Media Insider: Fixing Twitter, How Top Publishers Optimize Headlines, and Survival of the First Amendment

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging and freelancing stories from the week.

Photo by inacheapwestern used under CC BY 2.0

Will the First Amendment Survive the Information Age? (Poynter)

The First Amendment has survived plenty of change in 225 years, Poynter says. But complex disputes are popping up in predicable and surprising places. Poynter reports cases moving through the courts range from whether Facebook “likes” and Twitter posts are protected speech (both are for the moment) to what individual First Amendment rights should be granted to businesses (they‘re steadily expanding).

Fixing Twitter (Fortune)

Grappling with its identity, high turnover, and regime changes, CEO Jack Dorsey has a plan to right the ship. According to Forbes, this plan includes refining the service, catering to influencers, curbing abuses, playing more video, and building an app army.

How BuzzFeed, R29, and Other Top Publishers Optimize Their Headlines and Images (The Content Strategist)

For brands still getting started with optimization, The Content Strategist put together some information that you need to know. At BuzzFeed, lead data scientist Ky Harlin believes it’s crucial to put resources into strong headlines and images because they often are the two things that introduce readers to content. At Refinery29, VP of editorial strategy Neha Gandhi stresses how optimization helps make a solid first impression on readers, The Content Strategist reports.

Seven Billion Reasons Why the Future of News is on Social Media (SocialTimes)

Millennials finally have washed their hands of the giant news corporations, reports SocialTimes. Eighty-eight percent of this generation “sometimes or never” trust the news, according to The Washington Post. And as connectivity improves and more rely on smartphones, our news network will continue to grow, says SocialTimes.

Marissa Mayer is in the Fight of Her Life (CNN)

Marissa Mayer is in the fight of her life, trying to overcome a growing chorus of calls for her dismissal from Yahoo, CNN reports. Under intense criticism from shareholders, Mayer agreed to a PBS interview with Charlie Rose. Rose asks: “When you look at what has happened, what did you do wrong?” Mayer responds, “I don’t think the story has yet played out. And I think that when we look at this, we’ve rolled out a new strategic plan for the company, and we can see the turnaround. A lot of tech turnaround adds we do take five, six, seven years.”

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Christine Cube is an audience relations manager with PR Newswire and freelance writer. Follow @cpcube or check out her latest on Beyond Bylines on PR Newswire for Journalists.