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- MediaMorph Edition 44 - by HANA News
MediaMorph Edition 44 - by HANA News
"Never let a crisis go to waste" (Sir Winston Churchill)
Mark Riley
March 25, 2025
MediaMorph Edition 44 - by HANA News
“Never let a good crisis go to waste” Winston Churchill
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The written-by-a-human bit
As someone who reads most of the leading media and AI stories each week, I am taken aback by the apocalyptic language. Journalists have never been overly glass-half-full types of people. Still, tech reporters and commentators are very fond of the word “existential” and using other words like “meteorite”, “end of the road”, and “doomsday”.
Clearly, there needs to be a wake-up call, and media leaders need to act by signing defensive deals with LLMs, chasing them through the courts, or adopting AI tools to stay in the race.
More worrying, I was taken aback by a Gen Z acquaintance who couldn’t understand why I was remotely concerned if all the great mastheads of the last 200+ years went to the wall. For him and his friends, they are irrelevant. This lack of relevance is a more existential threat than machines stealing content.
So, to lighten the mood, I wondered if AI could help make last weekend’s Sunday Times editorial about fraudulent student loan schemes more relevant for my friend. For context, the story is “Last year the Student Loans Company identified fraudulent claims from its students amounting to £3.7 million.” Apologies to those of you who aren’t entirely Gen Z fluent, but I think you’ll get the drift.
omg ok so get this 😩📚
last year it came out that 15 russell group unis were basically letting international students sneak into undergrad courses through these “pathway” routes that uk students can’t even access?? like literal back doors 🚪👀 fr fr
and now there’s more tea 🍵 the Student Loans Company (slc) found out that at least 6 of these random mini colleges (they call them “franchised providers” lol) — which run courses for some newer unis — have had students scamming the loan system 💸
some ppl are apparently just enrolling, getting that £4k maintenance loan 💰 then dropping out… only to do the same thing again the next year?? lmaooo what is this hustle 😭😭
so franchising started back in 2011 right before the gov jacked up tuition from £3k to £9k (yeah, thx for that 🫠). it was meant to help more ppl get into uni, and sometimes it actually works (like the Dyson place, partnered w/ Warwick, kinda slay tbh)
but now it's just become a way for big unis to make £££ — they get like 25% of the tuition fees even if someone else is doing the teaching. and with inflation killing everyone’s budgets, ngl they’re obviously cashing in 🤑
fast forward to now: there’s 110 unis w/ 341 franchised colleges. in 2018 there were 50k students doing these courses. by 2023?? 138k. the glow-up is wild 😂📈
idk man the whole thing feels shady af
Clearly, this will be “over my dead body” for any self-respecting editor, but the point stands that AI offers a chance to launch new products in new formats, find new audiences, and rediscover relevance.
Mark Riley, CEO of Mathison AI
Mathison News: AI will be a substantial competitive advantage for those who master it. But most are still struggling with adoption because rolling out a chatbot or Copilot isn’t enough to get people using it.
We are launching training modules for newsrooms and media business folks. We will benchmark your proficiency, forensically analyse your workflows and introduce bespoke tools to solve your problems—either off-the-shelf or purpose-built. Upskill your colleagues, accelerate adoption and establish a clear AI roadmap.
If you are a team leader, book a call or send this to your HR and innovation teams.
Check out our latest podcast as guests on Small Press Big Ideas with Paul Gewuerz. In it, we discuss our AI tool, Hana, for streamlining news gathering and distribution and how to address the local news business model crisis.
AI and Media and Journalism
News media's AI moment—faster news, but fears mount over business models Fortune - March 18, 2025 News organizations are beginning to feel the impact of AI on their operations, sparking concerns that they may not be adapting quickly or significantly enough to counter the AI-driven challenges to their existing business models. The rise of AI in journalism presents opportunities and threats, requiring news media to overhaul their strategies to stay relevant and financially stable in this evolving landscape. |
‘We need to set the terms, or we’re all screwed’: how newsrooms are tackling AI’s uncertainties and opportunities The Guardian - March 22, 2025 As AI technology increasingly integrates into journalism, media outlets face both opportunities and challenges, from enhancing content creation to ensuring accuracy, as highlighted by incidents like the LA Times' misrepresentation of the Ku Klux Klan. While some organizations embrace AI for efficiency, concerns about original reporting and the potential replacement of traditional media loom large in discussions among industry leaders. |
Why AI could spell doomsday or a big payday for publishers with Matthew Scott Goldstein Apple Podcasts - March 20, 2025 In a recent conversation, publishing consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein expressed deep concern about generative AI's threat to traditional publishing, rating it a 9.9 out of 10, as it could overshadow original journalism and decline publisher websites. However, he noted that this technology also presents significant financial opportunities for high-quality content creators, urging publishers to adapt to the changing landscape. |
AI in journalism: The benefits and challenges it poses in 2025 ResponseSource - March 18, 2025 At a recent Civic Journalism Lab event, industry experts explored the transformative role of AI in journalism, highlighting advancements in transcription and information retrieval while emphasizing the critical need for transparency and ethical standards to combat misinformation. Key discussions included the benefits of tools like Fyxer AI for email management and the importance of guidelines that ensure AI enhances rather than undermines journalistic integrity. |
Concerns about AI and social media grow among journalists ahead of Federal Election, survey finds Cbs4indy - A recent survey of over 500 journalists reveals growing concerns about the impact of technology, particularly AI and misinformation, on journalistic integrity and job security. With declining revenues and pressures to produce content quickly, the findings highlight the urgent need for media organizations to support journalists in adapting to the evolving landscape. |
