News outlets should offer disagreement checks as well as fact checks
Entering the new year, Americans are increasingly divided. They clash not only over differing opinions on COVID-19 risk or abortion, but basic facts like election counts and whether vaccines work.… (more)
6 big digital trends to watch in 2022
According to recent McKinsey research, 2021 was a year of transformation: people, corporations and society began to look ahead to influencing their futures rather than just surviving the present. It was… (more)
Disinformation is spreading beyond the realm of spycraft to become a shady industry: Lessons from South Korea
Disinformation, the practice of blending real and fake information with the goal of duping a government or influencing public opinion, has its origins in the Soviet Union. But disinformation is… (more)
A new study sounds like good news about screen time: Does it mean we can all stop worrying?
"I hope the myth 'Screens=bad' will die. What you do behind those screens matters." A newly published study in the journal PLoS ONE suggests spending time on screens is unlikely to be… (more)
Facebook relaunches itself as ‘Meta’ in a clear bid to dominate “the next major computing platform”
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has announced the company will change its name to Meta, saying the move reflects the fact the company is now much broader than just the social… (more)
From lions on the savanna to likes on Facebook: The problem with engagement-led algorithms
An internal Facebook report found that the social media platform’s algorithms – the rules its computers follow in deciding the content that you see – enabled disinformation campaigns based in… (more)
Facebook’s ‘Ray-Ban Stories’ smart glasses: What you need to know
Users will be able to share content on Facebook and other Facebook-owned platforms, as well as non-Facebook apps such as Twitter, TikTok and SnapChat. In partnership with eyewear brand Ray-Ban,… (more)
Australian High Court rules media are liable for Facebook comments on their stories: Here’s what that means for publishers
A publisher can be held responsible for defamatory comments readers leave on its Facebook pages, the High Court ruled today, in a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for social media… (more)
Facebook and the metaverse: What you need to know
What is the metaverse? 2 media and information experts explain The metaverse is a network of always-on virtual environments in which many people can interact with one another and digital objects… (more)
Twitter’s user-driven experiment to tackle misinformation
Is it actually false, or do you just disagree? It's complicated Over the past year, we’ve seen how dramatically misinformation can impact the lives of people, communities and entire countries.… (more)
Dark patterns: What publishers need to know
Increasing trust, by avoiding deceptive design practices What are dark patterns? Dark patterns are design elements that deliberately obscure, mislead, coerce and/or deceive website visitors into making unintended and possibly… (more)
Trust in news is up significantly: New research
For many publishers, COVID-19 has also accelerated plans to get readers to pay for content online More than a year after it began, the pandemic continues to cast a dark… (more)
“Infodemic”: Does fake news actually changes people’s behaviour?
“The spread of COVID-19 is linked to 5G mobile networks.” “Place a halved onion in the corner of your room to catch the COVID-19 germs.” “Sunny weather protects you from COVID-19.” These fake news… (more)
How to best combat fake news and misinformation online
A simple nudge isn’t enough to tackle it – here’s what to do instead One high-profile theory of why people share fake news says that they aren’t paying sufficient attention. The proposed… (more)
AI-generated fake reports fool experts, study shows
Takeaways · AIs can generate fake reports that are convincing enough to trick cybersecurity experts. · These systems could set off an AI arms race between misinformation generators and detectors. · If widely… (more)
Local opinion coverage reduces polarization, and can bring people together: Research
Local newspapers can help reduce polarization with opinion pages that focus on local issues If you’re confused about opinion journalism and what it is, you’re not alone. Many Americans are. But… (more)
A guide to identifying the most trusted publishers on the web
To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring The web is a treacherous place. A website’s author may not be its author. References… (more)
Apple threatens to upend podcasting’s free, open architecture
Creators will now have the option to require a payment for audiences to access their content on Apple’s platform Back in 2005, an ebullient Apple CEO Steven P. Jobs announced the… (more)
Local newspapers vastly preferred over Google: Major survey down under
Newspaper readers in rural and regional Australia are five times more likely to go directly to their local newspaper website than Google or Facebook for local information, and almost 10… (more)
Why converging cultures can make media houses more sustainable
Traditional media houses must adapt, innovate and converge to survive in the digital age. Until the arrival of the world wide web, the media model that worked revolved around money… (more)
