The New Bedford Light and The Newton Beacon are just part of a new wave of local news in Massachusetts

[Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest] Wednesday, October 18, 2023 [The New Bedford Light and The Newton Beacon are just part of a new wave of local news in Massachusetts]( “People in Massachusetts once had more journalism available; they’ve lost more, they have grieved more; they have hungered for what they had. So, they now have been quick to embrace a rebirth of journalism that matters.” By Sophie Culpepper. [The Nigeria Fact-Checkers’ Coalition showed how collaborative journalism can work in West Africa]( “I don’t want to build animosity between my neighbors because of information I can’t confirm.” By Phillip Anjorin. [YouTube launches new watch page that only shows videos from “authoritative” news sources]( What We’re Reading Twitter / John Burn-Murdoch [Large parts of the mainstream media are failing to keep pace with modern news gathering techniques →]( “With a situation like Gaza/Israel, any time you’re getting a comment from an official spokesperson, you should also be getting a comment from OSINT” Inbox Collective / Claire Zulkey [Come for the newsletter, stay for the subscriber-only Discord →]( Ready to start your own community? “Start small — If you haven’t yet, open up a comments section for your newsletter and see how your readers respond to a weekly chat or discussion post.” 404 Media / Joseph Cox [“Verified” open source intelligence accounts are destroying the Israel-Palestine information ecosystem →]( “Within Twitter’s current profit and engagement focused ecosystem, the weapons specialist and OSINT expert known as Calibre Obscura generalized that ‘this entire space is 90% grifters.’ The reason: ‘profit and the dopamine of likes and follows.'” Semafor / Justin Smith and Ben Smith [One year after launching, Semafor says it has 500,000 newsletter subscriptions →]( “We started in two regional markets — the world’s biggest, the U.S; and the world’s most ignored — sub-Saharan Africa. We expect to launch our third region next year.” WSJ / Tripti Lahiri and Shan Li [Journalists see antiterrorism probe and tax raids as efforts to silence dissent in India →]( “Dozens of people were subjected to the searches. They were all journalists, like Urmilesh, or people associated with an Indian news website called NewsClick, known for articles and videos critical of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The site’s founder, Prabir Purkayastha, and its human-resources manager were arrested and are in custody.” Flatwater Free Press / Matt Wynn [The governor of Nebraska responded to a critical story by attacking the reporter’s Chinese roots →]( “Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in broadcast remarks. “Number two, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?” Washington Post / Sarah Ellison and Will Sommer [How conservative media stars are fueling GOP speaker chaos →]( Chris Stirewalt, a former politics editor at Fox News, noted that the selection of a new speaker “is, and should be, a very boring moment to most Americans. Under normal circumstances, most Americans can’t name the speaker of the House.” Washington Post / Erik Wemple [In book, former Cuomo aide claims inappropriate behavior by New York Times reporter →]( “We fought for every comma and every word, sometimes calling editors at 11:00 p.m. or 6:00 a.m. to argue over the way something was phrased or demand a correction on a detail we believed was factually inaccurate … The fights were often contentious, sometimes crossing over into being nasty.” Seven Days / Mary Ann Lickteig [NPR host Ayesha Rascoe on her authentic sound and ascent in journalism →]( “I think what people respond to in my voice is that it’s not a traditional broadcast voice. You know, I’m a Black woman from the South. And I sound like a Black woman from the South.” Engadget / Karissa Bell [X now requires community fact checks to include linked sources →]( “The company announced the change in a post on X, shortly after Wired reported that some community notes contributors are worried the tool is being manipulated by bad actors and worsening X’s misinformation problems amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.” NNA [National Newspaper Association calls a proposed 7.3% postal increase for community papers “punitive” →]( “At a time when local journalism is already in peril and more newspapers are using the mail to reach subscribers, this increase is simply punitive.” Columbia Journalism Review / Megan Greenwell [How foundation money is transforming local news →]( “Indiana will soon become home to one of the most ambitious local media startups to date, fueled by more than ten million dollars—including a $1.8 million Lumina investment and more from AJP and several other Indiana-based foundations.” The Verge / Alex Heath [X will start charging new users in two countries $1 per year →]( The subscription, part of a so-called “Not A Bot” program, is beginning in New Zealand and the Philippines and is designed to “bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity.” Washington Post / Elahe Izadi [How an Instagram once known for alligator sightings and nightlife antics became a go-to news source →]( “A funny thing happened in the course of Only in Dade’s rapid rise as the region’s hottest online time-killer: It inadvertently became a source of local news. Its wacky, endearing or alarming videos also get picked up by the local news, forming the basis of more traditional reports. And along the way, Only in Dade’s staff — a team that largely came up through marketing, digital production or comedy — have learned some of the basics of producing news.” Reuters [Italy will cut license fee for public radio and TV broadcaster by more than 20% →]( “[Deputy Prime Minister Matteo] Salvini, whose hard-right League party has long promised to completely abolish the subsidy for RAI, presented the cut as a first step.” [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](