International Journalism Festival: Investigating AI Systems in Your Community At the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, AI reporter Karen Hao will empower journalists by sharing essential skills for integrating artificial intelligence into their reporting. Her workshop will focus on practical applications for research and storytelling and promise to spark innovation and adaptation in the industry, addressing both the opportunities and challenges of AI in journalism. |
AI Wrote An Entire Italian Newspaper: Should Readers Be Worried? EWEEK - March 19, 2025 Italian newspaper Il Foglio has launched "Il Foglio AI," a groundbreaking four-page insert created entirely by generative AI, sparking discussions on the role of AI in journalism. While the initiative showcases AI's capabilities in content creation, it raises important questions about originality, accuracy, and ethical implications amid ongoing legal challenges in the industry. |
The Independent to launch news service supported by Google AI (paywall) The Independent, a UK-based publisher, is launching a new news service called Bulletin that will utilize Google AI tools to summarise its articles. The Independent's journalists will oversee this service and aim to address the existential threat posed by new technology to newsrooms worldwide. The move reflects the ongoing efforts of media organizations to adapt to and leverage artificial intelligence in their operations, balancing the benefits of AI-powered summarization with the need for human oversight to maintain journalistic integrity. |
Q&A: Viola Zhou on the Challenge of Covering Chinese Tech Cjr - Chinese tech companies view their competition with Silicon Valley as both a challenge and an opportunity, leveraging strengths like a vast domestic market and government support to advance in fields such as AI and e-commerce. Amid geopolitical tensions, they are accelerating investments in R&D to foster innovation and achieve technological independence. |
The Battle over AI and Copyright Enters a New Phase Cjr - In response to Trump's call for public comment on AI development, OpenAI and Google proposed weakening copyright restrictions to allow US AI companies to train their models on publicly available data without significant limitations. They argue this is crucial for maintaining American AI dominance against competitors like China. However, this proposal has faced opposition from media companies, creators, and lawmakers who argue for strong copyright protections to ensure fair compensation and continued content creation, with some accusing these tech giants of exploiting creative industries for profit. The debate centres on balancing AI innovation with the rights of copyright holders as the government prepares to release its AI Action Plan in July. |
AI will take your job. Get over it Fortune - March 20, 2025 In "AI will take your job. Get over it," Tatyana Mamut argues that while AI will inevitably transform the job market, this is not a cause for despair but rather an opportunity for adaptation. Drawing parallels with previous technological shifts, the article suggests that AI will redefine valuable work rather than simply eliminating jobs. The core message encourages workers to embrace and adapt to the changing landscape shaped by AI, highlighting the workforce's historical ability to navigate technological advancements. |
AI and Academic Publishing
Publishers Adopt AI Tools to Bolster Research Integrity Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs - March 18, 2025 The academic publishing industry is increasingly turning to AI tools to improve research quality and streamline the peer-review process amid rising pressures on researchers, yet concerns remain about the technology's impact on research integrity and reviewer autonomy. Experts emphasize the need for careful implementation and transparency in AI usage to ensure it enhances, rather than compromises, the quality of academic work. Read more at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs (6 mins) |
The London Book Fair 2025: ‘Romantasy,’ AI, audiobooks, ‘new reader’ and reading for pleasure Chytomo - March 20, 2025 The London Book Fair 2025 showcased a vibrant celebration of literature with a strong focus on children's books, expanding audio formats, and engaging discussions on AI and sustainability, alongside record sales in fantasy and YA fiction. Highlights included the introduction of an Audio Village and recognition for comics, while countries like Poland and Bulgaria made impressive returns amidst a reduced Russian presence. |
AI can be a powerful tool for scientists. But it can also fuel research misconduct The Conversation - March 19, 2025 In February 2023, Google unveiled an AI system to aid scientists in research, but the rise of generative AI tools has coincided with a troubling surge in scientific misconduct, including a record number of paper retractions and instances of AI-generated papers passing peer review. As the scientific community grapples with these challenges, it must establish guidelines that harness AI's potential while mitigating its risks. |
Cross sectional pilot study on clinical review generation using large language models Nature - March 19, 2025 A comprehensive analysis of 2169 clinical reviews reveals that while AI-generated content shows improvements in recent references, it significantly lags behind human-written reviews in quality metrics such as depth, authenticity, and logical coherence. The study highlights the challenges of using AI in academic publishing, emphasizing the need for enhanced detection systems and collaborative efforts to improve the reliability of AI-generated literature. |
The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem The Atlantic - March 20, 2025 Meta's development of its Llama 3 AI model has sparked ethical controversy after the company sought to use data from the pirated book repository Library Genesis, raising significant legal concerns amid a copyright lawsuit from authors. This situation underscores the ongoing tension between technological innovation and the rights of creators as generative AI increasingly incorporates original works without proper compensation. |
Springer Nature Sales Rose 5% in 2024, Topping $2 Billion Springer Nature reported a 5% increase in revenue for 2024, reaching €1.85 billion, driven by a strong performance in its Research segment and a significant milestone of 50% of primary research articles published open access. With a robust financial outlook for 2025, the company continues to focus on innovation and operational efficiency following its successful IPO last year. |
Telltale Data Signs of Bogus Scientific Papers and Fraudulent Academic Research Gijn - The peer review process in academic publishing faces significant challenges, including manipulation, fraud, and the rise of paper mills, with estimates suggesting that up to 2% of scientific papers published in 2022 were affected. Experts advocate for treating journals as public utilities to improve research integrity and combat these alarming trends. |
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