On Thursday, October 25th, I led a discussion with Ben Smith of Buzzfeed and Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo about how large platforms like Google and Facebook affect the freedom of the press. This was part of a conference on content moderation held at St. John's Manhattan campus and organized by Professor Kate Klonick
It was a great conversation, and it ranged widely over a number of very interesting subjects, including (1) how platforms are being dragged into becoming professional curators of the public sphere; (2) how journalistic organizations adjust to policies of platform companies that are not particularly focused on journalism, much less the survival of journalism; and (3) how platforms affect the economics of digital journalism for better and for worse.
Both Smith and Marshall also had important insights about their work in a media environment dominated by platforms.
It was a great conversation, and it ranged widely over a number of very interesting subjects, including (1) how platforms are being dragged into becoming professional curators of the public sphere; (2) how journalistic organizations adjust to policies of platform companies that are not particularly focused on journalism, much less the survival of journalism; and (3) how platforms affect the economics of digital journalism for better and for worse.
Both Smith and Marshall also had important insights about their work in a media environment dominated by platforms.