Publishers are pushing back on AI 

This week, Forbes threatened to sue AI search company Perplexity for stealing text and images from Forbes’ website. Axios’s Sara Fischer writes that publishers “​​are stuck in a game of whack-a-mole” with AI companies that are using their content for training. In the Los Angeles Times, Mary Rasenberger of the Authors Guild writes that all AI models were “built atop the theft of creative professionals’ work.” 

But not everyone in the publishing space is running away from AI. Subscription technology platform Zuora, which works with publishing clients including The New York Times, The Economist and The Financial Times, has acquired an AI firm that will help make its paywall product more intelligent, writes Mark Stenberg at AdWeek. 

And in some parts of content development, entire teams are being replaced with AI tools — and a few lone editors are left making the results sound more human, the BBC reports. 

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Pro-Russian actors flooding newsrooms with fake content to overwhelm fact-checkers, study says (Euronews)

A new study from Finland has found that pro-Russian propagandists are targeting newsrooms in Europe with email and social media requests, particularly on Telegram, to look into fake news claims. The goal seems to be both to waste fact-checking resources and to amplify the reach of the disinformation. 

>> Join us: Coaching reporters on election coverage

Join The Associated Press news leaders for a conversation on how to coach new reporters on navigating the political landscape, pressing for facts and context and being able to spot misinformation. You’ll come away prepared to help your newsroom cover this year’s elections. The webinar will be held next Thursday, June 27 from 1 – 2pm EDT; click here to register. 

—

Culture & Inclusion

>> What’s in a successful succession? Nonprofit news leaders on handing the reins to the next guard (Nieman Lab)

Most nonprofit newsrooms don’t have a succession plan, but it’s necessary to ensure the long term sustainability of the organization. This means both preparing for emergencies and beginning conversations about planned succession before someone is planning to leave. 

—

Community Engagement & Trust

>> Hearst’s suite of self-service templates for journalists drives greater audience engagement (INMA)

Hearst’s Click-2-Publish program provides newsrooms in its network with simple tools and templates for publishing interactive stories and compelling data visualizations. The development team worked closely with journalists in their newsrooms to find tools that were useful, flexible and simple. 

>> To reinvent journalism, start by updating its mission (International Journalists’ Network) 

Mattia Peretti argues that journalists need to think beyond providing information and think about it as a service based on listening. This means expanding our definition of journalism and working directly with audiences to build trust. 

>> New from API: How to pick the right venue for your journalism event

LAist’s Jon Cohn and Candice Springer of WBUR’s CitySpace share seven important things to consider when choosing a venue for community engagement. When matching a venue to an event, consider scale, access, rules and the vibe.

—

Revenue & Resilience

>> Kansas’s Marion County Record drew national support following a police action with a fatal aftermath, but the small weekly still needs journalists willing to work there (Medill Local News Initiative)

Despite support and coverage from journalists around the country, the Marion County Record says it is struggling to fill its open reporter positions. Publisher and editor Eric Meyer says he believes young reporters don’t want to live in a small town and are unwilling to put in the all-consuming hours needed for their type of reporting. 

>> Join us today: GA4: One Year Later 

This session will examine how to get the most of your GA4 data and how to capture those key audiences, segments, and conversions in Metrics for News; it is open to non-MFN users. The webinar will be held today at 12:30 PM ET. 

—

What else you need to know

🗳️ Chicago Public Media unions seek CEO’s immediate ouster amid a no-confidence vote (WBEZ Chicago)

—

Weekend reads

+ Two decades ago, The Associated Press set out to preserve the organization’s history. What it created is an archive that sheds light on the press as a political institution. (Nieman Reports)

+ As philanthropy spends big to fight news deserts, three frontline news outlets share what they need (Poynter)

+ In a digital age, high-end outdoors magazines are thriving in print (The New York Times)

+ How Josh Marshall has sustained Talking Points Memo amid the wreckage of modern journalism (The American Prospect)