AI Journalism

Join or Fight AI?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Stephen J. Adler, 3/13/26

Headline:  “How Journalists Can Make AI Work for Them”

Subhead:  “A framework for newsrooms to use AI in ways that don’t sacrifice quality or lessen oversight.”

“Ask a working journalist about AI, and you’re likely to hear a string of expletives, an indictment of tech companies, and—especially if the person is over fifty—a searing lament for times past.

“The use of AI in journalism has recently created controversy everywhere from the Cleveland Plain Dealer to the Associated Press, as many reporters have passionately disagreed with managers who have insisted on its value in reporting and drafting stories. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/how-journalists-can-make-ai-work-for-them.php

Gambling With the News

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Article i in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L. Nagy, 3/11/26

Headline:  “Are Prediction Markets Actually Good for Journalism?”

Subhead:  “Dustin Gouker, the author of a Substack about prediction markets, says the media could benefit from keeping an eye on Kalshi and Polymarket.”

“By the time the US attacked Iran, on February 28, half a billion dollars had been wagered on Polymarket, one of the world’s top prediction markets, predicting when the strikes would happen. . .”

“Not long after the war started, Polymarket added a note to its Middle East markets. ‘The promise of prediction markets is to harness the wisdom of the crowd to create accurate, unbiased forecasts for the most important events to society,’ the company wrote. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the-interview/are-prediction-markets-actually-good-for-journalism-kalshi-polymarket-dow-jones-cnn.php

ALL The Media!

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Article in FAIR by Caitlin Scialla, 2/4/26

Headline:  “The Digital Media Oligarchy: Who Owns Online News?”

“When Ben Bagdikian, an esteemed journalist and early FAIR contributor, published his groundbreaking book The Media Monopoly in 1983, he painted a troubling picture of US media consolidation, reporting that 50 corporations controlled the media business. With each reprint, that number dwindled. When FAIR replicated his analysis in 2011 , it stood at 20. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/the-digital-media-oligarchy-who-owns-online-news/

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Article in The Guardian by Rafael Behr, 2/4/26

Headline:  “When Maga oligarchs control the platforms, it isn’t really a debate about ‘free speech’ ”

Subhead: “Moves to ban under-16s from social media should raise deeper questions about who controls democracy’s digital infrastructure”

“. . .Free speech is the lens that tech companies apply because it gives a democratic inflection to their commercial interests as oligopolists in an under-regulated digital realm. Far-right politicians adopt that frame because they are in the business of undermining the norms and institutions of liberal democracy. That agenda is well served by communications infrastructure that privileges frenzied intolerance. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/04/maga-oligarchs-social-platforms-free-speech-ban-under-16s-social-medi

Media Suggesting “What You May Like”?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Lucy Schiller, 12/9/25

Headline:  “Locally Sourced Chum”

Subhead:  “The AI widgets taking over news sites and extracting our data.”

“Recently, on the website of USA Today, I asked a generative AI chatbot called DeeperDive a question: ‘Is AI good?’ DeeperDive, which was unveiled in June, is a product of a company called Taboola, one of the largest native advertising platforms on the internet, with some nine thousand publishing partners. USA Today’s corporate parent—formerly known as Gannett, which recently rebranded as USA Today Co.—runs America’s biggest newspaper chain, and has been in business with Taboola since 2013, amassing user data, selling ads, and suggesting ‘content you may like’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/locally-sourced-chum-ai-widgets-extracting-data-news-sites.php

Our Algorithm Editors

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Article in Mediaite by Colby Hall, 11/25/25

Headline:  “You’re Not Being Manipulated by Algorithms. You’re Obeying Them”

“Last week, I wrote about Olivia Nuzzi’s remarkably swift media rehabilitation, and the response surprised me. That column argued that modern media rewards spectacle over substance, but it also hinted at something more profound: the performance isn’t just happening inside newsrooms. It’s happening inside us. . .”

“This dynamic is everywhere—including inside newsrooms. After the Nuzzi column ran, several journalists reached out with examples of what I’d call pre-censorship—not editors spiking stories, but writers and editors making quiet decisions based on fear of how an algorithm might respond. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/youre-not-being-manipulated-by-algorithms-youre-obeying-them/

Robot Doesn’t Write Headlines Here!

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Article in The New York Times by Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson, 11/7/25

Headline:   “Who Wrote That Headline? Maybe a Robot.”

Subhead:  “A.I. has taken newsrooms by storm, setting off industrywide soul-searching about its potential and pitfalls.”

“. . .Artificial intelligence is sweeping through newsrooms, transforming the way journalists around the world gather and disseminate information. Traditional news organizations increasingly use tools from companies like OpenAI and Google to streamline work that used to take hours: sifting through reams of information, tracking down sources and suggesting headlines. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/business/media/ai-news-media.html

Fake Media Experts?

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Article in Mediaite by Alex Griffing, 110’3’25

Headline:  “Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson’s Conspiracy Theories Totally Wreck the Credibility That Alternative Media is Trying to Gain”

“. . .As traditional media continues to shed viewers and more and more Americans, especially young people, tune into podcasts and scroll social media for their news, the likes of Owens and Carlson are shaping the discourse more than ever. Unfortunately, much of their content is utter and total nonsense, and leans into age-old stereotypes and bigotry to grab headlines and remain provocative. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/candace-owens-and-tucker-carlsons-loony-conspiracy-theories-totally-wreck-the-credibility-that-alternative-media-is-trying-to-gain/

 

Fake AI Authors Taken Down

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Article in The Guardian by Maya Yang, 8/21/25

Headline: “Wired and Business Insider remove articles by AI-generated ‘freelancer’ “

Subhead:  “At least six publications have taken down articles under the name Margaux Blanchard that were AI-generated”

“Multiple news organisations have taken down articles written by an alleged freelance journalist that now appear to have been generated by AI.

“On Thursday, Press Gazette reported that at least six publications, including Wired and Business Insider, have removed articles from their websites in recent months after it was discovered that the stories – written under the name of Margaux Blanchard – were AI-generate . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/21/ai-author-articles-wired-business-insider

Always Trust the AI Journalists

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Hilke Schellmann, 8/19/25

Headline:  “I Tested How Well AI Tools Work for Journalism”

Subhead: “Some tools were sufficient for summarizing meetings. For research, the results were a disaster.”

“Journalists now have access to an abundance of AI tools on the market that promise to assist with tasks such as transcription, note-taking, summarization, research, and data analysis. Are these tools trustworthy enough for use in the newsroom?

“There is not yet a clear answer to that question. While most news organizations have AI policies, the guidelines are typically abstract and broad, and do not address a journalist’s daily workflow. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/i-tested-how-well-ai-tools-work-for-journalism.php

Media Evolution or Revolution?

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Article in The Atlantic by Jessica Yellin, 8/13/25

Headline:  “The Awkward Adolescence of a Media Revolution”

Subhead:  “Truth is still alive on social media—but it’s not easy enough to find”

“There’s a quiet revolution in how millions of Americans decide what’s real. . .The Reuters Institute reports that this year, for the first time, more Americans will get their news from social and video platforms—including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X—than from traditional outlets. . .”

“For anyone who cares about credible information, this is a potentially terrifying prospect. Social media rewards virality, not veracity. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/awkward-adolescence-media-revolution/683863/