"From 2022 through 2024, 357 LION Publishers members participated in a program that aimed to help local news outlets at any stage of growth "move the needle on sustainability." The process included assessments, coaching, recommendations, and funding. LION has since transitioned it to a self-service assessment, but between hundreds of audits, thousands of hours of coaching, hundreds of funding requests, nearly 100 follow-up reports, and feedback from program participants over the first three years, LION had a rich set of data to mine for a sense of what interventions and metrics matter most to newsroom sustainability."
The most obvious use case for generative AI in editorial operations is to write copy. When ChatGPT lit the fuse on the current AI boom, it was its ability to crank out hundreds of comprehensible words almost instantly, on virtually any topic, that captured our imaginations. Hundreds of "ChatGPT wrote this article" think pieces resulted, and college essays haven't been the same since. Neither has the media.
As the political backlash grows, these gaps become even more important to try to fill with some creative supports. That could be partnering with local LGBTQ+ community centers, community colleges and universities, or even mainstream media willing to do coverage of their local LGBTQ+ communities.
On Wednesday, October 1, the first day National Public Radio (NPR) no longer has any federal funding, Austin's NPR station announced a new venture. Austin Signal, a daily weekday "magazine" in the form of a news show by KUT News, will launch Monday, October 6. A press release says the show "blends trusted local reporting with Austin's vibrant culture to keep Central Texans connected and informed." Each episode will be 30 minutes long, and will air weekdays at 1 pm on KUT 90.5.
Last year SUNY launched the Institute for Local News, engaging a dozen student reporting programs at colleges across the state-including Stony Brook University, the University at Buffalo and the University at Albany-to produce local news content. Faculty direct and edit content produced by student journalists for local media partners. This summer, the Institute sent its first cohort of journalism interns out into the field, offering 20 undergraduates paid roles in established newsrooms.
Carpenter Media's acquisition of Pamplin Media Group and EO Media Group has led to severe reductions in staffing and print publications, significantly impacting local news coverage in Oregon.
"Since 2018, RFA has placed 759 corps members in 429 host newsrooms and they have produced more than 100,000 stories, highlighting the initiative's significant impact on local journalism."
In January, I uncovered Good Daily, which in less than a year had quietly expanded to more than 350 towns and cities. Each newsletter included fabricated testimonials and portrayed itself as being run by local community members.
Earlier this year, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek approved $10 million to throw at a multi-billion-dollar company leading the artificial intelligence revolution: Nvidia.
"It's going to be in the mid-to-low 80s today-so, practically the North Pole compared to Wednesday's ungodly heat. Even better news? It might rain on Monday, which we desperately need as Oregon enters the season of peak wildfire risk."
A snake carcass found in Havering is believed to be the remains of a pet that has been 'wrongly disposed of'. A walker in Havering Country Park came across the carcass last Wednesday (July 9), which did not resemble any of the UK's native species.
The I-5 Rose Quarter freeway expansion is among the most embattled infrastructure projects in recent memory. ODOT has faced hurdles from the onset, and now, state and federal leaders might have just sucked out what little oxygen the Rose Quarter project had left.
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