Is there a future for video games journalism?

[Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest] Tuesday, February 28, 2023 [Is there a future for video games journalism?]( The world’s power brokers are investing desperately in the games industry, but games media is another story entirely. By Luke Winkie. What We’re Reading Xtra Magazine / Jude Ellison S. Doyle [What went wrong at The New York Times? →]( “Media is made by people, and those people have politics and relationships and sympathies. Pure objectivity does not exist, and the pretense of objectivity — the newsroom ideal that all ‘sides’ of an issue should be heard — often harms marginalized people more than it helps them.” Digiday / Krystal Scanlon [BeReal still has potential for advertisers, but its hype period is over →]( “BeReal’s early appeal hasn’t proven to be sustainable because the platform has failed to sufficiently diversify its model,” commented Ed East, founder and group CEO of Billion Dollar Boy. “A greater variety of formats and features would help to keep the platform feeling fresh, and increase engagement and user retention. But as it stands, the platform is already starting to feel a bit stale — there’s only so many times you can share a photo of your desk and computer screen!” Platformer / Casey Newton and Zoë Schiffer [In latest round of Twitter cuts, some see hints of its next CEO →]( “Davis has reportedly been charged with cutting costs. Some former employees have speculated that Twitter will attempt to get out of paying founders what they’re owed, just as Musk did with Twitter’s former top executives when he took over.” Deadline / Melanie Goodfellow [Vice France is shutting down →]( “There is no drama, just frustration about losing a media outlet with a tone, freedom and audacious choices. That’s something rare today. I will remember these magnificent years and stories that weren’t covered elsewhere. Please spare a thought for the 30 employees in the Paris office,” editor-in-chief Paul Douard [tweeted](. South China Morning Post / Minnie Chan [Taiwan’s plans to target fake news fan fears of threats to press freedom →]( “Under the draft, offenders who spread misinformation or rumours endangering society and the public could face three years in prison or a NT$1 million (US$32,500) fine. Penalties for media operators would be even higher. But journalists, lawmakers and defence experts said they were worried that the powers could be used to curtail freedom of the press, and as a ‘political tool’ to silence dissent.” The Wall Street Journal / Bojan Pancevski [Axel Springer will make cuts to its German business to shift to its focus to the U.S. →]( “The cuts will mainly affect the company’s German dailies Bild—Europe’s biggest-selling tabloid—and Welt. Springer will focus on developing its U.S. assets, which include Washington politics portal Politico, general news outlet Insider and business-focused website Morning Brew, Mr. Döpfner said in an interview.” The Hollywood Reporter / Georg Szalai [BBC journalism union members have voted in favor of a strike →]( “BBC employees in England who are members of a journalism union have voted in favor of a strike that would be the first major industrial action at the British public broadcaster since 2010. It comes amid a debate about changes that the public broadcaster has unveiled to its local content strategy in England.” Axios / Sara Fischer [There are now no people of color on the Washington Post’s editorial board →]( “Jonathan Capehart quit the Washington Post editorial board after a dispute over an editorial about 2024 politics, leaving the paper with an all-white editorial board, Axios has learned. Capehart left the board at a time when the Post — based in a city where nearly half the population is Black — is swirling in internal discontent over the paper’s leadership.” The Present Age / Parker Molloy [An overlooked detail in the Scott Adams and Dilbert story →]( “This began, as so many racist troll campaigns do, on 4chan’s /pol board back in October 2017 by way of Newsweek.” [Nieman Lab]( / [Fuego]( [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](