Johannes Ullrich (maybe not a bot)
Anybody else subscribing to the online version of their local newspaper out of pity? I mean… it is bad… I hardly read it… I am not sure they even have local staff. They appear to be copying press releases. They do not add value/context to current events. The articles are riddled with spelling and grammar issues. There appears to be no proof reading but a simple spellcheck. But well, I feel bad for them and somehow think a local newspaper is still important :(
Jan 12, 2023 at 12:33amWeb
Show threadRoyce WilliamsJan 12, 2023

@jullrich

Our valiant @anchoragedailynews local crew is still generating significant and relevant local content! 🎉

Also I like reading the comics with my cereal. :D

Show threadRich Smith "" (Ace Tomato Company)Jan 12, 2023
@jullrich it's not unheard of that some content would be outsourced and copied press releases. It varies by news outlet. See this article from 2012. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/07/fake-bylines-and-outsourced-writers-how-journatic-does-journalism/326238/
Fake Bylines And Outsourced Writers: How Journatic Does Journalism

Journatic, a company that provides hyper-local stories to media outlets, was called out by This American Life this weekend for using fake bylines on stories from their Blockshopper.com. While that is surface-level bad, the whole operation seems deeply sinister for supporters of shoe-leather journalism.

The Atlantic
Show threadInfosec V'gerJan 12, 2023
@jullrich local news is important, and yes I subscribe to a “local” paper that I’m pretty sure moved out of town years ago as well as a local paper in a town I used to live in. Btw, thanks for the storm cast, I listen to it every day.
Show threadChrisJan 12, 2023
@jullrich Here in Michigan, most of the locals are owned by a single company. So "local" might be a story from the other side of the state. It's disappointing to see.
Show threadcyber_qcJan 12, 2023
@jullrich Yes, guilty. Once, local newspapers could be the "root of trust" about events. Though the trust may still be there, the average news reader expects to drink oceans of information, not just the drops that the local news can offer. Yet, this doesn't diminish their value, and as long as they stand clear from upping their volume by abusing ChatGPT, they may yet retain their dedicated (though small) readership for a while still?