Journalism

A number of Facebook’s recent decisions have fueled a criticism that continues to follow the company, including the decision not to fact-check political advertising and the inclusion of Breitbart News in the company’s new “trusted sources” News tab. These controversies were stoked even further by Mark Zuckerberg’s speech at Georgetown University last week, where he tried—mostly unsuccessfully—to portray Facebook as a defender of free speech. Discussing all this are Alex Stamos, former chief technology officer of Facebook, veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher, Jillian York of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Harvard Law professor Jonathan Zittrain, and Stanford researcher Kate Klonick.

None of the “amateurish” challengers to the Murdochs’ cash-cow cable channel has the resources to compete, leaving a door open for a well-funded conglomerate (say, ViacomCBS) to roll the dice.

Employees of NBC’s digital news division announced today that they intend to form a union representing about 150 workers, saying it would allow them to fight for better job protections as well as publicly criticize NBC News executives without fear of retaliation.

How do news organizations find their footing when the ground starts shifting? The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute is providing a hands-on view into the process that’s unfolding as newsrooms at the Missouri School of Journalism begin exploring and launching over-the-top products and projects.

Local news is more trusted than national news, yes. But that’s largely because national news is not very trusted, especially by Republicans, according to a new study from the Knight Foundation and Gallup. And that trust could disappear. “A small reservoir of goodwill exists toward local news organizations because they are local, but this could quickly dry up if Americans perceive more political bias in coverage.”

Chris Berend, EVP of NBC News Digital, said in a memo today that his division is adding 70 jobs. The 20% boost in staffing is part of the company’s efforts to expand the NBC News NOW streaming service into a 24-hour platform of live programming as early as this winter. NBC Left Field, the company’s digital video studio founded two years ago, and its MACH science and tech vertical are being shuttered.

New TV job postings on TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include openings at two network O&O’s in L.A. and Philly. The third opening is for a local sales manager in the Santa Maria/Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo region of California.

“English, or Spanish?” For newsrooms seeking to serve increasingly diverse audiences, the best answer might be: “Why not both?” A pair of experiments at the ASU Cronkite School of Journalism by the bilingual Cronkite Noticias reporting team tested a new way to deliver the news to these viewers. The results? ¡Muy buenos!

At least six former Fox News employees, including former host Gretchen Carlson, are calling on their old network to release them from NDAs in order to allow them to speak out about potential sexual misconduct during their time at the company.

In a series of tweets Sunday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri defended Facebook’s inclusion of Breitbart in its News Tab, but said he did not want it to be included.

Raleigh, N.C.-based Capitol Broadcasting is looking for two multi-media journalists and a reporter to add to its staff.

Astros owner Jim Crane wrote a letter to Sports Illustrated reporter Stephanie Apstein, apologizing on behalf of the organization for questioning her reporting on the conduct of now-fired assistant general manager.

The MSNBC star’s rebuke of her bosses’ handling of the Weinstein story is celebrated by colleagues as the company’s purported release of ex-employees from NDAs draws skepticism.