AI, Journalism and the Uncertain Future of the Public Square

In his speech at WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Congress in June, A.G. Sulzberger warned that AI companies are violating settled law and urged news organisations to stand up for their rights to ensure a sustainable future for reporting.

In his excellent speech, which the New York Times has given permission for us to publish in the July / August issue of InPublishing magazine, the New York Times publisher made lots of salient points, including:

“Tech giants strip-mine news websites without permission or compensation. They repackage these stolen goods as their own.”
“Our profession has been too quiet, too passive and too fragmented in the face of abuses by the companies leading the A.I. revolution.”
“In its competition with China, America weakens itself by abandoning the intellectual property protections that fuel innovation and power America’s creative enterprises.”
“As A.I. companies are doubtless aware, most news organisations lack the resources to go to court to enforce their rights.”
“In the A.I. era, Google increasingly uses the content of news organisations and other websites to answer questions directly.”
“Meta alone now makes eight times more in ad revenue than every newspaper on earth combined.”
“The vast majority of news publishers say they expect no significant income from A.I. platforms.”
“Because A.I. tends to be bad at expressing uncertainty, it’s often not just wrong, but confidently wrong.”
“Two-thirds of Americans are highly concerned about A.I. spreading inaccurate information, according to Pew Research Center.”
“Evidence shows that when a local news organisation fails, people in a community start to trust each other less and hate each other more.”
“Intellectual property rights must hold if our profession is to have a path forward.”
“The VC firm behind many A.I. investments is now the top political donor in the United States.”
“There’s nothing inherently bad about A.I. technology – it’s the actions of the companies behind it that need reforming.”
“To be a destination in a world intermediated by A.I., you’ll need journalism so distinctive it has its own gravity.”
“The internet is already overwhelmed by bots and slop. It is becoming harder and harder to know where things came from and whether they are true.”

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. What news organisations do is something worth fighting for. A.G. Sulzberger said he “remained convinced of the value created by quality news organisations dedicated to the hard, expensive work of original reporting.”

James Evelegh

Editor

In this week's newsletter

Making children’s magazines more sustainable By Jo Beattie
In the news this week News stories from the past seven days
Community building By Phil Clark
The latest jobs (1 vacancy listed) Customer Marketing Manager (Subscriptions)
Publishing Services Directory This week: Production Consultancy Services
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AI in practice (webinar & special feature)

In the Sep/Oct issue, InPublishing is running a special feature on artificial intelligence, which will be taking an in-depth look at how AI is being used in practice.

Publishers have been experimenting and using AI for almost four years and much has changed. The purpose of this special feature is to provide publishers with information about how AI is being used now and what the opportunities are.

The special feature will include articles by leading publishers on how their companies are using AI. In addition, it will include ten separate sections, each written by a single supplier with specific expertise in that area.

The special feature will be followed by a panel discussion webinar on Tuesday, 24 November.

To find out more, contact Martin Maynard: martin.maynard@inpublishing.co.uk | +44 (0) 1730 719 601 | +44 (0) 7885 861 422.

Making children’s magazines more sustainable

Immediate Media has been pursuing a twin track sustainability approach with its children’s magazines, reducing the carbon footprint of the product itself and encouraging greater awareness of green issues in its young audience. Jo Beattie takes up the story.

I remember once buying magazines for my children when they were little – they roundly rejected the educational editions I was suggesting and demanded the ones with the dolls on the front. The legs had fallen off the dolls by the time we got home, and dolls plus magazines went straight in the bin.

At Immediate, our covermounts have always been good quality. But my memory speaks to the challenges around producing appealing and sustainable magazines for children; and we have spent the past two decades addressing these issues. Using the best information available to guide our choices, collaborating and adapting where necessary, we have made measurable progress. Along the way we have learned lessons that we’re delighted to share.

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Quality print and UK delivery with a long-term vision

Roularta Printing combines high-quality web offset printing and seamless logistics in one reliable service for the UK market.

Every week, hundreds of thousands of magazines are delivered to the UK through a proven distribution network, helping publishers stay on schedule without added complexity.

Our approach is quality-driven, environmentally aware, and built for long-term partnerships – so you can focus on growing your readership and strengthening your brand.

Interested? Contact Bart Declercq at Roularta Printing to learn more: 0032 5126 6111 • bart.declercq@roulartaprinting.be

In the news this week ...

