Journalists Leaving Twitter
Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 3:00 PM
In the news: Some journalists are finding that the rewards of using
Twitter no longer outweigh the risks.
This week, Twitter
announced that CEO Jack Dorsey would be stepping down. And Dorsey isn't
the only one leaving. In a recent Poynter.org piece, Mark Lieberman
discusses the growing number of reporters who have pushed pause, some
permanently, on the social media platform. "Many journalists use Twitter
to connect with sources they might not otherwise reach; to drive traffic
and attention to their published work; to rally support for union
drives; and yes, often for fun and frivolity," Lieberman says. But there
are numerous risks involved as well: "engaging in petty squabbles over
esoteric issues; fielding bigotry and bad-faith attacks from anonymous
users and bots; enduring relentless brain stimulation that can distort
perception and distract from more pressing responsibilities."
The
issue of bots and trolls is hardly a new one in the social media
landscape, but in a year so laden with hot-button topics, some reporters
are burned out. But, as Lieberman notes, Twitter has also made important
contributions to the journalistic profession: "[Former Ringer
reporter K. Austin] Collins said he's part of a generation of women and
people of color who used Twitter to get attention from editors who might
otherwise never be exposed to their perspectives." Read more here.
Also
Notable
Mixed News for Print Magazines
Some
print magazines temporarily shuttered by the 2020 lockdowns are slowly
making comebacks, but others have yet to return. Kathryn Hopkins of Women's
Wear Daily examines some of the challenges publishers have faced and
some of the iconic magazines still absent from newsstands. In addition
to "a slide in advertising, producing certain magazines became almost
impossible in some months during lockdowns," Hopkins writes, "with only
limited numbers of people allowed in studios and fashion items hard to
come by as factories produced hand sanitizer instead of apparel and
handbags." She highlights four titles that shuttered during the pandemic
and have yet to return: Paper, Love, Time Out New York,
and Nylon. Read more here.
City
Guide Returns to NYC
Earlier this month, New York's City
Guide went back into print since the pandemic began. Davler Media
CEO David Miller writes on the guide's website: "Today [November 9]
marks a milestone -- we are excited to be shipping our first City
Guide magazine to the printer in over a year and a half. The
hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting our great city this holiday
season (international guests start arriving today!) will be able pick up
their Guide at hotels or information kiosks and use it to decide where
to eat, what shows to see, stores to visit and which attractions will
wow them." The announcement is good news for print travel titles hard
hit by lockdowns and travel restrictions, but Miller also emphasizes the
guide's expanded online presence: "In addition to delivering millions of
magazines, we now educate tourists via CityGuideNY.com, announce weekly
events in This Week in the City e-newsletter, stimulate
discussions through our Everything to Do NYC Facebook Group, inform
industry professionals through Tourism Happenings and implement
geotargeted tourism digital advertising campaigns." Read the full
announcement here.
Combating
Misinformation and Disinformation
The public is hungry for
sharp, illuminating journalism. But news outlets hoping to cash in on
the subject matter risk doing serious harm in their rush to get the
scoop. This week, Mathew Ingram of the Columbia Journalism Review
discusses the ongoing issue of mis- and disinformation in political news
coverage. He examines the infamous October 2020 New York Post
story about Hunter Biden riddled with problematic factual errors and
questionable sourcing. But the problem is hardly unique to the Post,
Ingram says. He also highlights disinformation from Myanmar, Brazil, and
elsewhere that has proliferated on social media. Read more here.
Architectural
Digest Goes Global
Condé Nast title Architectural
Digest is publishing its first global print edition in December, as
part of its company-wide global content initiative. Sara Guaglione of
Digiday.com reports: "Editors from AD's U.S. and nine international
editions came together to work on the brand's biggest issue of the year,
as parent company Condé Nast continues to shift to a consolidated global
content strategy that has editorial teams around the world working more
closely together." The publisher sees myriad benefits of a global
publishing program, particularly in terms of increased editorial
collaboration and integration, cost savings. Read more here.
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