Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by n1 on Thursday June 11 2015, @11:23PM   Printer-friendly
from the everything-is-awesome dept.

So Apple's got its very own newsreader app, aptly called News. It will come natively installed on its iOS 9 mobile operating system this fall. This adds to the list of third parties that publishers have come to rely upon to distribute their stories. Apple says one of the most appealing things about News is stories will look and feel distinctive, as if they're coming directly from publishers' own sites, creating a sense of independent control over their own content.

And yet.

As with its Podcasts app, iTunes, and the App Store, News is Apple's app, which means Apple is the ultimate arbiter of what appears on it. Shortly after announcing News, the company released a publishing guide. So far, it seems targeted largely at developers testing the app and figuring out how to publish on it ahead of its official release. But the guide does say "channels" will need to be approved by Apple, meaning Apple will determine to some extent what is or is not allowed on News.

And this matters at a time when a few prominent tech companies are becoming the stewards of the news millions of people see, read, watch, and experience each day. Social sites like Facebook and Twitter are the entry point for many readers checking the news daily—not to mention Google News. And each has its own standards for what it will and will not allow to appear. Now that Apple has committed to becoming a publisher, another tech giant will be mediating the news that the public consumes. This means the standards Apple chooses to follow will have a direct impact on what millions of readers see—or don't see.

http://www.wired.com/2015/06/apples-news-app-gives-power-decide-whats-news/


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 11 2015, @11:39PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 11 2015, @11:39PM (#195186)

    This is a problem with *any* news organization large enough to reach a wide audience, whether it's commercial/media-centric, commercial/some-other-industry-centric, government-affiliated, non-profit, whatever.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +1  
       Insightful=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   1  
  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 11 2015, @11:53PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 11 2015, @11:53PM (#195189)

    Apple's not a news organization.
    This is more like saying "this is a problem with any television."

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DECbot on Friday June 12 2015, @01:11AM

      by DECbot (832) on Friday June 12 2015, @01:11AM (#195209) Journal

      There is a problem with any television. The content regularly available for it blows.

      --
      cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by kaszz on Friday June 12 2015, @01:31AM

      by kaszz (4211) on Friday June 12 2015, @01:31AM (#195221) Journal

      More like the television manufacturer may withhold information on television issues. Thus the television makers shouldn't be in control of content. Separation of powers if you will.

      Would Apple report on:
        * Metal only being disruptive without any real good gains?
        * That Facetime sucks?
        * Apple iOS 7.0.6 bricks Bricks iPads and iPhones
        * Bad SSL implementation in Apple operating systems.
        * Being involved in anti-poaching agreements?
        * Outright security flaws?
        * Pros- and cons of alternatives to Apple Pay (or die?)
        * That iOS 7 update silently removes encryption of email attachments?
        * Poor working conditions for makers of Apple products?
        * Using permission of the Apple app store for political stances or purposes? like banning apps for gay etc.
      etc..

      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2015, @02:34AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2015, @02:34AM (#195241)

        > More like the television manufacturer may withhold information on television issues.

        You have fundamentally misunderstood the analogy. This isn't about Apple censorsing critical reporting of Apple. This is about Apple picking and choosing whatever topics it wants to promote or demote as it sees fit.