By Matt Carroll <@MattCData>

Sept. 8, 2018: Cool stuff about journalism, once a week. Get notified via email? Subscribe: 3toread (at) gmail.  

The mystery of Tucker Carlson: From thoughtful writer to king of the TV trolls: So who is Tucker Carlson? Former colleagues editors from his early years describe a brilliant, nuanced writer. Now he comes across as a bombastic, blowhard Fox News troll — as a rich, arrogant snot. It’s been an interesting evolution, and Lyz Lenz does a nice profile for CJR.

The Athletic: Reinventing sports coverage or same old box scores in a shiny suit?: The Athletic is on a hiring and growth spree. It’s hiring local sports reporters in undercovered markets and building market share fast — 250 employees in 38 markets. But its boast that it’s reinventing sports coverage is overblown, says Aaron Gordon for Slate. It’s the same old stories, just in a nicer package. Good story on a fast-growing sports startup.

“Misinfodemics”: The viral spread of misinformation: I learned a new word this week, always a cool thing: “misinfodemics.” It’s “the spread of a particular health outcome or disease horrible facilitated by viral misinformation.” Sound familiar? Nat Gyenes and An Xiao Mina write a compelling piece for The Atlantic about the horrors that happen through the viral spreading of misinformation. Their focus is on health, but it’s relevant to news and how it spreads through platforms. An excellent read. (Transparency alert: Nat and Xiao were colleagues at the MIT Media Lab.)

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