Journalism Today. 21 Nov 2024

By Matthew Leake and Eduardo Suárez

🗞️ 3 top news stories

1. News use and election outcomes. A new study from our Trust in News project found partisan news consumption in Brazil had no impact on social polarisation or voting choices in the last election. The authors, led by Camila Mont'Alverne , tracked the internet use of 2,200 people before, during and after the 2022 election and conducted four waves or surveys which asked people about their voting choices and questions that gave insights into their level of polarisation. The study is the only one of its kind to explore these relationships in one of the biggest democracies in the world. | Read · Camila’s summary on LinkedIn

• The findings. “We find no significant relationship over time between exposure to partisan news online and increases in social polarisation or changes in vote behaviour.”

📚 From our archive. In January 2023, ahead of then president-elect Lula’s inauguration, protestors against the incoming government gathered en masse in Brasilia to disrupt proceedings, encouraging the army to block the ceremony. They attacked government buildings and threatened journalists. Our former fellow Murillo Camarotto was on the ground covering the protests and wrote an account of what he witnessed for our website. A Washington Post journalist Marina Dias told Murillo: “I was surrounded, they pulled my hair, an old lady scratched me, they broke my glasses and said I should be killed.” | Read

2. Strike action at the Observer. Guardian and Observer staff will go on a 48-hour strike on 4 and 5 December, in protest at the sale of the latter, owned by Guardian Media Group, to Tortoise Media. 93% of union members who voted pushed for industrial action with job security and a loss of investment in the Sunday title top of the concerns for the 70 or so staff who would be part of Tortoise Media. Tortoise have said they want to save the Observer from “irrelevance” citing declining circulation and dwindling editorial coverage of some beats. | Read

• A podcast on the issue. Founder of Tortoise James Harding was grilled about plans for the Observer in an episode of Media Confidential hosted by RISJ Chair and Prospect editor Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber. They also spoke to Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr , who questioned the pretext of the sale and the potential impact on journalists. | Listen

3. Jimmy Lai takes the stand. Renowned Hong Kong journalist Jimmy Lai founder of Apple News, has said he “never” used his influential overseas government contacts to sway foreign policy towards the territory. In his first testimony in the trial brought under the national security law, he denied trying to encourage figures such as former US Vice President Mike Pence, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen to change their foreign policy towards Hong Kong. If convicted, Lai, 76, could face life in jail. | Read

• Lai’s son speaks up. Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists on his father’s plight and what this means for the territory. “A Hong Kong that has 1,900 political prisoners for democracy campaigning, is a Hong Kong that has no rule of law, no free press, one that disregards the welfare of its citizens. This is not a Hong Kong that will flourish.” | Read

📚 From our archive. Earlier this year we spoke to journalist Selina Cheng , who was fired by the Wall Street Journal after being elected as Chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association. “My colleagues were shocked to the core that the newspaper would do this to a fellow colleague. The company has not made any attempt to explain or justify what they did to staff or address how they're feeling,” she said. | Read

📊 Chart of the day

🔐Mistrust is correlated with media criticism. Our Digital News Report 2023 found a strong correlation between higher exposure to news media criticism and greater levels of media distrust. This correlation is particularly strong in Eastern European markets such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Hungary. But it’s difficult to say which direction this relationship goes: it may be that more exposure to criticism influences people’s views, leading them to trust the news media less. At the same time, those with low trust in news may notice or seek out more criticism, precisely because of their low trust. | Read the report

_________

The Reuters Institute is seeking a new lead author for the Digital News Report. If you are interested in the role, you’ll find everything to know in this link.

_________

☕️ Coffee break

A journalist from the Central African Republic reveals how he worked with the Kremlin-backed Wagner group in several disinformation campaigns. “I helped keep my country in chaos. Today, I want to denounce everything, to make amends, to free myself from my shame and my regrets,” says Ephrem Yalike Ngonzo. | Read · Check out our story on Kremlin propaganda in Africa

Brian Stelter analyses Comcast’s decision to spin-off its cable networks and explains what it may mean for the media market in the United States. | Read

The New York Times is trying to shut down a copy of one of its most popular word games. It has sent a cease and desist letter to Anthony Salazar, a freelance web developer who’s built a version of Connections using the Times’ publicly available API. | Read

The US Department of Justice has asked a judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser. The proposal comes after a ruling found the tech giant had abused its search monopoly. Google has announced it will appeal the ruling. The case will not be finalised before Donald Trump takes office. | Read

Experts expect a surge in Freedom of Information Act requests, longer delays, and more court dates in the United States after Trump is sworn in January. This piece by Nieman Lab’s Andrew Deck is a good primer on how it might affect journalism. | Read

📚 One piece from our archive

The United States has charged Indian billionaire Gautam Adani with fraud charges for a $250 million bribery scheme. Much before he was on the global headlines, small news site Adani Watch had been digging for years into its offshore schemes and environmental misdeeds. Funded by an Australian non-profit, the site focuses exclusively on covering the Adani Group. In 2023 we published a piece by our contributor Raksha Kumar, which looks into their work. | Read

_________

The Reuters Institute has more than 10,000 followers on Bluesky. If you don't follow us yet on this platform, please do it by clicking on this link.

_________

📬 Sign up for our newsletter now

To ensure you get everything we do, sign up for the Reuters Institute's newsletter. Original reporting, evidence-based insights, online seminars and readings are sent twice a week. | Sign up now