Poltics
This week a smattering of AI builders, students and journalists gathered within the bowels of the University of Technology Sydney for an every now and then heated panel about how Australian newsrooms had been taking over the usage of generative AI. The college’s Centre for Media Transition launched its “Gen AI and Journalism” memoir, the compare for which integrated interviews with Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor and The Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields. Launching the memoir changed into ABC’s director of information and investigations Justin Stevens on the panel alongside Day-to-day Mail executive editor Barclay Crawford.
Stevens suggested those gathered the change changed into “entirely in uncomfortable health-ready” for the threats that AI poses to newsrooms. He did, nonetheless, scrutinize it as an opportunity for human journalism to “stand out”.
“You must be in a position to’t ship a chatbot into a battle zone,” he talked about.
Crawford railed in opposition to the affect AI could per chance even comprise on our democracy. AI is created by the “elites”, he talked about, who “comprise very various views to the relaxation of us”. Google Search is skewed in favour of left-wingers, Crawford claimed, pointing to Guardian Australia’s SEO success as proof of this.
The panel got fiery when Stevens proselytised over whether or no longer AI could per chance be worn ethically, or “in a cynical methodology” for what he termed “junk journalism” — “chasing views over belief”. This drew Crawford’s ire, who talked about media companies “want eyeballs”.
“Unfortunately, loads of stuff of us read isn’t substantial investigative journalism,” the Day-to-day Mail boss argued.
A 2nd of discontinue took maintain of the room before Stevens shot reduction: “I don’t reckon it’s a preference between earnings and belief.”
Media Briefs makes no touch upon why Crawford could per chance even comprise been particularly incensed by a total reference to “junk journalism”.
Requested about media literacy standards dropping among young of us, Stevens took a rare stab at public coverage, suggesting that there could be room in colleges and curriculums around the country for extra media literacy training.
Information Corp set for pale, stale Olympics
Information Corp this week launched its Forty five-noteworthy workforce that can trudge to Paris to cover the 2024 Summer season Olympics — a dream gig for most. In an internal memo viewed by Crikey, executive editor Michael Miller expressed his pride at the formative years of the workforce heading over to France, but those quotes had been excluded from the firm’s press launch.
Presumably that’s attributable to the workforce looks to be to be made up of largely senior workers. Now not many Information Corp journalists below the age of 30 are headed to the continent, with the obvious exception of audio producer Tabby Wilson. Irrespective of the Olympics being a event of form, issues are a minute bit skinny on the bottom in Holt St’s delegation, with Jawoyn lady Hannah Hollis for certain one of many handiest journalists of shade on the workforce, as effectively as for certain one of many handiest ladies folk, with men making up 73% of the contingent.
Happily for Information Corp readers nonetheless, they’re going to obtain Olympic coverage from the likes of The Courier-Mail’s declare political editor Hayden Johnson, Vogue executive editor Jessica Montague, and gossip columnist Jackie Epstein.
Former Newcastle Knights 5-eighth Matty Johns could also characteristic, regardless that great like how your correspondent on the overall will get Matty mixed up with his extra successful brother Andrew, Information Corp could be perplexed — our minute provincial game of rugby league received’t be performed at the Stade de France all over the Olympics. Australia’s rugby sevens sides will characteristic as an replacement, with the Wallaroos vying for a medal.
Media Briefs understands a option of young and various journalists from around the Information Corp mastheads comprise expressed their displeasure at having been brushed off of the Paris delegation in favour of multinational favourites. With rights-holder Nine making in a position to swear its hang workforce, time will picture if the feeling is proscribed to Holt St’s up-and-comers.
Information Corp did not acknowledge for comment in time for newsletter.
Time is TikTok-ing for government
TikTok has been within the information over again this week, with the US Residence of Representatives passing a invoice that could per chance require Chinese language parent firm ByteDance to sell the social media platform or scrutinize it banned within the United States.
The invoice, if made regulation, would give ByteDance 165 days to divest from TikTok or risk American apps stores being banned from net hosting or linking out to it. The invoice now heads to the Senate, where it faces a quite less determined future — whereas the invoice had bipartisan relieve within the Residence, a option of Republicans in explicit scrutinize it as impacting First Modification rights.
Closer to home, opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson has referred to as for Australia to prepare swimsuit, asserting with out tear, “Australians will proceed to be exposed to the foreign interference and privateness dangers of Chinese language-government controlled TikTok”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week dominated out any adjustments in response to the American vote, asserting: “We comprise made choices in response to our hang security assessments. We’re neutral; we don’t prepare other countries.”
Media Briefs contacted the minister for communications for comment, who handballed us to the minister for home affairs. The minister for home affairs didn’t acknowledge in time for newsletter.
Strikes
- Katy Watson strikes from BBC South America to enroll within the BBC in Sydney as Sydney correspondent.
- Wide World of Sports activities’ Chris de Silva strikes to the ABC, joining as a digital sport journalist in Some distance North Queensland.
- The Sydney Morning Herald’s Caitlin Fitzsimmons is now an surroundings and climate reporter, having beforehand labored as a social affairs reporter.