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In a world of fake news you might assume there has never been a better opportunity for publishers, but it is an industry in pain. A strong local free press is the cornerstone of modern society, yet publishers are struggling. How did the industry get to this point?

Some say the original sin was giving free content away online. Fool me once, shame on you! But publishers were fooled twice, giving search engines free access to content, essentially handing over monetisation of their product.

To the industry this free traffic is like a drug causing long-term damage but the cold turkey period of traffic reduction is too severe for most to bear.

The second issue is advertising revenue. Classified, property, motoring and recruitment were all staple revenue streams for newspapers, the rest was icing on the cake. Once these industries migrated online many publishers could not sustain their business model.

The digital migration of content and the growth of global tech companies created an oversupply of content and inventory, significantly impacting revenues required to fund newsrooms. This is a global problem, locally intensified by our lack of audience scale.

The third issue is that traditional publishers have lost their purpose. It used to be clear; collating world and local news, entertainment/listings, information on deals and a generous helping of sport.

This week's episode of the Inside Marketing podcast features Dave Winterlich, chief strategy officer at Dentsu Aegis Network, and Laura Slattery, media journalist at The Irish Times, discussing the important topic of the future of publishing.

Google now plays the role of a modern-day newspaper, collating and organising information at scale. Facebook (and the open-web generally) fulfils the role of the modern-day publisher yet Facebook argues it is not a media company or publisher, it simply provides a platform for self-publishing. Some may argue this is fair, others take the view its sharp practice, definitional misdirection at best; at worst gross negligence and moral apathy.

We are at a critically important time in society. Whatever your political leaning, irrespective of your views on the media, we need a vibrant local news and publishing industry. Its a worrying future where control of the news agenda sits so powerfully with so few. We have a duty of care to support local media, but the industry needs to help itself, so what can publishers do?

News provision is no longer a differentiating purpose. Most news is a commodity, widely available from a variety of sources. Its even more stark in Ireland as were too closely aligned to the UK geographically and culturally. Other markets, Sweden or Denmark for example, are not flooded with the same degree of native language news their purpose is considerably clearer.

Having more recently defined themselves, newer publishers have a clearer purpose. The Journal grabbed mobile-first news, Joe.ie went for entertainment for the Irish male.

Legacy publishers face a tougher challenge. Weve seen the birth of a new genre, the slow-news movement; publishers focussing on what they do best, deep-diving on topics for those wanting more than headlines. New publishing platforms like Tortoise and The Correspondent, whose purpose is very eloquently put as unbreaking news, or The Athletic (sports journalism) all have a very clearly defined proposition.

But it doesnt have to be a case of new versus old, you can have crowdsourced journalism with quality control. Traditional publishers can continue to run quality paid newsrooms while still providing a platform extension for self-publishing.

Publishers, ask yourselves what do you offer that is better than anyone else? Be clear on what makes you different, and live by it.

Many legacy publishers were slow to adopt digital, refusing to migrate content online or simply slapping their newspaper on-site. Republishing content is not enough; it must be redesigned for each platform. Today journalists must tell their story across different channels, 500 words for mobile while retaining the essence, accompanied by video/audio content. The job of the publisher is to make content discoverable across the full, platform-agnostic news ecosystem. The New York Times expansion into ancillary products such as The Daily (podcast) and The Weekly (TV) is a great example. Its strategy is clear the roles for these channels is to increase brand engagement and affinity, ultimately growing subscriptions.

Nicholas Sparks said publishing is a business. Writing may be art, but publishing, when all is said and done, comes down to dollars. Legacy publishers face a specific problem that newer publishers dont; an inflated sense of worthiness in parts of the business. Commercial revenue is no longer a by-product of the editorial output; commercial is the lifeblood, it funds newsrooms. Publishers must maximise revenue, particularly from sunk costs.

Most publishers have visual, audio and print production capabilities in-house but studios often operate below capacity. Publishers can exploit new revenue streams by offering a white-labelled content production service. Copywriting is a craft in short supply and with high demand from brands we see numerous copywriting agencies appearing online. This seems like a missed opportunity for publishers.

Publishers are turning to readers to shape/fund content. De Correspondent raised $2.5 million in 29 days, and the Guardians blunter approach asking readers for donations seems to work. Patreon is a global platform that allows creators build a community of voluntary contributions. If publishers deem their content valuable, audiences should too.

