American Journalism Project
Axios / Sara Fischer and Felix Salmon
Newsmax valuation soars in MAGA media boom →“It’s unusual for a standalone cable news network to go public, especially in this environment, as advertising sales for traditional networks face pressure from streaming. But Newsmax has seen its ratings climb in the wake of President Trump’s election.”
The New Yorker / Joshua Rothman
Are we taking AI seriously enough? →“The message, for those of us who aren’t computer scientists, is that there’s no need for us to weigh in. Either AI fails, or it reinvents the world. As a result, although AI is upon us, its implications are mostly being imagined by technical people. Artificial intelligence will affect us all, but a politics of AI has yet to materialize. Understandably, civil society is utterly absorbed in the political and social crises centered on Donald Trump; it seems to have little time for the technological transformation that’s about to engulf us. But if we don’t attend to it, the people creating the technology will be single-handedly in charge of how it changes our lives.”
The Guardian / Michael Savage
New York Times / Benjamin Mullin
What happens if Republicans cut off funding for NPR and PBS? →“In February 2011, NPR assembled a 36-page document that detailed exactly what would happen if the Treasury stopped cutting checks to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the government-backed company that supports NPR and PBS. The document, which has not previously been reported, is bleak. It describes a precarious radio system that will bear the blow poorly, with consequences for listeners across the nation….NPR can weather the funding cut, its document predicts, thanks in part to aggrieved listeners: Executives predict a sudden boom in donations if Congress defunds it, as listeners rush to defend their favorite programs. But they will likely give more in big-city markets.”
Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
Vox sees a boom in paying readers for explainer journalism in Trump’s second term →“[Editor-in-chief and publisher Swati Sharma] said the ‘biggest difference’ from Trump’s first term was ‘the types of stories people are hungry for’: last time, the dominant narrative was the ‘palace intrigue’ inside the White House…[in] this administration, almost for everyone, there is more of a desire of explanatory journalism and understanding the context.”
The Guardian / Oliver Milman
Boston Globe / Aidan Ryan
New York Times / Jessica Testa
Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
Columbia Journalism Review / Sewell Chan
New York Times / Nicole Sperling
Amazon plans to release at least 14 movies a year in theaters →“For years, the company has released five to eight films theatrically, but it was never clear how long they would stay in theaters before going to Prime Video…now with 14 movies a year, Amazon’s lineup will rival those from the big studios in both size and scope, and most will spend 45 days in theaters before hitting pay-per-view and then Prime.”