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3 to read: David Carr: A memorable teacher | Political tide rising against Facebook? | Anatomy of murder

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By Matt Carroll <@MattCData>

Sept. 18, 2017: Cool stuff about journalism, once a week. Get notified via email? Subscribe: 3toread (at) gmail. Originally published on 3toread.co

  1. David Carr: An appreciation of a super mentor: The late David Carr of the NYT led an incredible life — media critic, editor of the alt-weekly Washington City Paper, and a crack addict who wrote a searing memoir about his own addiction and recovery. He was also a wonderful, memorable mentor to a generation of talented writers. Here’s the words from a dozen of those he helped, cajoled, pushed — and made better journalists. A wonderful read by Mikaela Lefrak for The Atlantic.

2. Is the political tide turning against Facebook & Google?: Facebook is the social platform journalists love to hate. It’s huge, non-transparent, refuses to acknowledge its out-sized role as a media company — and pockets all that advertising cash that used to pay reporter salaries. It’s also essential for driving mega traffic (hence revenue) to news sites. It turns out that a growing number of people don’t much love FB (or Google or Amazon) either. Ben Smith of BuzzFeed takes a thoughtful look at how a loose coalition of powerful figures is slowly raising the anti-trust flag, and asking whether some of these companies should be broken up.

3. Anatomy of murder: How The Economist does data journalism: A fascinating data viz of murder in the US — and great insight into how the Economist does this kind of work. Well worth a (long) look. Addictive. An interview with The Economist’s David Fransham on Medium.

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Matt Carroll teaches journalism at Northeastern University.

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3 to read: Persuading the fact-resistant | CNN’s self-inflicted errors | The New Yorker tote vs Hermes bag

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By Matt Carroll <@MattCData>

Sept. 11, 2017: Cool stuff about journalism, once a week. Get notified via email? Subscribe: 3toread (at) gmail.

Originally published on 3toread.co

  1. How to break the grip of misinformation among the fact-resistant: It’s infuriating arguing with people who refuse to acknowledge facts (yes, I am referring to you, certain members of my family). Or, as it’s put succinctly here: “Why is bullshit so hard to debunk?” Here’s an article to help journalists win over at least some of the people, some of the time. Tips: Attack the beliefs, not the people, and target people who are unsure about where they stand. Interesting ideas by Jane Elizabeth of the American Press Institute. (The video is excellent, too.)

2. How critical mistakes shook CNN’s belief in its elite team: In January, CNN crowed about its elite team of investigators, including Pulitzer Prize winners, it had poached from other news organizations. Yet within months it had unraveled into an embarrassing mess for the network. Mistakes in stories related to Russia and Trump officials led to resignations from the team and a curtailment of what it covered. A nice tick-tock and its impact on CNN by Sydney Ember and Michael M. Grynbaum of the New York Times.

3. How a free canvas tote became a stand against fake news (and a bigger status symbol than a $10,000 Hermès bag): Time for a little fun. Who would’ve thought that a tote bag from the New Yorker would have more cachet than some Hermes rag? How a simple piece of illustrated canvas has come to be seen as taking a stand against those who troll real media companies by shouting “Fake news!” Interesting read by Leslie Albrecht of MarketWatch.

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Matt Carroll is a journalism professor at Northeastern University.

Logo by Leigh Carroll <Instagram @Leighzaah>

3 to read: Where Trump gets his theories | We’re not the enemy, Trump | 500 years of graphic design

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By Matt Carroll <@MattCData>

Sept. 2, 2017: Cool stuff about journalism, once a week. Get notified via email? Subscribe: 3toread (at) gmail.

  1. Where Trump gets his crazy alt-right theories: An interesting take on how Trump gets his “information,” and the weird sources he uses. In essence, a strange brew of alt-right sites have become the administration’s think tanks. A fascinating read by Astead W. Herndon of the Boston Globe.

2. “We’re journalists, Mr. Trump, not the enemy”: A megaphone defense of journalists and our work, as well as a blowtorch takedown of Trump by Nicholas Kristoff of the NYT. Bottom line: Trump does not have a clue as to what journalists do or are supposed to do. He just doesn’t get it, and Kristoff takes him to task for it. A heartening read in a grim time for media.

3. What 500 years of graphic design in print looks like: Just plain cool. If you are interested at all in print design, this book review of “Graphic: 500 Designs that Matter,” works for you. The review contains a generous sampling of powerful, interesting print designs, from logos to posters. Can’t wait to get a look at the book itself.

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Matt Carroll is a journalism professor at Northeastern University.

Logo by Leigh Carroll (Instagram: @leighzaaah)

3 to read: LA Times debacle | Goodbye, alt weeklies | Amazing 1950s dataviz

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By Matt Carroll <@MattCData>

Aug. 29, 2017: Cool stuff about journalism, once a week. Get notified via email? Subscribe: 3toread (at) gmail.

  1. What’s the matter with the L.A. Times?: The editorial leadership of the L.A. Times was fired this week, in a stunning move. Well, here’s some of the jaw-dropping backstory that led to the axings. Ed Leibowitz of L.A. Magazine details the ineptness of editor-in-chief and publisher Davan Maharaj, who sat on major investigative pieces for years, but had time to ask reporters to check out his new Italian shoes. The story ran in December, but it’s worth resurrecting for it’s excruciating detail of dysfunction at the top of what was once a great newsroom.

2. What we lose when we say goodbye to alt weeklies: The Village Voice is dead, at least in print. So, pretty much, are alt weeklies across the country. Paul Farhi of the WaPo has a nice elegy of what we have lost when those quirky mixes of band reviews, massage parlor ads, and hard-hitting political coverage closed up shop. A good read.

3. Amazing graphics from the 1950s NYT archive: Most people tend to think of “data viz” as a relatively new phenomenon. Not quite. News orgs have been doing impressive data viz for as long as they have existed. Stuart A. Thompson on Medium has a wonderful piece on some spectacular (and forgotten) visualizations done at the NYT during the 1950s. Check out the cool space travel illustrations (all b&w, by the way).

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Matt Carroll is a journalism professor at Northeastern University.