AL .com: Hey, Alabama, public data are public documents, too. “David Simpson is curious, which is a good thing for a researcher to be. Simpson is a PhD student studying political science at Columbia University. Also, he’s an Alabama native. So when it came time to direct his study to a particular interest, he naturally turned his attention to his home state.”
transparency
Tech Xplore: An algorithm to detect outside influences on the media
Tech Xplore: An algorithm to detect outside influences on the media. “Researchers at EPFL’s Distributed Information Systems Laboratory (LSIR) have come up with a way to make the news industry more transparent. Their initiative, Media Observatory, maps out the Swiss and international media landscape through the topics that local media outlets choose to cover. It then uses those choices to identify possible outside influences on the outlets.”
Motherboard: This Tool Lets You See Facebook’s Targeted Political Ads All Over the World
Motherboard: This Tool Lets You See Facebook’s Targeted Political Ads All Over the World. “Three years after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which user data was used to target political ads, someone has finally made a way for ordinary people to learn which political campaign ads are being posted on Facebook all around the world.”
HoldTheFrontPage: University devises new tool to help journalists searching Hansard
HoldTheFrontPage: University devises new tool to help journalists searching Hansard. “The University of Huddersfield has come up with the new ‘Hansard at Huddersfield’ website for those looking through transcripts of parliamentary debates. Hansard itself provides the means to search its records by date, sitting, debate and members who spoke – but does not help users to find out how often, or when, a particular topic has been debated across a period of time.”
Wyoming Public Media: State Auditor’s Transparency Website Goes Live
Wyoming Public Media: State Auditor’s Transparency Website Goes Live. “Wyoming State Auditor Kristi Racines has launched a new website detailing how Wyoming spends most of its money. The website… went live earlier this month. The site’s data includes transactions from 2016 to the present, and is searchable by agency, vendor, location and other categories.”
The Manhattan (KS) Mercury: Manhattan native creating digital public notice database
The Manhattan Mercury (this is Manhattan, Kansas): Manhattan native creating digital public notice database. “A team of 10 young computer programmers and entrepreneurs is in Manhattan for the summer, trying to revolutionize a piece of the newspaper business. That outfit is led by Jake Seaton, a recent Harvard grad and the next generation in a newspaper family. Seaton, a 2013 Manhattan High graduate and a 2019 computer science grad from Harvard, is launching a company called enotice, pronounced ‘e-notice.’ That company aims to build a digital platform designed to make public notices accessible online.”
Reuters: Australia to ‘lift veil’ on Facebook, Google algorithms to protect privacy
Reuters: Australia to ‘lift veil’ on Facebook, Google algorithms to protect privacy . “Australia said it would establish the world’s first dedicated office to police Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Google (GOOGL.O) as part of reforms designed to rein in the U.S. technology giants, potentially setting a precedent for global lawmakers.”
