Going back to the well: CNN.com, the most popular news site in the U.S., is putting up a paywall

[Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest] Tuesday, October 1, 2024 [Going back to the well: CNN.com, the most popular news site in the U.S., is putting up a paywall]( It has a much better chance of success than CNN+ ever did. But it still has to convince people its work is distinctive enough to break out the credit card. By Joshua Benton. [The New York Times redesigns its app to highlight a universe beyond just news]( It’s the first major redesign since the app launched in 2008. By Neel Dhanesha. [You might discover a conspiracy theory on social media — but you’re more likely to believe it if you hear it from a friend]( Partisanship, conspiratorial thinking, and IRL connections make for a potent mix — on both the left and the right. By Joshua Benton. What We’re Reading Indiegraf / Erin Millar [Indiegraf, a platform for independent media, secures a $2.2 million investment →]( “Indiegraf’s unique value proposition lies in its comprehensive ‘media business in a box’ solution, which includes a comprehensive news website builder, email newsletter platform, supporter payment system, advertising platform, expert marketplace, and access to growth capital. The platform has already powered over 150 community media businesses operating in multiple languages including, English, Spanish, and French.” Minnesota Star Tribune / Steve Grove [The Minnesota Star Tribune is now accepting donations from readers →]( “Our owner, Glen Taylor, has never taken a penny of profit from the company since he bought it in 2014, and he never will. He bought the Star Tribune because he felt it was an essential Minnesota institution worth preserving. It’s in that same spirit that we’re asking others who can to donate now.” TechCrunch / Kyle Wiggers [Google-style AI-generated search summaries are now in Bing, too →]( “Underpinned by a mix of Al models, Bing Generative Search aggregates information from around the web to generate a summary in response to search queries. For example, when a user searches ‘What’s a spaghetti western?’ Bing Generative Search will show a summary of the genre’s history and examples, along with links to sources.” Reuters [It’s Paywall Day 2024: Reuters joins CNN is announcing a new digital subscription →]( “The subscription plan will be available to users at a globally accessible price of $1 a week, allowing cost-efficient, unlimited access to Reuters’ trusted, accurate, and unbiased news coverage. The pricing plan is simple and transparent. There are no introductory offers or surprise price increases.” New Lines Magazine / Melissa Gronlund [Archiving the ephemera of war →]( “The war in Gaza comes at the tail end of this 15-year process of understanding and developing uses for open-source information in conflict. Thus, although social media appears to have been disproportionately powerful in this war, much of its ability to effect change stems from open-source information protocols that were already in the process of being established — and the sheer amount of killing in the small territory of the Gaza Strip.” User Magazine / Taylor Lorenz [Taylor Lorenz is leaving The Washington Post to start her own publication, User Magazine →]( “I will be reporting on the people and movements that are steering tech and internet culture, from weird online phenomena, to under-the-radar trends, to content creators, platform developments, policy initiatives, and the powerful forces that shape our online world. It’s about who has power on the internet and how that power is being wielded.” Semafor / Max Tani [InfoWars’ victims and enemies consider buying it →]( “Some of the subjects of Alex Jones’ darkest and wildest conspiracy theories could end up taking over his iconic, unhinged InfoWars brand in less than two months…Angelo Carusone, the president of the left-leaning conservative media watchdog group Media Matters for America, confirmed that the organization would explore bidding on InfoWars.” Foreign Affairs / Thomas Rid [An unprecedented leak gives new insight into Russia’s disinformation campaigns →]( “…the documents reveal that the biggest boost the Doppelganger campaigners got was from the West’s own anxious coverage of the project. That revelation, in turn, demonstrates that those who wish to fight disinformation — whether it originates from Russia or elsewhere — need to start thinking very differently about how to counter campaigns.” The New York Times / Mark Landler [The world’s oldest Jewish newspaper is in crisis over questions of ownership →]( “To Mr. Freedland and his fellow contributors, the episode was not an aberration but the troubling culmination of a period in which, they say, The Chronicle has evolved from a beloved community paper — albeit one that did not hesitate to weigh in with a conservative slant on the thorny geopolitical issues of the day — into a mouthpiece for right-wing Israeli politicians.” Media Voices / Peter Houston [How German newsletter Morningcrunch built an audience of 50,000 young professionals in 12 months →]( “We tried to find out whether WhatsApp would be the next channel to go into. We thought it was the most intuitive, the most native format, especially for young audiences, But we actually found that most people don’t want news there. They already have 50 unanswered messages from their cousin and their grandpa.” The Wall Street Journal / Jeff Horwitz [New Mexico is suing Snap for allegedly failing to protect children from predators →]( “Driven by organized predation and loosening norms about intimate photo sharing among young users, a rough internal analysis in November 2022 found that Snap was receiving 10,000 reports of sextortion each month, according to internal documents cited by New Mexico’s suit.” The Verge / Emma Roth [The messy WordPress drama, explained →]( “WordPress is essentially internet infrastructure. It’s widely used, generally stable, and doesn’t tend to generate many splashy headlines as a result…But in a dispute that’s meant to clarify what is and isn’t WordPress, [founder Matt] Mullenweg risks blurring the lines even more.” Twitter / Elon Musk [After bringing bold text to Twitter, Elon Musk thinks there’s too much of it →]( “…it will be removed from view in the main timeline. You will have to click on post details to see anything in bold. My eyes are bleeding.” The Verge / Jay Peters [Reddit is making sitewide protests basically impossible →]( “Starting today, Reddit moderators will not be able to change if their subreddit is public or private without first submitting a request to a Reddit admin…By requiring admin approval for the changes, Reddit is taking away a lever many communities used to protest the company’s API pricing changes last year.” Press Gazette / Dominic Ponsford [Staff of The Observer still aren’t sure they want to be taken over by Tortoise’s James Harding →]( “Journalists at the Guardian and Observer passed a vote of no confidence the titles’ owners, The Scott Trust, after it was announced on 17 September that Tortoise is in exclusive talks to buy The Observer…key questions around finance for the acquisition and future business plans remain unanswered by the Tortoise team and Guardian management.” The Guardian / Amanda Meade [Australian media exec apologizes to staff who experienced racism after review reveals “disturbing” treatment →]( “On behalf of everyone at the ABC, I am sorry for any and all racist behavior and past harms experienced by our Indigenous and Cald [Culturally and Linguistically Diverse] employees, either currently or formerly employed.” Associated Press / Sylvia Hui, Pascal Bastien, and Barbara Surk [WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange says he pleaded “guilty to journalism” in order to be freed →]( “I pled guilty to seeking information from a source. I pled guilty to obtaining information from a source. And I pled guilty to informing the public what that information was.” Status / Oliver Darcy [Vox Media explores a paywall for The Verge →]( “It’s unclear precisely what the pay wall will ultimately look like or when it will be put up. But I’m told that executives are looking at placing more than just standard articles behind it, meaning that subscribers would presumably get bonus features, in addition the outlet’s top-notch technology reporting.” [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](