Locally, Journal Media launched Noteworthy, an innovative funding approach asking readers to submit stories they want the newsroom to cover. Vetted stories are placed on-site along with associated costs to cover each one. Once the story is fully funded via discretionary donations the work begins and the democratically-funded story is then freely available for any publisher.

Publishers underestimate the potential of the Irish diaspora. For many it is an untapped resource without risk of cannibalisation. RTs GAA Go product is a great example, and other publishers should follow suit simply set your performance agency a CPA budget 50 per cent lower than subscription level as a test.

Publishers who generate healthy revenues from a hybrid of subscriptions/donations, ancillary services and advertising will thrive moving forward. Publishers must get smarter with data, offer better audience targeting/insight and tailor content to users. Advertisers get this from Facebook/Google and they expect it elsewhere. This can involve costly tech, but it can also be done through user self-selection, The Guardian asked readers what they wanted to see covered, thereby increasing relevance. Data is key too but the value exchange must be clear if users are to pay in data

Publishers must unite to provide a viable alternative to the global giants. The Ozone Project is a great example of leading UK publishers coming together to provide a viable solution for advertisers. One platform/log-in unlocks multiple publishers content.

In addition to strength in numbers there are advantages in technology costs. Things like SSPs, CMS, DMPs and execution-layer tech such as viewability tracking are all costly but standard price-of-entry. There is no reason why publishers cannot share certain tech platforms and let their journalism be the differentiator, this will help them provide scale and improve targeting while leveraging their trusted environments.

A strong local publishing industry is vital. Publishers are wounded but are more than capable of revival. Quality journalism is an industry worth supporting, and while there may be favourable tailwinds coming in terms of anti-trust legislation, the reality is this is a fight they have to win themselves.

Dave Winterlich is chief strategy officer with Dentsu Aegis Ireland

Inside Marketing is a series brought to you by Dentsu Aegis Network and Irish Times Media Solutions, exploring the issues and opportunities facing the world of media and marketing. For more information, visit irishtimes.com/insidemarketing.

The Insight marketing podcast is available on Soundcloud

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Publishers are wounded but a brighter future is within their control - Irish Times

Karel Janicek, Associated Press

Photo: Petr David Josek, AP

Czechs use anniversary of Velvet Revolution to pressure PM

PRAGUE (AP) About a quarter of a million Czechs gathered on the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution that brought an end to decades of communist rule in the country to give Prime Minister Andrej Babis an ultimatum sell your business or quit your job.

Protesters from across the Czech Republic attended Saturdays demonstration, the second massive protest opposing Babis at Letna park, the scene of massive gatherings in 1989 that greatly contributed to the fall of communism.

Police estimated some 250,000 people attended the demonstration.

The demonstrators see the populist billionaire and his ally, pro-Russian President Milos Zeman as a threat to democracy. They have given Babis a deadline of Dec. 31 to get rid of his business and media empire or resign.

We wont give up until youre gone, said Mikulas Minar, a student who put his studies on hold to lead a group called Million Moments for Democracy that organizes the demonstrations against Babis.

Babis was required to transfer ownership of his businesses that includes a conglomerate of some 250 companies and two major newspapers to two trust funds in February 2017.

But his critics, including Transparency International, say he still maintains control and a preliminary European Union report leaked to media concluded the same, saying Babis is in a position to influence the EU subsidies companies receive.

Babis denies wrongdoing and says there's no reason for him to resign.

Its great that people can express their view and nobody persecutes and attacks them, Babis said.

Over 250,000 were at the previous rally at the same place in June which was considered the biggest anti-government protest since the end of communism.

Resign, resign, the crowd chanted, facing a banner on the big stage that read We want healthy democracy.

Babis also faces allegations that he collaborated with Czechoslovakia's secret police before 1989, and has been criticized for his government's power-sharing deal he signed July 10 last year that gave the Communist Party a role in governing for the first time since the Velvet Revolution.

The Communists are not part of the minority coalition government of Babis centrist ANO movement and the left-leaning Social Democrats but enabled the governments creation by supporting it in a confidence vote.

Babis movement won the parliamentary election on October 2017 but his first minority government lost a confidence vote in January 2018 and had to resign. Zeman asked him to form a government again.

