Do we really want to outsource our First Amendment–protected journalism to Big Tech billionaires who may not share the ethical standards or commitment to public accountability?
Since leaving the daily news business eight years ago, I’ve remained deeply committed to improving California’s media landscape and supporting journalists as they navigate an increasingly difficult time for our profession. Journalism has given so much to our communities, and I want to do what I can to support the people who keep it alive.
That commitment has led me down a couple of paths. I teach journalism at Fresno State, where I have the opportunity to work with the next generation of journalists. I also founded the Institute for Media and Public Trust to help support the news industry and explore ways to strengthen public trust in journalism.
The news business’ challenges are significant. The business model that once sustained local journalism is broken. Newspapers and other local news outlets relied on advertising and subscriptions to pay for the work of informing their communities. Today, much of that advertising revenue has shifted to Big Tech platforms, while many people have grown accustomed to getting their news for free.
The result is a growing gap between the resources needed to sustain quality local journalism and the revenue available to support it. It costs money to put reporters on the street to gather information, ask tough questions and produce reliable news reports.
Now, artificial intelligence is adding another layer of complexity. AI tools make it easier than ever to create fake news websites, generate convincing but false stories, and produce fabricated images, audio and video that can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing. They’re called “pink slime” news sites. The term comes from the phony filler that the food industry uses to impersonate a meat product.
AI can also be used to mimic legitimate news organizations and spread misinformation on a scale that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago.
I accept that AI technology is here to stay, but I struggle to see how its unchecked expansion benefits society as a whole. So far, it seems that the greatest rewards are going to a small group of billionaires who stand to profit enormously, while the rest of us are left with the consequences.
But more specifically to journalism, artificial intelligence raises serious questions about the future of the industry itself. As AI-powered tools increasingly deliver news summaries and answers directly to users, people may have less reason to visit news websites, potentially reducing the traffic, advertising revenue and subscriptions that help support original reporting.
The danger is that we could end up in a world where reliable journalism becomes harder to sustain financially just as trustworthy information becomes more important than ever.
While AI also presents opportunities for news organizations to work more efficiently and serve their audiences in new ways, those benefits must be balanced against the risks to accuracy, transparency and public confidence. If we lose the journalists who do the hard work of gathering facts, asking questions and holding powerful institutions accountable, we risk losing something essential to an informed public and a healthy democracy.
I come down on the side of those who believe AI is bad for journalism (and America). I hope someone will prove me wrong, but I have serious concerns about its impact on journalism as news publishers look for easier and cheaper options to gathering information.
But I haven’t given up hope on the news business, at least not entirely. Recently, I attended a local journalism conference at UC Merced, and I came away encouraged by what I saw and heard. There are so many smart, committed people working on creative and innovative ways to address these challenges.
They recognize that the old business model may no longer work, but they aren’t simply accepting that local journalism has no future. They’re experimenting, collaborating and looking for new ways to serve their communities.
There are no easy answers, but being around people who are willing to tackle these problems head-on reminded me why this work matters.
I believe we can find new ways to support journalists, strengthen local news organizations and ensure our communities continue to have access to the reliable reporting they need. In an era when technology can make misinformation easier to produce and distribute, we must also find ways to reinforce the value of credible, independent journalism and help the public recognize the difference.
The Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, which sponsored the Merced symposium along with the local Press Forward chapter, was handing out stickers with a simple but powerful message: “Humans Still Report Here.” The slogan captures what is at stake in the debate over AI and journalism.
The fact that our business has to make the case that journalists are real people, not robots, says something troubling about where we are today.
And there’s the bigger issue. Do we really want to outsource our First Amendment–protected journalism to big tech billionaires who may not share the ethical standards, professional responsibilities, or commitment to public accountability that journalists are expected to uphold?
Journalism is too important to leave its future in the hands of a few powerful technology companies whose priorities may be driven more by profit, market dominance, and shareholder expectations than by the public interest.
AI is just the latest in a growing list of threats to an already struggling journalism industry. Meeting these challenges requires more than simply adapting to new technology; it demands a commitment to rebuilding local journalism from the ground up.
That’s why I’m encouraged by the direction CVJC under Executive Director Joe Kieta is taking: investing in local newsrooms, building a network of journalism educators through the Journalism and Media Education Network, and providing the training and support needed to strengthen journalism throughout the Central Valley. The support from the James B. McClatchy Foundation has made this work possible.
These efforts are essential to preserving a strong, independent local press and ensuring our communities have the reliable information they need to hold power accountable.
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