Journalism

Type “Russia collusion” into a Google search, and the search engine will try to guess the next word you’ll type. The first of those is “delusion.” For Francesca Tripodi, a postdoctoral scholar at Data & Society and assistant professor in sociology at James Madison University, the search results are a powerful tell of a phenomenon she set out to document. The “collusion delusion” results are seeking a conservative audience — which is exactly the demographic that would be more likely to search for the phrase in the first place.

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, ripped the news media for what he described as irresponsible reporting and suggested he would launch a website to assess the legitimacy of individual journalists and news organizations. Musk unleashed a barrage of criticism aimed at reporters, saying they are "sanctimonious," have "earned this mistrust" and are kowtowing to the business interests of their publications.

Facebook is making three important announcements on false news. The first new announcement is a request for proposals from academics eager to study false news on the platform.  The second announcement is the launch of a public education campaign that will utilize the top of Facebook’s home page, perhaps the most valuable real estate on the internet.

A group of journalists protesting outside the offices of a New York City hedge fund recently shined a light on a little-known fact about the state of the local American newspaper: Behind the scenes, financial firms often hold all the cards. Investors like Alden Global Capital LLC and Fortress Investment Group LLC have acquired ownership stakes in newspapers that have struggled to adapt in an online world, from the Denver Post to the Providence Journal. Funds have brought their cost-cutting know-how to help restructure several newspaper chains in heavy debt after the 2008 financial crisis.

Journalists from CNN, the Associated Press and E&E News, a publication that covers energy and environment issues, were barred by the Environmental Protection Agency from entering an event, which was focused on harmful chemicals in water. A handful of other reporters from other news organizations, however, were allowed inside the event for Director Pruitt's opening remarks after having been previously invited by the agency the day before. Jahan Wilcox, an EPA spokesman, said the agency barred reporters from attending due to space limitations inside the venue.

Major news organizations raised objections to Facebook's plans to treat ads promoting political news coverage the same as political advocacy ads. Under changes Facebook will roll out May 22 aimed at combating the spread of political misinformation, all Facebook ads featuring political content will get a “Paid for by” label and would carry a disclaimer. Publishers say these new rules are too broad. These political messaging labels would also appear on "sponsored" posts that news organizations buy to amplify the reach of an article or video on the political news of the day.

Debate over the so-called Fairness Doctrine was renewed at a Senate Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing May 17 when Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) quizzed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on the issue. The hearing was wrapping up when Sen Manchin interrupted the closing comments of subcommittee chairman Sen James Lankford (R-OK) to ask if he could say something more. That something was suggesting that the current "toxicity" in the political arena could be traced to the doctrine's demise.

On April 16, 2018, Sen Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai regarding the merger between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Company. "In making its determination whether the proposed merger to allow a single company to reach 72 percent of U.S. television households serves the public interest, I urge the FCC to carefully consider Sinclair's conduct and the significant harm it poses," Sen Durbin wrote.

Pro-Trump media is spreading across the US, disseminating Trumpian rhetoric about fake news and mainstream media bias through every medium. The big picture, from Rodney Benson, chair of NYU's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication: "Many of the media moving toward subscriptions have disproportionately left-liberal audiences. ... While liberal media draw their circles ever tighter around themselves (via paywalls, high-level content, etc.), conservatives are fighting to extend their mass reach."

The TV news has a familiar feel to it in west-central Pennsylvania. News stories broadcast on WJAC, the NBC affiliate in town, have appeared on nearby station WATM, the ABC affiliate. And many of those stories are broadcast on WWCP, the Fox station here, as well.