Media change deniers: Why debates around news need a better evidence base — and how we can get one: The latest from Nieman Lab

[Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest] Thursday, May 24, 2018 [Media change deniers: Why debates around news need a better evidence base — and how we can get one]( “If we let media change deniers drive the conversation, the result will be dumber journalism, less-informed public debate, and ineffective and counterproductive public policy. Even if what they say sometimes ‘feels right.'” By Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. [Who’s creating the top Facebook videos? “Not people you’ve necessarily heard of”]( Babies and puppies continue to rule the day, and only 2% of the most engaged Facebook videos were posted by traditional publishers. By Laura Hazard Owen. What We’re Reading ProPublica [ProPublica launches a short-term email newsletter on blood splatter analysis →]( “Think of this material as being similar to episodes of a podcast. These stories will give you insight into [Pamela] Colloff’s investigation, her reporting process and how she pieced together the narrative.” Columbia Journalism Review / Tony Biasotti [The “really dangerous” precedent for reclaiming public records →]( “California is unusual in having a clear precedent that allows for some clawback of public records releases.” Medium / BBC News Labs [Inside the BBC’s “innovation incubator” →]( “We decided to take a snapshot of a typical day in the office, as seen from the desks of seven of our developers, engineers, and producers.” Politico / Nancy Scola [Twitter will use Ballotpedia to verify election candidates in the midterms →]( “It’s part of a trend of tech companies outsourcing decision-making on political questions. YouTube, for example, is using Wikipedia to identify hoaxes, and Facebook is working with third-party fact checkers on election-related content.” Recode / Kurt Wagner [Snap is launching an accelerator to try to invest in the next big media business →]( “The new accelerator, which Snap has named Yellow, will invest $150,000 into 10 different creators or startups beginning this fall.” Poynter / David Beard [How The New York Times chose parenting as its third standalone product →]( “A big lure of parenting was the average age of parents — less than the average subscriber. Once in the NYT’s fold, those parenting subscribers may upgrade to the full product.” Digiday / Lucia MOses [“No one thinks this is a good idea”: Some frustrated publishers are sitting out Google’s GDPR meetings →]( “Google is set to have meetings today with media trade associations and various publishing company representatives to address their concerns about Google’s position on the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation. But the meetings themselves have become a flashpoint of controversy, dividing publishers.” Poynter / Kristen Hare [Six small papers joined up to cover the opioid crisis in Long Island →]( “The East End News Project plans to continue for the rest of the year with a focus on opioids. But it’s just the beginning of the partnership, Menu said.” [Nieman Lab]( / [Fuego]( / [Encyclo]( [Twitter]( / [Facebook]( [View email in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( You are receiving this daily newsletter because you signed up for for it at www.niemanlab.org. Nieman Journalism Lab Harvard University 1 Francis Ave.Cambridge, MA 02138 [Add us to your address book](//niemanlab.us1.list-manage.com/vcard?u=dc756b20ebb9521ec3ad95e4a&id=d68264fd5e)