News

Washington Post develops native advertising for print

The Washington Post is developing its BrandConnect programme by selling native advertisements for print, AdAge reports. Since March, the Post has been rolling out its sponsored content platform, which allows advertisers to tailor their message to the paper’s audience.

Newsroom Summit speaker Alan Pearce on what journalists can learn from Snowden affair

In light of the ongoing developments from the Edward Snowden affair, we asked Alan Pearce, a journalist, broadcaster and author specializing in cyber-security and counter-surveillance, about what lessons he thinks journalists should be learning from what’s happened during the past several weeks.

What news consumers watch, where, and how often is crucial as investment in video increases

As an ever-increasing number of newspapers bolster their video efforts, it’s worth taking a look at how often, where, and for how log consumers view content – and on which devices.

Business Insider’s open-source Haunted catches creeping analytics errors

News organizations have embraced analytics as an invaluable way to learn about their audiences and an important factor in decisions across the editorial and business spectrum. But flaws in these numbers may be occurring more often than news outlets realize, creating domino effects on decisions company-wide.

The Riveter and Bustle: Two new publications targeting female audiences

As the number of women in newsrooms flatlines and female journalists continue to be overlooked for prestigious awards, two new publications aim to produce content by and for women. Yet while Bustle and The Riveter share similar goals, their founders differ both in terms of the budget at their disposal and in the presentation of their products.

Pay-per-gaze advertising could solve non-appearing ads dilemma

Brands have been demanding promises of ad viewability from publishers after learning that 54 percent of ads do not appear mostly due to technical glitches, according to a recent comScore study. However, publishers have been unable to adequately respond without technology to track viewability. But a recently-granted patent by Google suggests there may soon be an app for that.

Content-producing machines: friend or foe for news media outlets?

The words “automated journalism” are often greeted with expressions of trepidation or mistrust in journalism circles. And when Wired writes that “[t]he new reporter on the US media scene takes no coffee breaks, churns out articles at lightning speed, and has no pension plan” who can blame them? Nonetheless, the use of computer-generated content is becoming increasingly widespread, to the point where titles such as The Washington Post have contemplated the use of automated writing.

Why are newspapers silent in this lucrative podcasting boom?

Podcasts are booming, with podcast app Stitcher expecting to stream 20,000 by the end of the summer, up from 5,000 when it began two years ago, according to USA Today. But in the deluge of podcasts providers, newspapers are conspicuously absent. Of the top 10 most-read newspapers in the world, only The New York Times, the Guardian, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have regular podcasts on iTunes.

New York Times’ Gmail use raises concerns over protection of sources

“In the wake of this year’s disclosures, it should be clear that unencrypted journalist-source communication is unforgivably reckless”. So said Edward Snowden, NSA whistleblower, when quizzed by Peter Maass on the issue of safe interaction between journalists and informants. Though he describes himself as “famously paranoid”, Snowden would find many of his fears over email security substantiated by tech journalist Steve Henn’s article on Google’s Gmail. Writing for NPR, Henn reports on the threat posed by Google’s email service to the privacy of journalists and, crucially, their sources.

Reinventing the banner: NYT, NPR incorporate custom-built ads

You’ve heard the scary display advertising stats: Banner ads have a .04 percent click-through rate; 34 percent of people don’t trust banners; you’re more likely to birth twins than click a banner. The New York Times and National Public Radio are betting that more smoothly incorporated, custom-built ads can buck this trend.