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Daily Archives: May 8, 2022

How free service journalism and paywalls can coexist

Poynter – “Only a few news organizations need to play at the extremes. Your paywall can be porous and your service journalism can establish an elite community. Journalism is often filled with competing interests. The “business side” versus the “editorial side” is a classic example. Another is the chase for eyeballs via clickbait or the quality pursuit of awards. There are many forces in our industry that have an equal and opposing force and shades of gray in between. A pivotal dichotomy in the years to come is the tension between charging an audience for access to content and journalism in service of a community. After the great “pivot to video” debacle of the mid-2010s, monetizing readers directly through subscriptions, events, and merchandise has been a growing trend. We see this trend in organizations like The New York Times, which now boasts over 8 million subscribers, and individuals who are monetizing their audiences with paywalled newsletters, text channels, or membership communities. This trend has even hit the major platforms, with Twitter and Instagram slowly releasing tools that would allow content creators to monetize their audience directly and offer members-only perks. On the other side of this equation, however, is the threat that the greater public is being left behind. In fact, some predict we will see an outright questioning of paywalls. Playing “hide-the-ball” with information can leave a bad taste in the mouth of journalists who still see their job as more than just a paycheck, but in service of a higher mission…”

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 8, 2022

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 8, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading

Visualizing Abortion Restrictions

FiveThirtyEight – Undue Burden How abortion restrictions have become obstacles for women across the U.S. By Anna Wiederkehr and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux. Illustrations by Nicole Rifkin “Abortion is a constitutional right — at least for now. But for many women, it’s a right that comes with an asterisk. Under current law, states can’t ban abortion until… Continue Reading

How to turn your smartphone into a flatbed scanner to sign forms or digitize text

Yahoo Finance: “You may have a flatbed scanner at home or perhaps one of those “all in one” printer/scanner/copier machines, but did you know your smartphone’s camera can also double as a flatbed scanner? It’s not only fast and convenient to scan something when away from your computert, but the quality is surprisingly good, thanks… Continue Reading

Unchecked global emissions on track to initiate mass extinction of marine life

Princeton University: “As greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm the world’s oceans, marine biodiversity could be on track to plummet within the next few centuries to levels not seen since the extinction of the dinosaurs, according to a recent study in the journal Science by Princeton University researchers.  The paper’s authors modeled future marine biodiversity… Continue Reading

World’s reptiles comprehensively assessed – IUCN Red List

“Comprehensive Study of World’s Reptiles: More Than One in Five Reptile Species are Threatened with Extinction. Many Likely Benefit From Efforts to Save Other Animals:  Conservation efforts for other animals have likely helped protect many reptile species, according to a new study led by NatureServe, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Conservation… Continue Reading