News Site to Investigate Big Tech, Helped by Craigslist Founder • Hacker News Board

Re: News Site to Investigate Big Tech, Helped by Craigslist Founder

#61

Post by subpixel » Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 5:43 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #54

subpixel wrote: post #53

I eagerly await the announcement of Newmark funding an ambitious local news initiative. That would be a way to put critical information in front of millions of people. This initiative may also be important, but it doesn't do anything to fill the void of local investigative reporting and press accountability created when Craigslist denuded local newsrooms.

One problem is that local news doesn't scale. Nothing really replaces local reporters developing sources and attending a lot of boring selectman, zoning, etc. meetings. I live in a small town that had a "labor of love" local paper for a while but it went out of business and now there's effectively no local coverage.

The proximate reason it went out of business is b/c Craigslist took all it's classified income. That's why (in addition to Craig Newmark's professed interest in journalism) I think Craigslist is the perfect organization to be funding reportage.

It's not my money, so clearly knowing how best to use it comes easily to me.

Re: News Site to Investigate Big Tech, Helped by Craigslist Founder

#62

Post by sparkzilla » Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 6:18 PM UTC

praneshp wrote: post #57

sparkzilla wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And during that time there's no revenue? I'm not sure why I'm being downvoted: as a publisher of multiple online and offline projects it seems an extravagant amount for a publication that has a very narrow scope.

I downvoted you (before the flag) because you were snarky. I wish I could do so again for you not disclosing your newsblocks affiliation.

My 'affiliation' with NewsBlocks (I'm the founder and CEO actually) has zero to do with this topic. Are you suggesting that you would add another downvote simply because it is an ICO?

Re: News Site to Investigate Big Tech, Helped by Craigslist Founder

#63

Post by liftbigweights » Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 8:40 PM UTC

Excellent. Now we need Musk to come through with his "pravda" site that investigates news/journalists.

I feel the two biggest threats to american life and freedom are "big tech" and "big news". It's about time these companies get closer scrutiny.

Re: News Site to Investigate Big Tech, Helped by Craigslist Founder

#64

Post by praneshp » Tue, Sep 25, 2018, 4:27 AM UTC

sparkzilla wrote: post #62

praneshp wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I downvoted you (before the flag) because you were snarky. I wish I could do so again for you not disclosing your newsblocks affiliation.

My 'affiliation' with NewsBlocks (I'm the founder and CEO actually) has zero to do with this topic. Are you suggesting that you would add another downvote simply because it is an ICO?

> I'm the founder and CEO actually)

Yes, you have stated that quite often on a bunch of threads.

> has zero to do with this topic

You are incorrect.

> Are you suggesting that you would add another downvote simply because it is an ICO?

Nope

Re: News Site to Investigate Big Tech, Helped by Craigslist Founder

#65

Post by thedailymail » Tue, Sep 25, 2018, 7:27 AM UTC

chris_mc wrote: post #50

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure why you've been downvoted for this. Although I'm inclined to agree with their starting position it's hard to deny that quality investigative journalism shouldn't be about proving a preexisting hypothesis.

If you read the article, they already proved that Facebook was selling illegal housing ads that were biased racially and they proved that a common parole software was also biased racially. I think it stands to reason there are plenty of other inadvertent, or otherwise, issues out there.

The book "Weapons of Math Destruction" by Cathy O'Neill has plenty of other examples of how profiling algorithms often end up disadvantaging the disadvantaged.