Informa announces appointment of Tom Glocer

Informa PLC has announced the appointment of Tom Glocer as chair-elect.

Lorna joins Fabulous as new columnist

Fabulous has announced that fashion and lifestyle creator Lorna is joining the team as its new star columnist, launching on July 19th.

Investment Week introduces new paid membership tier

Investment Week last week introduced a new paid membership tier for readers outside free-access criteria.

The New York Times to launch local newsletter in the Twin Cities

The Local is a pilot newsletter to connect readers to their communities through journalism, co-hosted by Minnesotans Shadi Bushra and Jay Gabler.

The Publisher Podcast Awards 2026: winners announced

The Publisher Podcast Awards were held last week in London.

The Publisher Newsletter Awards 2026: winners announced

Held jointly with The Publisher Podcast Awards, The Publisher Newsletter Awards 2026 were announced in London last week.

DC Thomson celebrates Oor Wullie's 90th anniversary

DC Thomson publishes Oor Wullie’s ABCs in Scots as part of the character’s 90th anniversary.

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Has your title got great potential, but nobody is selling on it?

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We're an experienced, proactive, flexible sales team based in the UK with no lengthy contracts. We represent UK publishers and international brands, with clients who've trusted us for over a decade. We know the market because we publish ourselves.

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WAN-IFRA appoints Ezra Eeman as director, AI in media

WAN-IFRA has appointed Ezra Eeman as director, AI in media, reinforcing its commitment to helping news publishers worldwide harness the opportunities of AI while navigating the changes it is bringing to journalism and the media business.

Immediate chooses Air Business

Air Business has secured an overseas distribution deal with Immediate.

Anthem Publishing launches Planet K-Pop magazine

Anthem Publishing has announced the launch of new magazine Planet K-Pop to celebrate the global phenomenon of Korean pop culture.

The Rest is Politics launches new podcast series

The Rest Is Politics is launching an exclusive new series with Caroline Lucas on climate, nature collapse and national security.

Grazia names Frances Hedges as its new editor

Bauer Media has announced the appointment of Frances Hedges as editor of Grazia, from October 2026.

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Expert-led training for publishing professionals

Train your staff with cost-effective courses adapted to your organisation’s requirements. From negotiating and presenting through project management and copyright to editorial and copywriting, PTC’s courses are delivered by experienced trainers. We can incorporate your own materials, with flexible delivery at your offices or remotely to suit.

“It was such thorough training; I really enjoyed it! I learnt so much and the tutor was very patient with our questions and answered fully. She broke things down in a really good way, and the exercises she gave us helped strengthen our skills.” Oxford University Press delegate

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Community building

In the face of AI disruption, one thing publishers can do to differentiate themselves from the bots, is by creating a sense of community. Phil Clark looks at the way various publishers are approaching the task.

Is your audience a genuine community or just passive consumers of your content? This has been a consistent question and challenge for publishers and broadcasters in the wake of radical changes in media consumption this century as consumers have moved from traditional platforms to rapidly growing online ones.

In previous waves of digital disruption, businesses adopted varied tactics to establish closer relationships with their audiences, from building or establishing their own online communities or forums, embracing and engaging with their audiences on established social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Reddit or WhatsApp or aggressively growing their face to face or online events portfolios.

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The latest jobs ...

Customer Marketing Manager (Subscriptions)

Kelsey Publishing
Yalding, Kent or Horncastle, Lincolnshire / hybrid | £30-£35,000

View listing →

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This week: Production Consultancy Services

CPUK Print Publishing

The CPUK team offers more than 35 years’ publishing and print-management experience. We offer a one-stop magazine design and production service.

View listing →

Optimum Publishing Group

Providing you with cost effective optimum solutions for all your printed & digital publications including magazines, brochures, supplements, showguides, catalogues, manuals and more. We are a consortium of leading experts in the publishing industry.

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Thanks for reading. We'll be back in your inbox next Thursday morning.

James Evelegh

Editor

AI, Journalism and the Uncertain Future of the Public Square

In this week's newsletter

AI in practice (webinar & special feature)

Making children’s magazines more sustainable

Quality print and UK delivery with a long-term vision

In the news this week ...

Has your title got great potential, but nobody is selling on it?

Expert-led training for publishing professionals

Community building

The latest jobs ...

This week: Production Consultancy Services

Useful links

Guides

Register

Submissions

Advertise with InPublishing

That's all for this week ...