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 by Staff Writers San Francisco (AFP) Oct 25, 2019
Major online platforms have a complicated relationship with news organizations: the two sides are both friends and enemies, depending on the viewpoint. Big internet firms such as Google and Facebook can help news organizations by driving traffic to news sites, but many media groups complain they miss out on the bulk of digital ad revenues, making it harder to support journalism. Some tech firms have begun efforts to support professional journalism as they strive to weed out viral hoaxes and misinformation. Here is a glance at what some big internet firms are doing. Facebook News Facebook's news "tab" unveiled Friday for the US market will pay a portion of the 200 partner media groups, with some reportedly getting millions of dollars. The News tab will be edited in part by seasoned journalists, but algorithms will also be used to "personalize" the section dedicated to professional news. Facebook earlier this year said it would spend some $300 million to support journalism, particularly local news organizations. It has also funded fact-checking projects around the world, including one in partnership with AFP. Facebook said separately Friday it would not pay French media groups to display photos or video and text excerpts alongside links to articles shared by its users This follows a similar move by Google last month which critics say defies an EU copyright directive. Google News Google scours the internet for news as well as other information, compiling stories at a News site that provides links to publishers along with snapshots of what they hold. The leading search engine does not pay for news content, saying that it drives a lot of traffic to publishers who can make money from those readers. But as part of the "Google News Initiative" unveiled last year, the tech giant committed $300 million to help news publishers get more paid subscribers while stemming the flow of misinformation. This did not involve direct payments from Google but better support in helping drive subscriptions with fewer clicks. The initiative was developed with some 60 media partners including the Washington Post, Financial Times, French-based Le Figaro, Brazil's Grupo Globo and Italy's La Republica. But Google remains locked in a battle with European publishers seeking payment for display of their content in search results. Google says articles, pictures and videos will be shown in search results only if media firms consent to let the tech giant use them for free. Apple News Apple offers a free news service featuring stories selected by editors, which also seeks to help drive paid subscriptions. The iPhone maker also offers an Apple News+ premium service available for $10 monthly adds access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers. While Apple News has driven traffic to publishers, some have expressed disappointment when it comes to generating revenue, particularly when it comes to ads. Apple has reportedly made deals with publishers to split revenue generated by subscriptions to its news service. Yahoo News Pioneering internet firm Yahoo, now owned by Verizon, has long aggregated stories from around the internet and delivered them at its popular news site. Yahoo makes deals to pay outlets such as AFP for content.
Facebook 'news tab' seeks to reboot its role with media The tab, being tested with some US users, will be separate from a user's normal feed and include articles from partner news organizations -- making a clear distinction between journalism and stories shared by users from a wide range of sources. "This is going to be the first time ever there will be a dedicated space on the (Facebook) app that is focused on high-quality journalism," chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told an audience in New York in a joint appearance with CEO Robert Thomson of News Corp, one of the partners in the project. The mix of stories in Facebook News will be determined by algorithmic "personalization" based on a user's preferences and data, with journalists choosing some of the stories. The company said users would have "more control over the stories they see, and the ability to explore a wider range of their news interests, directly within the Facebook app." Facebook is expected to pay some of the news organizations -- reportedly millions of dollars in some cases -- but has yet to disclose full details. Zuckerberg said Facebook would not seek to limit coverage of the company or himself. - Going global? - Zuckerberg said he sees the effort as important even if it is used by only a small percentage of Facebook users. And he said the company is in discussions to bring the feature to other countries. "We want to do something like this across the world as well," he said. The social network has partnered with some 200 news organizations including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, CBS News, BuzzFeed, Fox News, the Boston Globe, Bloomberg and Vanity Fair. Zuckerberg defended the inclusion of partners some criticize as politically partisan such as the right-wing outlet Breitbart, saying the news tab "needs to have a diversity of views." Facebook said it would begin an initial test rollout which would "showcase local original reporting" from publications in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington, Miami, Atlanta and Boston. Topic sections will include business, entertainment, health, science and technology, and sports. - Rebooting the relationship - The move represents Facebook's effort to reboot its relationship with news organizations, many of which have been critical of the platform for failing to curb the spread of misinformation and for taking much of the online ad revenue. The plan notably brings together Facebook and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Thomson, the News Corp CEO who last year denounced what he called a "dysfunctional" online landscape that made it hard for publishers to thrive, welcomed the Facebook initiative in the joint appearance with Zuckerberg. "It is a powerful precedent that will echo around editorial departments," said Thomson, whose company includes the Wall Street Journal. "It begins to change the terms of trade for quality journalism." - Paying for 'good stuff' - Northeastern University professor Dan Kennedy said the tab could help Facebook users distinguish between misinformation and professional news. "Less savvy news consumers might not be able to tell the difference between exaggerated or fake viral news and real journalism from respected news organizations," Kennedy said. "So this should help a lot." But Kennedy said it could be problematic that Facebook may only be paying the richest media organizations, increasing woes for small, local outlets. Ken Paulson, a former USA Today editor who now heads the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, agreed that the initiative will promote better content. "My long-term hope for the news business is that more consumers will recognize the difference between quality and chaos and be willing to pay for the good stuff," Paulson said. University of Oregon journalism professor Damian Radcliffe noted that Facebook users currently "bump into" news in their feed, as opposed to actively seeking it out. He said the project raises "important questions here about how transparent the story selection process will be, and what Facebook is effectively saying about news which sits outside of the tab. Does that means it's deemed less trustworthy?"
Facebook 'big' project on journalism set for this week Washington (AFP) Oct 23, 2019 Facebook is set to make a "big announcement" this week aimed at supporting news and journalism, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday. Zuckerberg, appearing at a congressional hearing on its digital coin Libra, said during questioning that the leading social network is moving forward on a project "supporting high-quality journalism." The comments appeared to refer to Facebook's planned "News Tab" which will be a separate section that includes articles from professional news organization ... read more
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