Friday August 14th: Correctly covering conspiracies and Apple subscription bundles

August 14, 2020

Happy Friday! Today's roundup is courtesy of Chris Sutcliffe.

Most of the media is struggling to report on misinformation without amplifying it. That problem is exacerbated when the thing on which you are reporting is a literal cult, where you run the risk of accidentally converting some of your readers. This article from Mathew Ingram for CJR provides a look at how the media is accidentally broadcasting the messages of QAnon to an audience of potential converts:

"As Parker Molloy and Alex Kaplan pointed out in a recent piece at Media Matters, stories about candidates like Greene and other Q supporters that don’t explicitly address their fringe beliefs—including some in high-profile outlets like the New York Times—risk mainstreaming those beliefs."

We recently had the BBC's misinformation reporter Marianna Spring on to talk about best practice in countering conspiracies. She discusses the trouble with reporting on active misinformation - but provides a couple of ways of countering it.

Apple is apparently readying a series of bundles that will let customers subscribe to several of the company’s digital services at a lower monthly price. Reportedly included in one of the premium tier levels? Apple News+

Tribune Publishing is permanently closing the tabloid’s office in Lower Manhattan. We know that other print titles have been produced wholly remotely lately - how many will follow suit and close the office forever?

Publishers have the best idea of their audiences' needs - so Gay Times has launched a full service agency to help brands connect with them. Executive creative director Josh Fletcher says it was formed to help clients “add value or start a relevant, genuine conversation”.

Today's throwback:

Will Gore, Head of Partnerships and Projects at the National Council for the Training of Journalists, tells us about the NCTJ’s role in the Facebook-backed Community News Project.

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