News
To read or not to read comments: Understanding the persuasive firepower of user discussion
The comments you read after a story can be as important as the story itself. Some folks skip the journalism altogether and just jump to the online comments. Whether you find this to be a painful trend in leading the public away from accurate information or a hopeful sign of an engaged electorate, it is … Continued
FL#180: Building interactive timelines with sponsored content from Tline
Interactive timeline tool Tline Tline is a new tool for creating interactive timelines that brings together publishers and advertisers. The timelines include sponsored advertisements and can be shared on social media or embedded on a site. Publishers have control over which ads are displayed on their timelines and receive a 50 percent share of the … Continued
FL#179: 6 favorite digital tools from Reported.ly
The Reported.ly team’s favorite digital tools Reported.ly was a news operation that covered breaking news primarily on social and distributed platforms. It was also the first place many people turned to verify developing stories. But in August, its parent company, First Look Media, pulled funding and shut down the site. The Reported.ly team was … Continued
Media lies and Brexit: A double hammer-blow to Europe and ethical journalism
Editor’s note: If you have an idea on how to solve problems created by fake news, filter bubbles or mistrust of the news media, please apply for a 2017-2018 RJI Fellowship. The application deadline is Feb. 1. In addition, RJI will soon post the full results of its Trusting News project, conducted by consulting fellow and engagement strategist Joy Mayer.
Are you willing to talk to your audience about trust?
As we all work to establish journalism’s credibility and figure how to earn the trust of cynical news consumers, we’re looking for journalists willing to take a radical step: Invite individual members of your community to talk to you about what they trust. That’s right. Who among you is willing to meet face-to-face with audience … Continued
What is a Facebook Live editor?
Gone are the days when news organizations had just copy editors and page designers. Today, there are newsroom titles like digital optimizer, audience analyst and executive mobile editor. As social media platforms have evolved so have job titles, along with the tools journalists use to communicate with audiences. In this series, RJI will learn more about these titles and the people who hold them.
Newsrooms test social media strategies to forge relationships with audiences
When it comes to social media strategy, it’s not enough for journalists to “be where the audience is” anymore. At least half of U.S. adults get news from social media, yet less than 12 percent of those who do, trust the information they get there. Journalists can’t simply occupy social media spaces; they need to … Continued
FL#176: NowThis innovations: Chatbots and Facebook Live
NowThis has been a pioneer in delivering video news exclusively on social platforms, and it grew quickly thanks to an ability to find new ways to reach young audiences. Now the company is pushing forward with technologies like chatbots and Facebook Live. Reporting by Hailey Godburn For more information: NowThis did away with publishing content … Continued
Extreme rain: New research predicts wetter, riskier storms for much of U.S.
In the news Extreme rains are expected to increase significantly across nearly the entire continental United States, according to a government study that provides a highly detailed picture of wetter storms to come with climate change. Back story Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research said in the Dec. 5 study that extreme precipitation … Continued
FL#175: Shortcut from This American Life
Sharing audio with a new tool called Shortcut A new tool called Shortcut from This American Life allows listeners to share clips from episodes of This American Life. Users can select text from episode transcripts, which the app turns into short videos that can be downloaded or posted to social media. Reporting by Hailey Godburn … Continued