Media Insider: McClatchy Podcast Bursts Beltway Bubble, Google Launches Fact-Check Feature, HuffPo Tries Niche Facebook Communities

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s round-up of media stories from the week.

Photo by Bill Dickinson, used under CC BY-NC 2.0.

POYNTER | BENJAMIN MULLIN
With Podcasts like “Majority Minority,’ McClatchy Wants to Shatter the Beltway Bubble

A new, 30-minute podcast from McClatchy D.C. called “Majority Minority” aims to tell touching stories about influential people of color in the capital. Hosts Franco Ordonez and Bill Douglas — two journalists of color — want to diversify podcasting and also appeal to listeners who aren’t the typical D.C. audience, reports Poynter. The podcast will feature bipartisan politicians and provide a “conversational, personal profile-type look off the news,” says McClatchy D.C.’s Kristin Roberts.

FYI: The New York Times has a Facebook group that teaches how to make better podcasts.

THE GUARDIAN | SAMUEL GIBBS
Google to Display Fact-Checking Labels to Show if News is True or False

Google’s fact-checking feature is now live globally and, in addition to Google News, it’s coming to Google’s search results pages. The feature helps readers spot fake news, and prevents the spread of misinformation, by labeling news and information as either true or false. The Guardian reports the fact checks won’t be performed by Google, but by “trusted publishers and fact-checkers using an open system to mark claims as having been checked.”

Debatable: The role of memes in misinformation and shaping online and offline conversations.

THE NEW YORK TIMES | MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM AND SAPNA MAHESHWARI
As Anger at O’Reilly Builds, Activists Use Social Media to Prod Advertisers

Gone are the days where brands can avoid taking sides on social and political issues. According to The New York Times, activists are using social media to demand that brands share their values — and advertisers are feeling the pressure. Ad boycotts are not new, but the instantaneous nature of social media are causing companies to make decisions more rapidly than ever.

Speaking of advertising and social media, Snapchat just launched an attack on a key source of Facebook’s ad revenue.

THE WASHINGTON POST | PAUL FARHI
Via Skype, The White House Opens Press Briefings to Trump-Friendly Non-Reporters

You may have heard that White House press secretary Sean Spicer started the “Skype Seat” program to let reporters outside of the Beltway gain access to White House media briefings. But, according to The Washington Post, many of the “Skype seat” occupants are not reporters at all. WaPo describes the occupants as conservative talk-show hosts who openly support Trump’s agenda and express their contempt for the news media.

In other news, Breitbart editors tell staffers to stop writing stories critical of Jared Kushner, sources say.

DIGIDAY | SAHIL PATEL
Introverts Only: Huffington Post Tries Niche Facebook-Only ‘Communities’ to Lure New Readers

Huffington Post is making it a priority to attract younger audiences, and is creating Facebook communities to get the job done. “Canceled Plans,” a Facebook-only page for introverts, initially launched with content from Tumblr and Reddit to grow the audience. The page now has more than 130,000 followers, reports Digiday. The pages are used to start conversations before introducing original content.

Check out HuffPo’s Facebook page “Canceled Plans.”

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Tabresha B. Langham is a Customer Content Specialist with PR Newswire. She also is a social media junkie, foodie, music fiend and Auburn University Alumn (War Eagle!). Tune into her insights as a social curator at @PRNmedia, or follow @TabreshaL.