ABSTRACT

This book brings together a diverse, international array of contributors to explore the topics of news “quality” in the online age and the relationships between news organizations and enormously influential digital platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Covering topics ranging from internet incivility, crowdsourcing, and YouTube politics to regulations, algorithms, and AI, this book draws the key distinction between the news that facilitates democracy and news that undermines it. For students and scholars as well as journalists, policymakers, and media commentators, this important work engages a wide range of methodological and theoretical perspectives to define the key concept of “quality” in the news media.

part I|30 pages

Foundations

chapter 1|10 pages

Introduction

ByRegina G. Lawrence, Philip M. Napoli

chapter 2|18 pages

Communication technology and threats to democracy

We the people are (also) the problem
ByJohanna Dunaway, Nicholas Ray

part II|64 pages

Measurement Approaches to News Quality

chapter 3|16 pages

Social media metrics and news quality

ByJieun Shin

chapter 4|18 pages

Is that news for me?

Defining news-ness by platform and topic
ByEmily K. Vraga, Stephanie Edgerly

chapter 5|17 pages

User comments as news quality

Examining incivility in comments on perceptions of news quality 1
ByShuning Lu, Hai Liang, Gina M. Masullo

chapter 6|11 pages

Beyond the “trust” survey

Measuring media attitudes through observation
ByZacc Ritter, Jesse Holcomb

part III|71 pages

Algorithmic Systems and News Quality

chapter 7|20 pages

All the news that's fit to tweet

Sociotechnical local news distribution from the New York Times to Twitter
ByJack Bandy, Nicholas Diakopoulos

chapter 8|17 pages

Out of control?

Using interactive testing to understand user agency in news recommendation systems
ByJudith Moeller, Felicia Löecherbach, Johanna Möller, Natali Helberger

chapter 9|17 pages

Gaming AI

Algorithmic journalism in Nigeria
ByEmeka Umejei

chapter 10|15 pages

Editorial values for news recommenders

Translating principles to engineering
ByJonathan Stray

part IV|41 pages

News Quality, Government, and Media Policy

chapter 11|18 pages

How Australia's competition regulator is supporting news, but not quality

ByChrisanthi Giotis, Sacha Molitorisz, Derek Wilding

chapter 12|15 pages

Government interventions into news quality

ByPhilip M. Napoli, Asa Royal

chapter 13|6 pages

Conclusion

ByRegina G. Lawrence, Philip M. Napoli