Im here because I consider Babis and Zeman an evil, said Zbynek Fiedler, who traveled 350 kilometers (220 miles) from the eastern city of Ostrava to Prague with friends.

They destroy our society, the 68-year-old pensioner said.

The organizers are set to announce a new wave of protests on Jan. 7 if Babis doesnt meet their demands.

Excerpt from:
Czechs use anniversary of Velvet Revolution to pressure PM - Manistee News Advocate

TheNo.6 Oregon Ducks (8-1) host theArizona Wildcats (4-5) on Saturday from Autzen Stadium.With the Wildcats on a losing skid, currently near the bottom of the Pac-12, and a four-touchdown underdog, there wouldn't be nearly as much attention on this game. But as the Ducks are in the hunt for the College Football Playoff, the national media will be staying up late to make sure Oregon takes care of business like many are expecting them to.

The last time the Ducks were inside the top 10 of the polls with Arizona in town, the Wildcats pulled the upset of the then No. 2 Ducks back in 2014. Despite the loss, the Ducks were able to win out and defeat the Wildcats in the 2014 Pac-12 Championship to make the first-ever College Football Playoff.This time around, the margin for error won't be nearly as big for the Ducks with Oregon already having one loss on the season and currently outside the Playoff committee's top four.

Almost all national experts and predictions we've looked at have the Ducks takingdown the Wildcats this weekend but the game will have added intrigue to seeif the Ducksassert game control early and if the Ducks pass the College Football Playoff committee's eye test as a top-four team.

Here's what the national media is saying ahead of Oregon vs. Arizona:

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What the national media is saying about Oregon ahead of Arizona - 247Sports

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the real facts:

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CLAIM: Video shows a rigged voting machine in Mississippi as a voter clicks the box for Bill Waller Jr. in the Republican primary runoff for governor and the machine switches the vote to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.

THE FACTS: The video shows a voting machine malfunction in Lafayette County, Mississippi, during the August 27 runoff. Posts sharing the false claim that the machine was deliberately rigged began circulating on Twitter following Nov. 5 off-year elections across the country. The video was first shared in August during the Republican primary runoff. One video showing the malfunction, which marked the ballot for Reeves when Waller was pressed, recirculated during the November election with a caption that falsely stated, Voter Fraud Rigged Machines. The Mississippi Secretary of State issued a press release on August 27, explaining that the video showed a machine malfunction at the Burgess precinct in the city of Oxford. Nineteen votes were cast on the machine before authorities were made aware of the issue, according to the release. The machine was replaced after the issue was discovered. Each political partys county executive committee is responsible for providing testing on TSX machines. Both parties contracted with the county election commission and the county technician to provide accuracy testing for this machine and the machine operated correctly prior to the election, the press release said. Reeves won the runoff and went on to defeat Democrat Jim Hood, the state attorney general, in the Nov. 5 elections.

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CLAIM: The young man pictured in photos with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the whistleblower whose complaint sparked the Trump impeachment inquiry.

THE FACTS: The man in the photo is Alex Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros. He is not the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint about a July 25 phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked impeachment proceedings. Posts with the false identification spread widely on Facebook and Twitter as public impeachment hearings began Wednesday. Rep. Steve King of Iowa amplified the false claim Thursday, tweeting the photos with the comment: Adam Schiff said, I do not know the identity of the whistleblower. @RepAdamSchiff here are four strong clues. Kings tweet was taken down Thursday after receiving more than 1,000 likes. He did not respond to requests for comment. The photos were taken from Alex Soros Instagram and Twitter accounts. Alex and his father have been the target of conservative attacks for their ties to the Democratic party and liberal causes. Alex Soros serves as deputy chairman of the Open Society Foundations, a philanthropic organization founded by his father. Rep. King is circulating false information, the Open Society Foundations said in a statement Thursday. He is not the whistleblower, and any attempt to identify the whistleblower is a violation of protections put in place to help people in government root out waste, fraud and abuse.

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CLAIM: Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has declared it illegal for minors to participate in hunting season.

