Insights, tools and research to advance journalism
API’s daily Need to Know morning newsletter provides fresh, useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism. Most of the items that we curate for the newsletter each day also appear here on the website as a cumulative body of knowledge.
OFF THE TOP You might have heard: Digital First Media, backed by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital, attempted a hostile takeover of Gannett in January. (Wall Street Journal) Gannett rejected the offer in February on the basis that the company would be unable to finance the transaction. (USA Today) But did you know: Alden […]
OFF THE TOP You might have heard: Subscription-based podcast app Luminary aims to be the “Netflix of podcasts” (New York Times) But did you know: Like most media, podcasting is pivoting to paid (with complications) (Digiday) “Podcasting looks poised for a major infusion of consumer revenue in the next few years,” writes Max Willens. “The […]
OFF THE TOP You might have heard: WHYY acquires local news site Billy Penn, making it the latest in a series of public media mergers with digital-first news startups (WHYY) But did you know: Could public media and digital startups be the next trend in mergers? (Nieman Lab) Billy Penn and Denverite, both formerly of […]
OFF THE TOP You might have heard: Publishers sour on contributor networks, citing concerns over low-quality content (Digiday) But did you know: Looking for more ways to engage audiences, publishers are beginning to turn their attention back to building ‘expert networks’ (Digiday) Many news publishers are beginning to revive their contributor networks, creating new roles […]
Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism OFF THE TOP You might have heard: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces U.S. extradition after arrest at Ecuadorian embassy in the U.K. (The Guardian) But did you know: Julian Assange’s arrest could end as a test for press freedom (CNN) Assange has not been […]
OFF THE TOP You might have heard: After spending two years launching third-party fact-checking programs, rolling out News Feed updates, and investing in other anti-misinformation initiatives, Facebook is still the home of viral fake news (BuzzFeed News) But did you know: Facebook is changing News Feed (again) to stop fake news (Wired) On Wednesday Facebook announced a […]
Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism OFF THE TOP You might have heard: The use of voice assistants is growing rapidly, but news consumption on these devices is lower than might be expected, with users “underwhelmed” by short news briefings that are mostly reversioned from radio or print (Reuters Institute) But […]
Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism OFF THE TOP You might have heard: About one in three users in the U.S. live in places where there is not enough local news for Facebook to be able to launch its “Today In” feature (Facebook Journalism Project) But did you know: What kind of […]
Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism OFF THE TOP You might have heard: Americans expect to get their news from social media, but they don’t expect it to be accurate (Nieman Lab) But did you know: Americans give social media a clear thumbs-down (NBC News) The American public holds negative views […]
Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism OFF THE TOP You might have heard: Voice assistants have been adopted faster than nearly any other technology in history (Recode) But did you know: For many publishers, there’s not much question if voice will grow. The question is whether news will grow with it. […]