Irish Times: New Media Start Up Neva Labs Wants to be the Netflix for News

Posted October 03, 2017

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It is not hard to see that journalism is in trouble. In the era of "fake news" and endless options for information on the web, it is clear that something about the way that news is produced and consumed needs to be changed.

In many cases, journalism is still stuck in the 20th Century. While most newspapers and media companies have websites, they mainly mimic newspapers or TV stations. They may have some video and interactive features, but mainly it is a passive experience, while people on the web are after active experiences.

That is where Mark Little and his new endeavor Neva Labs comes in. The Irish Times is reporting the Little's new operation seeks to be that disruptive force in journalism and become the "Netflix for news." Little, founder of Storyful and former RTE journalist, wants to use technology and artificial intelligence to overcome the "information overload" of the Internet.

Neva Labs, the new operation, has voice integration at the heart of its model according to an interview with Little in the Times. He wants to create a "personal assistant" for news -- utilizing artificial intelligence to create a personalized experience and restore "truth and trust." This is an ambitious endeavor, but so was Storyful when he launched it before everyone on the web was doing video in news on the web.

Laura Slattery talked to Little for The Irish Times:

“I think the future is going to be a Spotify or Netflix for news,” he said, citing a recent “surge” of interest in the development of new payment methods for content.

“We are really focusing on the individuals’ experience of news. This is not just about saving journalism.”

Social media platforms, led by Facebook, have been accused of perpetuating news “filter bubbles”, in which users’ feeds become so determined by past preferences – and those of their close circle – that false news, misinformation and untrustworthy sources thrive unchallenged.

“This is the problem we want to solve. No one is in control over their algorithms at the moment, but we want people to have that control,” he said.

Read the full article here.

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