THE FACTS: No such announcement has been made, and the youth hunting season in Virginia, which has concluded for the year, has not been outlawed. Posts began circulating on Facebook after Virginia Democrats won control of the Legislature in the Nov. 5 election, with Northam soon after announcing he intends to reintroduce several legislative gun proposals once the new lawmakers are sworn in. Youth hunting season in Virginia which applies to hunters age 15 or younger has not been altered, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries confirmed to the AP in an email. Any reports of cancellations or changes to the scheduled youth hunting days are inaccurate, the agency said in a statement. In 2019, youth hunting days were offered Sept. 28-29 for deer, and Oct. 12-13 for bear and turkey. A youth waterfowl hunting day was held Oct. 26. After the Nov. 5 election, Northam said he plans to work with the new Democratic majority when the legislative session begins in January. Stricter gun laws, which include universal background checks and banning military-style assault weapons, are at the top of the governors list, the AP reported last week. Northam had also proposed a package of gun-control measures during a special session in July, in response to a mass shooting in Virginia Beach. One of the bills calls for anyone who recklessly leaves a loaded unsecured firearm in such a manner to endanger the life or limb of any child under the age of 14 to be punished with a misdemeanour charge and up to a $500 fine. A responsible hunter regardless of age would not be affected by this bill, Alena Yarmosky, a spokeswoman for the governor, said in an email to the AP.

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CLAIM: Video shows sanitation trucks surrounding Madison Square in New York to protect Trump from booing protesters.

THE FACTS: Sanitation trucks were lined up strategically around Madison Square Park when President Donald Trump spoke at the launch of the New York City Veterans Day Tribute on Nov. 11, but they were there for security purposes, a common occurrence at events that draw large crowds. Trash trucks surrounding Trump in Madison Square to protect him from the booing is the perfect metaphor, stated a tweet with the video of the event, which was viewed more than 600,000 times. Officials with the New York City Police Department and the Department of Sanitation confirmed to The Associated Press that sanitation trucks are often used for security at big events, including the annual Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the New Years Eve celebration in Times Square. The trucks are used as part of our counterterrorism overlay, not unique to this visit, Lt. Eugene Whyte, of the NYPDs public information office, told the AP.

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CLAIM: The city of Dallas opened a convention centre for people seeking shelter from the cold and then police arrested people with unpaid tickets who tried to enter.

THE FACTS: The Dallas Police Department told the AP that no arrests were made for parking tickets or non-violent offences. A cold front swept through Texas on Monday sending temperatures plummeting into the 20s. Due to the cold weather, Dallas officials opened the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for those seeking shelter. The Dallas Police Department offered security Monday night at the shelter. To ensure the safety of all individuals, each person was notified upon entering the shelter that they were subject to checks for registered sex offenders, the police department said in a statement. In addition, if an individual had active warrants for sex offences, serious felonies, and violent crimes they were subject to arrest. The department made 11 arrests that night on outstanding warrants for crimes including sexual assault of a child. No one was arrested for unpaid parking tickets, the statement said. That claim is not true. Anastasia Reed, senior public affairs officer for the city, also confirmed in an email that individuals with minor, nonviolent and non-felony warrants were permitted to stay overnight. Police officers also conducted checks on Tuesday night.

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This is part of The Associated Press ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.

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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

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Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

Beatrice Dupuy, Arijeta Lajka And Amanda Seitz, The Associated Press

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NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didnt happen this week - CityNews Edmonton

Youre walking around and a thought occurs: I should check my phone. The phone comes out of your pocket. You type a message. Then your eyes remain glued to the screen, even when you walk across the street.

We all do this kind of distracted walking, or twalking. (Yes, this term is really a thing.)

The behavior has spawned debates among lawmakers about whether walking and texting should be illegal. Some cities, such as Honolulu and Rexburg, Idaho, have gone beyond talk and banned distracted walking altogether.

But we shouldnt let that reassure us. Last year, pedestrian deaths in the United States were at their highest point since 1990, with distracted drivers and bigger vehicles the chief culprits. So being fixated on a screen while walking cant be safe.

We know research-wise its not a good idea, and common-sense-wise it cant be a good idea, said Ken Kolosh, a manager of statistics at the National Safety Council, a nonprofit that focuses on eliminating preventable deaths. We dont ever want to blame the victim, but theres personal responsibility all of us have.

So why do we do it? I talked to neuroscientists and psychologists about our conduct. All agreed that texting while walking might be a form of addictive behavior.

But this column isnt about pointing fingers. Rather, now is a good time to reflect on why we are so glued to our phones, what we know about the risks and how we can take control of our personal technology rather than let it control us.

