Poynter | The most damning Facebook story yet
Another day, another disturbing story exposing the underhand tactics used by one of the most used social media networks in the world: Facebook. This time a new expose details how the company programmed its algorithm to make sure content that inflamed users were used most prominently. From2017, Facebook’s ranking algorithm treated stories with emoji reactions more favourably than those with likes. Read the article here.
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Daily Maverick | The neutering of journalism means the demise of government accountability
This is an interesting read, which explores the relationship between local newspapers and government accountability. The journalism industry has dramatically changed and has resulted in small media publications being squeezed out, this article points out the important role that local newspapers have played over the years such as acting as a watchdog for local municipalities and how the lack of local newspapers has resulted in these municipalities being run unchecked. Read the article here.
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What’s New In Publishing | Publishers: Should you get an app?
Mobile readership is fast becoming the most used mode of viewing articles online making the mobile app ever more important for publishers seeking to improve the reader experience. But does every publisher need a mobile app? This article looks at the pros and cons that one should look into before investing in this platform. Read the article here.
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Press Gazette | Journalism and Artificial Intelligence
The relationship between journalism and artificial intelligence has been hotly debated, with concerns about whether artificial intelligence or robots will replace journalism. However, this article thoroughly explains this relationship- that robots will enhance journalism by allowing journalists to have more free time to do deeper reporting, researching, and investigating. Read the article here.
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Media Update | Google partners with UNESCO to support digital journalism training in Africa
Google continues to put its money where its mouth is by investing in digital journalism training on the continent. The Global Initiative for Excellence in Journalism Education, which will be rolled out over the next 18 months, aims to support the development of over 100 journalism institutions on the continent. Check out the Google News Initiative for more information. Read the article here.
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Bizcommunity | Covering stories and making an impact; the role of journalism
Johannesburg-based CNN’s international correspondent David McKenzie takes us through his experiences in international reporting. Having worked in some African countries, he shares the challenges he has encountered. Read the article here.
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IJNET | Embrace your inner nerd to improve your journalism
Being a journalist in this era of content creation means doing much more than simply reporting the news. You have to find out if there is an audience that is interested in your content. And one of the ways of doing this is embracing audience engagement data to accomplish your readership goals. This piece offers helpful tools to make it less intimidating. Read the article here.
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Poynter | Advice for early-career journalists
If you are starting out your journalism career, this is a great read, which provides great tips on how to easily assimilate in the journalism industry. Read the article here.
