#25 - The AI Content Wave.
There is a lot of buzz about AI that can generate images from simple text descriptions. But there is at least as much going on in the pure craft of writing. AI is being used to create?stories & articles, generate summaries or headlines, and even modify the tone of voice. For?fiction?this raises the question of what an author & creativity still is. For?news, it ultimately comes down to who determines our view of reality. The journalist or the algorithm? This isn't necessarily a simple binary question, but one that we too often leave unanswered while the AI content wave has already arrived.
Related:
This and more in this week’s Wayfinder!
IN FOCUS
News avoidance is a very real phenomenon and, according to new academic research a deeply rational one. Many people see news as high risk (something that makes them anxious) and low benefit (little practical value).
The Reuters Institute released new research?about?the relationship between trust in news and how people think about news on digital platforms. The results are not so surprising. The level of trust in news on social media, search engines, and messaging apps is consistently lower than audience trust in information in the news media more generally.?
Related: Schibsted News Media and Tinius Trust are launching a new experimental inclusion lab: IN/LAB. The aim is to explore how to reach people whom the lab defines as “news outsiders” and give more people meaningful access to independent journalism.
NEWSROOM
Last week at the INMA Media Innovation Conges I had the opportunity to tell something about the digital transformation of Mediahuis and how seeing the rollout of a new CMS as a lever for change is not so much a technological story but rather one of new processes and new ideas.
Is there an optimal article length? Chartbeat’s data scientists analyzed millions of articles of 10,000 words or fewer that were published between January 2019 and April 2022. For articles of less than 4,000 words, the longer the article, the more engaging it will be. Beyond 4,000 words the picture is less clear.?
SUBSCRIPTIONS
12 years ago, the Times introduced a paywall. That caused quite a bit of protest on the newsroom floor. But in the meantime, the Times has built up 445,000 subscribers. News & Lifestyle are the main drivers according to new data they shared with INMA.
The Rebooting takes a look at what’s next for subscriptions. According to Brian Morrissey we are entering a maturity phase that will revolve increasingly around combining ads & subscriptions, consolidating the subscriber base and exploring new bundeling opportunities.
And Media analysts Thomas Baekdael warns trusted newspapers to be careful that they don't lose that image when optimizing their traffic. Worth a read.
领英推荐
AUDIO
Podcast episodes are getting shorter, according to podcast analytics company Rephonic. The number of shows over an hour long are becoming less common, and 37 minutes appears to be the sweet spot.?Why? It could be the rise of short and frequent daily news podcasts.
SHORT
SOCIAL
Online violence poses a constant threat to journalists. A new guide to protecting newsrooms and journalists against online violence details policies and best practices newsrooms can implement to better protect staff members who are targeted simply for doing their jobs.
TikTok's standalone BeReal copycat app TikTok Now, has been made available in markets outside the US this week and it's already in the top 10 social networking apps in 39 countries.
Meanwhile For some the original TikTok is no longer exciting. TikTok is changing. Instead of a space for creation, it’s become a space for distribution. The original creative culture is being overwhelmed and the actual content is getting closer to what you see on every other network. As the platform gets bigger, it gets more generic.
AI
If you read this newsletter every week, you are now familiar with news about generative AI-tools DALLE-E and Midjourney. But to truly understand the capabilities it's worth trying them. Here are two good guides to get you started.?
Meanwhile, the backlash against AI generated images has started. Shutterstock is removing AI-generated images?and?Getty Images announced a ban.
READ
The founders of Axios and Politico share their methods for condensed communication in an increasingly complex world a brand new book called 'Smart Brevity'. Don't rush to the book store yet. The reviews are scathing: "Smart Brevity is neither brief nor, sadly, very smart."
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Ezra
Multi-channel Digital Product Experts / Strategy / User Experience / Engineering / Delivery
2 年Mark Walker - check this out, right up your street ;)