People are, by nature, information-seeking creatures. When we regularly check our phones, we are snacking on information from devices that offer an all-you-can-eat buffet of information.

Our information-foraging tendencies evolved from the behavior of animals foraging for food for survival, said Dr. Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World. Studies have shown that our brains feel rewarded when we receive information, which drives us to seek more. Thats similar to how our appetites feel sated after we eat.

In some ways, smartphones were designed to be irresistible to information-seeking creatures. Dr. Gazzaley drew this analogy: An animal will probably stay in a tree to gather all of its nuts before moving on to the next one. Thats because the animal is weighing the cost of getting to the next tree against the diminishing benefit of staying. With humans and smartphones, there is no cost to switching between email, text messages and apps like Facebook.

The next tree is right there: Its a link to the next webpage, a shift to the next tab, he said. We transfer so easily that we dont have to use up the nuts to move on to the next one.

So we get stuck in cycles. At what point is this considered addiction?

Not all constant phone use was considered addictive, said Steven Sussman, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California. External pressures, like a demanding job, could force people to frequently check their phones. But when people check their devices just to enhance their mood, this could be a sign of a developing problem.

Another signal of addictive behavior is becoming preoccupied with smartphone use when you should be doing something else. An even clearer indicator is what happens when the phone is taken away.

Lets say you go out to the mountains and you dont get reception, so you cant use a smartphone, Dr. Sussman said. Do you feel a sense of relief? Or do you feel, wow, I want to get out of these mountains I want to use the smartphone. If you feel the latter, thats toward the addictive direction.

Jim Steyer, the chief executive of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that evaluates tech products and media for families, said there needed to be a broad public awareness campaign over the dangers of walking and texting in parallel with distracted driving.

You have distracted pedestrians and distracted drivers, so its the double whammy, he said. Tech addiction hits in both ways.

Just how dangerous is distracted walking? The answer is: Its still unclear.

Distracted walking is a relatively new area of research. There have been few studies to show the consequences of what the behavior can lead to. And some of the studies conflict with one another.

This year, New York Citys Transportation Department published one study, including data collected about pedestrian-related incidents in New York and nationwide, which found little concrete evidence to link distracted walking with pedestrian fatalities or injuries.

Yet the National Safety Council said the national data cited in the New York study did not include information on whether pedestrians were engaged in other tasks at the time of the incidents.

The council instead published a study conducted by the University of Maryland in 2013. It found that between 2000 and 2011, there were hundreds of emergency room visits related to phone use while walking, and the primary cause of injury was a fall.

While more research needs to be done on distracted walking, its indisputable that walking while texting is less safe than paying attention to your surroundings.

When youre busy doing secondary tasks like texting, you dont judge gap distances in traffic as well, you walk slower, you make poor decisions, and youre not aware of your surroundings, said Mr. Kolosh of the National Safety Council.

Obviously, the answer to not getting into dangerous situations by walking and texting is not to walk and text at the same time.

But thats easier said than done, since people have trouble reining in their tech use. So several experts recommended exercises in self-control.

Melanie Greenberg, a clinical psychologist and the author of The Stress-Proof Brain, said people could practice being more mindful by asking themselves any of these questions:

Is this the most important thing for me to be doing right now?

Am I controlling my destiny, or am I letting tech control it?

How is my posture? Am I stressing my body out?

Am I going to cause myself harm?

Reducing access to the device can also be helpful, Dr. Gazzaley said. You could carry your phone in your bag instead of your pocket, making it more troublesome to pull out, for example.

The National Safety Council said that when pedestrians have to check their phones, they should stop walking and stand in a safe place. It also advised people wearing earphones to listen at a low volume.

Chris Marcellino, a former Apple engineer who led the development of the original iPhones notifications, recommended going into the phones settings and switching off notifications for all apps except those that are most important to you, like work-related apps.

These are things that arent pertinent to your life that are bombarding you all the time, he said.

Other tools, like the do not disturb function on both iPhones and Android phones, can be set to shush notifications temporarily.

Even knowing all of this, I caught myself the other day checking Twitter while crossing a parking lot. I reflected on this and realized Twitter was a waste of time.

So I deleted the app. Then I installed another one to block the Twitter website from my phone just for good measure.

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Texting While Walking Is Dangerous. Heres How to Stop. - The New York Times