformation? Vox Media says it will lay off 50 staffers, especially in social video, while The Atlantic plans to hire 100 people over the next year. Facebook advertising executive Rob Goldman is in hot water over his misleading tweets about Russian interference in the U.S. election. Our...

In the news this week, Twitter bots and conspiracy theories abound after the school shooting in Florida, as one survivor is wrongly called out as a “crisis actor.” What can the social platforms do to stop misinformation? Vox Media says it will lay off 50 staffers, especially in social video, while The Atlantic plans to hire 100 people over the next year. Facebook advertising executive Rob Goldman is in hot water over his misleading tweets about Russian interference in the U.S. election.

In the news this week, the Winter Olympics have seen lower TV ratings as expected, but NBC has made a big push into live-streaming and digital platforms to keep young people involved. Facebook said it would support publishers’ paywalls in its mobile app for the first time, and let them keep 100% of revenues. Will it turn around Facebook’s bad rap after its algorithm change? Apple News is bringing huge traffic to some publishers but is still struggling to drive ad revenues for them. Our...

In the news this week, the Winter Olympics have seen lower TV ratings as expected, but NBC has made a big push into live-streaming and digital platforms to keep young people involved. Facebook said it would support publishers’ paywalls in its mobile app for the first time, and let them keep 100% of revenues. Will it turn around Facebook’s bad rap after its algorithm change? Apple News is bringing huge traffic to some publishers but is still struggling to drive ad revenues for them.

In the news this week, there’s another billionaire owner of a major metro newspaper, this time Patrick Soon-Shiong buying the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune in a fire sale from Tronc. The #releasethememo hashtag had a big groundswell of support on Twitter, but a researcher found that Russian bots were helping it go viral. And Facebook’s Instant Articles feature has lost nearly half of its original partner publishers, but has gained 29 publishers who are pushing fake news, and...

In the news this week, there’s another billionaire owner of a major metro newspaper, this time Patrick Soon-Shiong buying the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune in a fire sale from Tronc. The #releasethememo hashtag had a big groundswell of support on Twitter, but a researcher found that Russian bots were helping it go viral. And Facebook’s Instant Articles feature has lost nearly half of its original partner publishers, but has gained 29 publishers who are pushing fake news, and...

In the news this week, fake followers on social media are under the microscope after an investigation by the New York Times found minor celebrities, media figures and even a Twitter board member had bought followers to boost their influence. Google started testing a new app called Bulletin that allows people to post photos and stories about their community that come up in Google Search and Google News. Will it help coverage or lead to more fake news? And streaming video companies made a big...

In the news this week, fake followers on social media are under the microscope after an investigation by the New York Times found minor celebrities, media figures and even a Twitter board member had bought followers to boost their influence. Google started testing a new app called Bulletin that allows people to post photos and stories about their community that come up in Google Search and Google News. Will it help coverage or lead to more fake news? And streaming video companies made a big...

In the news this week, the Los Angeles Times is coping with major turmoil, as employees vote to form a union, a new strategy is unveiled including a contributor network, and new publisher and CEO Ross Levinsohn is under attack for past sexual harassment charges, taking a leave of absence. Facebook announced that it would rank news sources according to reader feedback, but critics don’t think it will help weed out fake news. Snapchat finally lets people post snaps outside of the app, but will...