Research reveals nearly half of AI-generated news responses contain significant errors Gemini and ChatGPT perform notably worse in sourcing and factual accuracy Experts warn of risks to public trust and democratic processes from unreliable AI news tools Artificial intelligence assistants from some of the world’s biggest tech firms are struggling to tell the truth about the news, according to a wide-ranging new study by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC. The research, conducted with 22 public media organisations across 18 countries and in 14 languages, examined more than 3,000 AI-generated responses to news-related questions. It found that 45%…

Wikimedia reports an 8% drop in site traffic due to AI-driven search AI tools like ChatGPT now surpass Wikipedia in user engagement Calls grow for ethical regulation to protect open knowledge platforms The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, has reported a sharp fall in traffic to its site, blaming the surge of artificial intelligence chatbots and AI-generated summaries. Marshall Miller, Wikimedia’s Chief Product Officer, said AI tools that deliver instant answers are changing how people find information. Search engines and assistants increasingly draw on Wikipedia’s content to generate summaries, leaving fewer users clicking through to the site itself. An upgraded…

Matthew Garrahan, FT journalist with nearly 30 years’ experience, joins Redbird Capital as operating partner Redbird’s planned acquisition of The Telegraph awaits regulatory approval The deal signals a strategic shift aiming to grow the newspaper’s digital and international presence Financial Times journalist Matthew Garrahan is leaving the publication after nearly three decades to join Redbird Capital Partners, the US private investment firm in the process of acquiring The Telegraph. Garrahan becomes operating partner for news and entertainment, based in London, where he will help drive growth across Redbird’s expanding global media portfolio. The appointment highlights Redbird’s effort to blend editorial…

Influencers accounted for nearly half of online political content during Canada’s recent federal election Platforms’ policy changes led to decline of traditional news and increased influence of less reliable sources Report warns of future risks including division, misinformation, and lack of platform transparency Influencers, not journalists or politicians, drove nearly half of Canada’s online political conversation during this spring’s federal election, according to new research. The report from the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN), coordinated by McGill University and the University of Toronto’s Media Ecosystem Observatory, found that influencers accounted for 47 percent of political content on major social…

Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, becomes editor-in-chief at CBS News Her appointment sparks controversy, reflecting wider ideological divides within US journalism Weiss aims to restore trust and independence at CBS, navigating a highly polarised media environment Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, has been appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News following Paramount Skydance’s $150 million acquisition of her digital media platform. Weiss, 41, will report directly to David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance. The newly created role marks a major shift in the network’s leadership and editorial direction. The move brings one of the most outspoken voices in…

Matt Murray affirms Jeff Bezos’s non-interference during major newsroom restructuring The Post faces staff departures and internal conflict over editorial direction Emphasis on digital innovation and AI while maintaining core journalistic values Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post since June 2024, has insisted that owner Jeff Bezos has shown “zero meddling” in the newsroom’s operations during what he calls a “massive transformation” of the newspaper. In a rare interview with the newsletter Status, Murray said the Post remains committed to its journalistic principles despite sweeping organisational change. “I can say emphatically, Jeff has zero involvement in editorial decision-making,”…

Only 28% of Americans trust the media to report the news accurately Trust among Republicans drops to single digits, while Democrats remain above 50% Younger Americans show especially low confidence in the press, deepening credibility crisis Americans’ confidence in the mass media has plunged to a new historic low, with just 28% saying they trust newspapers, television or radio “to fully, accurately and fairly” report the news, according to Gallup’s latest survey. This marks the first time Gallup’s trust metric has dipped below 30%. That’s down sharply from 31% in 2024 and from 40% five years ago. Meanwhile, 70% of…

Quora ranks as the fourth most-cited source in Google’s AI Mode, after LinkedIn, Reddit, and Google AI responses blend multiple Quora answers with sophisticated paraphrasing, prioritising relevance over keyword matching Engagement metrics and content quality influence whether Quora threads are featured in AI-generated answers Google’s new AI Mode is reshaping online visibility, with Quora emerging as one of its most influential sources. Quora, the community-driven platform where users ask and answer questions across every imaginable topic, now ranks as the fourth most-cited domain in Google’s AI-generated answers, behind only LinkedIn, Reddit and Google itself. An analysis by Semrush of 26,000…

A coalition of leading economists highlights the role of independent journalism in global economic health Misinformation risks are escalating with AI, threatening social stability and market integrity Urgent policy actions are needed to sustain trustworthy media and support economic resilience A coalition of 11 leading economists, including Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz and Daron Acemoğlu, has issued a stark warning that the collapse of independent journalism poses a direct threat to global economic prosperity. Their new report, The Economic Imperative of Investing in Public Interest Media, published by the High-Level Panel on Public Interest Media convened by the Forum on Information…

High-profile American investors linked to proposed TikTok ownership transfer Deal aims to address national security concerns while maintaining platform stability Collaboration includes bipartisan efforts and potential Chinese approval, with significant media and tech influence involved President Donald Trump has announced a significant development in the ongoing negotiations to bring TikTok’s American operations under U.S. ownership, revealing that prominent figures from the corporate and media world—including Lachlan Murdoch, Larry Ellison, and Michael Dell—would be involved as investors in a proposed deal. The deal aims to transfer the majority ownership of TikTok’s U.S. assets from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to a…