NEWS 9

BBC says public back its online journalism even if it hurts papers

SUMMARY: 

The BBC has hit back at critics who say it should stop publishing written journalism online, claiming the vast majority of the public support its digital news coverage even if it makes it more difficult for newspapers to make money. Last month culture secretary John Whittingdale said newspapers were “entitled” to be concerned if the BBC continued to “provide news content that looks like newspaper content” and suggested the corporation should consider reining in its online operation.

STATISTICS:

• Only 6% said they thought the negative impact on newspapers meant the BBC should stop publishing online
• 83% said the BBC should continue its current approach to putting news online.
• The BBC said it was reviewing its news content online to ensure it was distinctive.

OPINION:

Twitter is replacing favourites with likes – but does anyone heart it?

SUMMARY:

Favourites – we use them for a myriad of reasons. Favouriting a tweet could mean “I like this tweet”, or “good point”, or “this is fun, but not enough to retweet”, or “I acknowledge your communication, but can’t be bothered to reply”, or “the conversation is ending now, but on a positive note!” Also, the favourite is a great bookmarking tool.

In a press release, Twitter’s thinking is entirely wrongheaded. Hearts are, it says, “more expressive”. No, hearts aren’t, for reasons outlined above. Here is what they think a heart can mean …

STATISTICS:

• Twitter has cruelly stripped away all of the above nuances of communication by replacing the favourite function with a “like” button

• One supposed to bookmark an article on the refugee crisis without ‘liking’ it? I’m not ready to inaccurately look – ironically – heartless on social media.

OPINION: