Tuesday 13th December: How much should we let the public avoid stressful news?

December 13, 2022

Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Chris.

This is fun! A genuine attempt from a publisher to ameliorate the impact of news avoidance, by allowing users to pick whether and when they see negative news stories. We love solutions journalism here at MV, but we also love experimentation and original ways to solve problems like news avoidance.

"Chief product officer Sarah Watson told Press Gazette: “It was to enable people just [to] have that option not to necessarily filter out bad news completely, but it’s being able to take that break when you need it.” Watson said that around 25% of people in a recent reader survey said they were interested in just being able to read uplifting news as they come to the site specifically to read positive stories."

There's a big debate to be had about the extent to which we should disconnect with news, even when it's painful. But you'd have to be a real sadist to suggest that the public shouldn't be able to check out every now and then. Experiments like this will have a beneficial impact on the relationship between that public and the publishers that serve them.

This is very promo for Megaphone - but nevertheless there are still some good insights in here for publishers. The one that leapt out at me is the first, that podcast listenership in Southern Europe skyrocketed this year. Get translating your podcasts, publishers!

It's no secret that Murdoch's news outlets - paper and pixel - are constantly being sued and settling. It's just part of the cost of operation for them. So while this article makes the case that Fox News is in danger, I can't see it sticking. Fantastic shade thrown in the first sentence, though.

In this instalment of The Fix's trends reports, it takes a look at how news publishers adapt their content to different social platforms, how newsrooms are adjusting to hybrid work after almost three years of Covid-19, and how Substack affects journalistic careers. Good read.

Throwback podcast:

In this podcast from May, Charlotte Cijffers, Digital Director at Rolling Stone UK & Attitude Magazine for Stream Publishing tells us about launching the iconic Rolling Stone title in the UK, her work on Attitude’s digital transformation, and the benefits of developing more localised content for magazines.

We've extended the entry deadline for the Publisher Podcast Awards for an extra week, so you've got until this coming Friday 16th to submit your best podcasts.