Content Aware media news: October 26, 2023

Meta accused of cynical design decisions, sorting lies from facts, and the 17 millisecond rule - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 09:03, 27 October 2023

Glide and Vercel
Front-end masters Vercel are known for letting developers get sites up and running quickly, making the task of optimising, managing, and maintaining them much easier. The Vercel template marketplace allows users to start site and application deployments quickly - which is why we are now there with a super handy Next.js starter app, as part of our latest partnership announcement.
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"Actively addictive by design"
In a similar vein to the idea that tobacco companies always knew nicotine was addictive, Meta is hit with a bipartisan multi-state action in the US courts alleging damaging and addictive design decisions targeted at children.
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Corbidge comments on... trusting readers to know the right thing
While doomsayers suggest every reader or viewer of disinformation is unable to discern fact from fiction, the evidence suggests people are generally able to separate lies from truth. That doesn't mean they won't parrot the former though, says Rob.
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Just read this for 18 milliseconds...
Snap judgements rule the internet, and the old advice of "know your reader" has never been a more vital tool in the publisher and writer armoury. Axios boss talks "smart brevity" and why it matters.
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The 5 headlines every news article needs
Five?I SEO experts Newzdash remind writers that behind every good or punny headline are a host of others that need to be optimised for other services to understand and give the piece the best shot at search engine success.
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Awards contenders revealed
Each year the British Journalism Awards celebrates and honours the achievements of some of the best reporters and publications in the business. With the annual bash fast approaching, Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford reveals the awards contenders shortlist.
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Drawing sympathy
Cartoons are some of the most identifiable "regulars" that a newspaper can ever invest in, with some being parts of a publication's pages for decades. But the time is rife with uncertainty for cartoonists globally, with many papers not seeing how they can transition to online successfully, or viewing them as an unecessary expense in print.
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Thanks Google
As the dust settles on the world of search following Google's major algorithm update, much of it seems to be fallout from obliterated traffic figures experienced by a host of top news brands.
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"About this GAIA thing..."
Among the many questions prompted (...) by the launch of our GAIA AI wizardry last week, plenty asked what's behind it, where does data go, is content being scooped up by ChatGPT etc. Read more about why we picked Amazon Bedrock here. Short answer: it's better for publishers, B2B, and anyone with their own content.
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FIPP boss says adieu
James Hewes, supremo of global publishing body FIPP and recognisable to anyone who attends FIPP and many other publishing events worldwide, is departing the organisation to pastures anew. A thoroughbred journalist and broadcaster and a dyed in the wool supporter of publishing and journalism wherever it may be, we wish him the very best in his new role as CEO of global public relations body the PRCA.
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