Re: The Web and Journalism

Civic Technology Community Group,

Also, with respect to the "future of news", (civic) technology, and journalism, "in many of the countries covered in our survey, we find [...] low levels of trust, declining engagement, and an uncertain business environment" [9]. Declining engagement can, in part, explain CNN+ [10] which was, in my opinion, technologically, a step in the right direction. In spite of CNN+, I remain optimistic about interactive video technologies as pertaining to news and journalistic documentaries. BBC is researching interactive media technologies [11][12].

One can imagine applications of various new and emerging technologies, including and beyond content menus systems and UX as seen on Netflix and others. Perhaps some enhancements and new features to request for services like YouTube News could be brainstormed here. There are also benefits and caveats to consider with respect to personalized sequences of news segments using recommender systems. In addition to using remote controls to select video sources, as seen on Netflix and others, remote controls could be used to provide types of feedback which can also inform algorithms recommending sequences of video segments. Atop these personalized sequences of segments, one can imagine the capability for news providers to interrupt, to show entire audiences breaking news content. In this way, audiences could receive personalized and semi-personalized content, in theory increasing engagement, and, with respect to breaking news, audiences could receive information while "on the same page".

With respect to social media, different news consumption behaviors are observed on different platforms. "When it comes to news, audiences say they pay more attention to celebrities, influencers, and social media personalities than journalists in networks like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. This contrasts sharply with Facebook and Twitter, where news media and journalists are still central to the conversation" [9].

Thank you. I hope that this information is interesting to you. I am interested in your ideas with respect to the Web, technology, journalism, and the "future of news".


Best regards,
Adam

[9] https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023/dnr-executive-summary
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN%2B
[11] https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
[12] https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd

________________________________
From: Adam Sobieski <adamsobieski@hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2024 9:50 PM
To: public-civics@w3.org <public-civics@w3.org>
Subject: The Web and Journalism

Civic Technology Community Group,

Hello. In this Community Group, we previously discussed how civic technologies could support the local journalism ecosystem [1].

Along these lines, I would like to share some articles pertaining to past and ongoing deliberations about the Web and journalism in Australia [2], Canada [3], and, more recently, California [4][5].

In a recent Google blog article [5], I discovered some interesting information: only 2% of queries on Google Search are news-related. Meanwhile, almost 62% of adults get their news from social media platforms and that number is increasing [6].

Brainstorming: should journalists on social media be able to obtain special verification badges, a.k.a. digital press passes, to verify that they are journalists and that they adhere to a code of conduct [6]? Should social media platforms compensate press-pass-holding journalists at all, per their content's ratings, or per more intricate algorithms? If so, should content from press-pass-holding journalists be distinguished from other forms of content and be measured, e.g., in terms of shares, across social media platforms to better algorithmically compensate them?

Which other technology-related topics and possibilities with respect to "the future of news" interest you? Any thoughts about real-time journalistic video streams and documentary videos [7] on streaming media services [8], where menus could be provided to navigate content?

Any other thoughts, comments, questions, or ideas on these topics? Thank you.


Best regards,
Adam

[1] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/local-journalism-in-crisis-why-america-must-revive-its-local-newsrooms/
[2] https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/googles-fight-in-australia-could-change-the-future-of-media/
[3] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/google-tells-canada-it-wont-pay-link-tax-will-pull-news-links-from-search/
[4] https://www.npr.org/2024/04/12/1244416887/google-blocks-california-news-payments-bill
[5] https://blog.google/products/news/california-journalism-preservation-act-puts-news-ecosystem-at-risk/
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_as_a_news_source
[7] https://www.documentary.org/
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_streaming_media_services