*By Michael Teich*
At a time when misinformation floods digital news platforms, and internet trolls take over comment sections, online news platform NewsPicks is turning to high-profile curators for quality content.
Curation led by trusted sources increases the "chance of bringing in the best content that's obviously not fake," said CEO Ian Myers.
The growing need to purge tech sites of potentially problematic content was highlighted most recently by Twitter which, [according to the Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/07/06/twitter-is-sweeping-out-fake-accounts-like-never-before-putting-user-growth-risk/), suspended 70 million fake accounts over the last two months and was banning more than a million accounts a day.
Fears that such a culling would cut into user growth sent shares of Twitter reeling Monday, though the stock was about to pare losses after CFO Ned Segal [tweeted](https://twitter.com/nedsegal/status/1016371745933033472) that such accounts were not counted in the company's metrics.
Still, the way news is digested and delivered is undergoing a period of disruption, and tech companies such as Apple, Google, and Facebook are looking to seize the market. But the aggregation by Silicon Valley natives lacks originality, Myers told Cheddar.
“It’s commodity news. Doesn’t matter where you get it. It’s just where you click first.”
NewsPicks is owned by a Japanese media company that also acquired Quartz last week for up to $110 million.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/newspicks-ceos-key-to-winning-digital-news-quality-over-quantity)
Tilt Holdings CEO Alex Coleman is bullish on U.S. cannabis ー and Tilt is positioning itself to have a presence nationwide take full advantage of the shift from medical to recreational legalization as it happens. "There's no question this will be the biggest market ー our internal numbers say probably $100 billion," Coleman told Cheddar on Thursday.
Amazon has backed out of its plan to build a second headquarters in Queens, New York. The abrupt decision shocked even those who opposed Amazon's planned expansion in Long Island City. Cheddar spoke with Jimmy Van Bramer, deputy leader of the New York City Council.
Trufan, a new platform letting brands and influencers reward their most loyal fans on social media, has attracted the attention of big names in sports and entertainment, but CEO Swish Goswami told Cheddar he's taking a "very Canadian approach" by catering to mom-and-pop shops as well.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday Feb. 13, 2019.
As technology and social media exacerbate the spread of misinformation, much of the burden is on individuals to keep themselves informed, said Shiv Singh, author of "Savvy: Navigating Fake Companies, Fake Leaders and Fake News in the Post-Trust Era."
What does it mean to trust something -- or someone? A new book looks at trust and how it's eroding because of our current culture. Shiv Singh, co-author of "Savvy," talked to Cheddar about how the problem has developed and how it's impacting our daily lives.
The theme of Bill and Melinda Gates' annual letter for 2019 is "surprise." The letter, released Tuesday, acts as a roadmap for how the Gates Foundation plans to invest in technology that will help make the world a better place in the years to come. And, as Melinda Gates told Cheddar in an interview, it starts with poop.
The star-studded Golden State Warriors is adding another flashy name to its team: Google. The NBA defending champions and the Chase Center just formed a new partnership with Google Cloud to create a high-tech sports and entertainment area. The Warriors' Chief Revenue Officer Brandon Schneider joined Cheddar to discuss the partnership.
Swedish startup Amuse looking to re-invent the record label through machine learning. The company, the world's first mobile record company, just launched a new feature called 'Fast Forward' that uses data to predict and pay artists for their future royalties. "We allow artists around the world to use our digital distribution service," explained Co-Founder and CEO Diego Farias. "They upload the music to us, we deliver it to Apple, Spotify, etc. Whatever earnings they get they keep, so 100 percent of what they make."
