For the Record

Politicians Flock to Impostor Sites:

In an article on the increasing prevalence of "online, impostor local sites that promote ideological agendas," Brendan Nyhan of The New York Times reported that the campaign committee of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) funded the California Republican, a site that describes itself on Facebook as providing "the best of U.S., California and Central Valley news, sports and analysis." Rep. Kelli Ward (R-Ariz.) also promoted an endorsement from the Arizona Monitor, "another pseudo-local site."

Sorkin vs. Zuckerberg:

In an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg published in the New York Times, playwright and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (who received the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for "The Social Network," which chronicles the platform's mid-aughts ascent) lobbied the executive to end the platform's policy of accepting false political advertising. "This isn't the same as pornography, which people don't rely upon for information," said Sorkin. "Last year, over 40% of Americans said they got news from Facebook. Of course the problem could be solved by those people going to a different news source, or you could decide to make Facebook a reliable source of public information." Zuckerberg responded by posting the Sorkin-scripted "America isn't easy..." monologue from Rob Reiner's "The American President" on his Facebook page.

TikTok Algorithm Questioned:

Users of the social media video app TikTok have called for more representation of users of color on its trending For You page. "This is a message for all my black TikTokers," said Larry Hudson III in an October 19 video, which has since gone viral. "There ain't enough of us on the For You page, so use this sound and say the words 'black power' and the people watching will give you a like and a follow." According to Morgan Sung of Mashable, it is believed that "high engagement tends to sway a video's popularity" on the platform.

Deadspin Turmoil Continues:

At least seven Deadspin staffers resigned Wednesday in protest of parent company G/O Media's decision to terminate Barry Petchesky, who was serving as the news site's interim editor-in-chief, for publishing content unrelated to the site's new sports-only mandate. "From the outset, [G/O Media] CEO Jim Spanfeller has worked to undermine a successful site by curtailing its most well-read coverage because it makes him personally uncomfortable," said the GMG Union, which represented the writers, in a statement posted to Twitter. "This is not what journalism looks like and it is not what editorial independence looks like."

Twitter Ends Political Advertising:

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced Wednesday that the platform will ban all political ads effective November 22, countering Facebook's stance on the issue. Although the decision was lauded by a wide range of Democratic political figures (including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock), Trump 2020 Campaign Manager Brad Parscale said that it was "a very dumb decision" and likened ads "from biased liberal media outlets" to political content.

Writers on the Other:

Ten contemporary novelists (including 2015 Fiction finalist Laila Lalami) spoke to Lila Shapiro of New York magazine about the challenges of writing outside their identities, "a conversation [which] all established writers are reckoning with today." According to Lalami, "There is no exact formula. It's not as if you can give a prescription to a writer: Take two teaspoons of empathy, a drop of research." N. K. Jemisin ruminated on the relationship between style and culture. "I've learned to not fear obviousness when I'm describing race or topics related to oppression," she said. "With an American audience, you have to be as in your face about it as possible because our society encourages delicate euphemism. I'd rather be accused of being obvious than allow people to get away with thinking all of my characters are white people."

Facebook Beats Expectations, Doubles Down on False Advertising:

Facebook announced Wednesday that its Q3 earnings surpassed analyst expectations, including $17.7 billion in total sales and $6.1 billion profit. However, CEO Mark Zuckerberg devoted much of the company's quarterly earnings call to controversies surrounding false political advertising and the amplification of content, exemplified by the inclusion of Breitbart on its News tab. "I've considered whether we should not carry these ads in the past, and I'll continue to do so," he said. "On balance, so far, I've thought that we should continue." He added: "I could be wrong, but my experience running this company so far has been that if we do what we believe is right, even when it’s unpopular for years at a time, then eventually, it has worked out best for our community and for our business, too."

Local News Trust Erodes:

A new Knight Foundation/Gallup study reports that local news is the "second-least trusted local institution, just ahead of local government," in a range that includes libraries, businesses and courts. Notably, it trails law enforcement and churches by nine and 11 point margins respectively among the Millennial/Generation Z-dominated 18-34 demographic. "Local news outlets don’t exist in a vacuum, as this study emphasizes. The same forces that have eroded trust in the national media are now beginning to filter down to the local level," said John Sands, the Knight Foundation's director of learning and impact.

CPJ Releases Impunity Index:

The Committee to Protect Journalists released its annual Global Impunity Index Tuesday. According to their findings, Somalia remains "the world's worst country for the fifth year in a row when it comes to prosecuting murderers of journalists" because of ongoing political instability, while the Philippines (fifth overall) ranks first in unsolved murders of journalists for the third consecutive year. "The impunity we have witnessed in these countries year after year, and the knowledge that authorities take little action against those who attack the press, cripples the ability of journalists around the world to do their job," said CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch. "Democratic governments cannot stand silent in the face of impunity if they want to be seen as supporting press freedom. It is imperative that journalists and their families receive the justice they deserve, and that world leaders demand accountability."

Conflict at Deadspin:

Deadspin Interim Editor in Chief Barry Petchesky tweeted Tuesday that he was fired by parent company G/O Media for "not sticking to sports" as the longstanding acrimony between corporate executives and the news organization (exemplified by a sports-only coverage mandate from Editorial Director Paul Maidment and a dispute concerning autoplay video ads) spilled over into the media. According to Sahil Patel of the Wall Street Journal, the Deadspin editorial staff "has argued that posts on politics and other matters, even if unrelated to sports, are often better traffic drivers."