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Newspapers have had a string of dreadful decades. Printing the daily news is costly, readers have diminishing attention spans and media buyers prefer cheaper alternatives. Many newspapers still hang on in the face of the digital onslaught.
Wiener Zeitung has been published more of less continuously in Vienna, Austria since 1703. It has been owned by the Austrian state since 1857, publishing news and official announcements. The government ended the required publication of commercial notices, ending a significant revenue stream. Last week, Wiener Zeitung announced its print edition will cease at the end of June, reported AFP (April 27). The online edition will continue along with a journalism training center, a media hub and a content agency. (See more about media in Austria here)
Despite the costs, publishers know that making a print edition is crucial for the brand. Readers might not take them from the kiosks every day but they want to know the newspaper is there. Neither accountants nor private equity investors have any feeling for this, preferring to sell-off the chairs, pens, lights and employees at the best price possible. Preceding the vote by the National Council demonstrators assembled to protest the end of the Wiener Zeitung print run, noted Der Standard (April 25). (See more about newspapers here)
A different option has emerged. Association of Austrian Newspapers (VÖZ) managing director Gerald Grünberger suggested public broadcaster ORF take over Wiener Zeitung. "Personally, I find it regrettable that Wiener Zeitung, virtually a cultural institution in this country for 320 years, has been discontinued,” he said in a statement (May 1). "You will be amazed now, and I am now making a proposal that I also made in advance: We could even have imagined that ORF, as a public-law foundation, would have taken over Wiener Zeitung as a public-law medium and could then have offered a really printed word.” The VÖZ has long criticized ORF for publishing text content on its website.
Observers have long speculated that generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT would subvert content creation for malevolent ends. Many in our world are dutifully concerned by the ever-expanding influence of digital technologies. A small share of those folks are just horrified. On the other side, true believers are excited about the obvious benefits.
The NewsGuard browser tool rates online news sites for credibility. Scores for trustworthiness are created for news and information portals in several languages. It was founded by well-known journalists Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz in 2018 and receives funding from the Knight Foundation. NewsGuard identifies fake news. (See more about fake news here)
Surprising absolutely nobody, NewsGuard has reported (May 1) that AI chatbots (i.e. ChatGPT and others) are being used to generate “false information” for certain websites of dubious origin that interact with ad bots for quick and easy money. NewsGuard uses tech solutions to sort through the mire. There are a lot of bot-created fake news out there, “proliferating online”; from dumb stuff and conspiracy theories to fake author profiles. News agency Bloomberg (May 1) verified the conclusions. (See more about digital transitions here)
As today (May 1) is International Workers Day, also known as Labor Day, observed in many civilized countries, it is fair to again reflect on worker dislocation from digital technology. Think of the tens of thousands - millions, perhaps - of troll farm workers, toiling in basements with poor lighting near and far to create fake news for their masters. Those jobs will soon be lost to AI. Workers of the world, unite.
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