Why editing for social media can be beastly | Guardian libel win
And the Express is in hot water with IPSO over serial breaches of the Editors' Code
Good morning and welcome to your daily Press Gazette media briefing on Tuesday, 20 May, brought to you in association with Wright’s Media, the premier global content licensing agency with 25 years of industry experience guiding publishing clients.
Producing journalism for social media sounds a lot like working for a fickle, ruthless and sometimes brutal editor.
They all agree they are beholden to algorithms which are sometimes arbitrary and unfair in the content they promote. Unless a story can be boiled down into a picture, headline and caption which will instantly stop a reader from scrolling further it is probably not worth covering, one editor concludes.
Social media platforms may not encourage nuance or investigative journalism, but they are a world that publishers must master if they are going to engage with the next generation of readers and viewers.
One of the dangers of social media, and writing for online generally, is that it encourages headlines which work so hard they become detached from the reality of the story.
This appears to have been the case at the Express which has published significantly inaccurate or misleading headlines six times in the past three months, according to IPSO.
The press regulator has the power to launch a standards investigation, and levy heavy fines, in case of serial offending but has never done so in its 11-year history. The Express team will be keen to ensure they don’t become the first such case.
The case raises a couple of interesting points. The court concluded that being described as gay could not be said to harm your reputation in England and Wales (even though the man said the article put his life in danger in Afghanistan). The judge also said the man had been unable to prove he had sustained "serious harm", underlining the high bar set for libel claims under the Defamation Act 2013.
Meanwhile, The Guardian awaits a ruling from the trial judge in actor Noel Clarke’s £10m defamation action against it following the conclusion of last month’s trial.
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On Press Gazette
‘The algorithm is a beast’: Editing for social media at Ladbible, Joe and Metro
Editors share their winning social media strategies and how they tackle the challenge of getting readers to "eat their greens".
Express rapped by IPSO over inaccurate headlines six times in three months
The articles mostly related to the perceived impact of the first Budget from Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Man who said Guardian article ‘forced him into hiding’ has libel case thrown out
Suggesting that a person is gay is not defamatory, judge says.
News in brief
A Lords rebellion against the Government's AI plans, calling for more copyright protections, has continued with the backing of another amendment last night. (BBC)
DMGT owner Lord Rothermere has reportedly been in talks to take a 9.9% stake in The Telegraph, although Sky News said this "may have faltered". The suggestion is that The Telegraph and the Mail would share costs but stay editorially independent. (Sky News)
Google has begun rolling out its news aggregator Discover on desktop. Discover (part of the Google app on phones) has become a major source of referral traffic for publishers helping to compensate for falling click-throughs from search. (Search Engine Roundtable)
GB News has accused Ofcom of having a "single-minded determination" to bring in rules around politicians presenting news in any type of programme and claimed the regulator's consultation process is "flawed" although Ofcom says it "gives everyone the opportunity..." (The Times)
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon has quit the network citing differences with the company. Owner Paramount is considering settling a $20bn lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over "misleading" editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount is awaiting President Trump's approval to merge with Hollywood studio Skydance. CBS has said the Trump lawsuit is without merit. (Financial Times)
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