Gen-AI is legitimately useful for coding, but that's one of the reasons tech companies get things so wrong. It's useful in coding because you want your code to perform its task in the most conventional way possible. Following conventions to produce readable code is hard and takes broad knowledge. 1/

New CBS contributors announced: Grand Moff Tarkin, Lex Luthor, Norman Osborn, Cruella De Ville, Javert, Titus Andronicus, Killmonger, and the Beastfly from Silksong.

All this tells me is that news executives continue to have no ambition and no strategy. They're sclerotic and reactive and grateful to eat the crumbs that fall off big tech's table. Journalists deserve smarter leadership! Not the types to fall for "pivot to video" over and over forever!

COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS

1. It's been more than a day since 2 of America's most storied newsrooms, CBS and ABC, reported that killer ICE agent Jon Ross suffered "internal bleeding" based on unnamed sources Since then - No other news org has confirmed the story - No evidence (photos, medical records) has been produced

Exhausted readers are engaging in news avoidance. They need less, more useful, human-curated news. Yet when I talk to newsroom leaders they want to know how I'd integrate LLMs, a technology most suited to producing high volumes of low quality content. Folks, you have not understood the assignment.

New research undermines the idea that AI products “learn,” contradicting the industry’s basic explanation for how its technology works and raising what could be a massive legal liability: "The whole industry is staked on a shaky metaphor." www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

As the right-wing meme page Canada Proud was posting calls to "DEFUND THE CBC," the same PR firm behind it was being indirectly funded by CBC journalists’ own union dues. Yeah. And that's not all. So I’m teaming up with my friends at @nationalobserver.com to tell you all about it:

Silicon Valley, sitting cross-legged in front of a pile of dystopian sci-fi novels, paralyzed by indecision: "Fuck it! We'll do them all!"

Much has been written about potential safety benefits of AVs. Given the lack of AV data transparency, I cannot speak to whether, or to what degree, AVs are safer than an average human driver. What I can say: This is the wrong question. 🧵 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Colonialism sucked the first time, thanks

Journalism people! I'm working on a classification scheme for journalism. The structure is intended to be descriptive and flexible, allowing for filtering on attributes that matter for readers. There's an explanation and a JSON schema. I'd love to get some feedback! gist.github.com/lajoiemedia/...

My blender has some thoughts on the Epstein files. Care to interview it, @reuters.com?

I wrote about Grok's CSAM problem and how journalists keep fumbling the story www.readtpa.com/p/grok-cant-...

Every university hires on merit. The real debate is about what constitutes merit. How you did in your SATs (if you even did SATs — I didn't!) is not a useful metric for teaching/mentorship or research or administration abilities.

What the hell is this? Subject matter experts are the guardrails of journalism. They make sure we're not just endorsing popular prejudices and misconceptions. Bari Weiss wants to replace journalism with gossip.

NYT Opinion: Zohran has been mayor for nearly 12 hours and yet there are still problems.

The "ours" is doing so much work here. Weiss' work is certainly not the same as the journalists unfortunate enough to work for her. And I'd say it's Weiss that needs a refresher in journalism, except to be refreshed you need to have been familiar with it in the first place.

Gatineau/Ottawa

This is just going to always be my go-to response to this kind of thing anthonymoser.github.io/writing/ai/h...

I'm not crying. Shut up!

The Olivia Nuzzi story and the Bari Weiss at CBS story are the same story, which is that the upper echelons of legacy media are absolutely rife with people who worship power and don't feel burdened by any sense of responsibility to their profession or the public.

This article has lots of "Economists say..." but doesn't quote any economists. One economics professor is paraphrased, and an economics study is referenced, but both push against this writer's thesis! Total hackjob.

This. I am far from anti-technology, or anti-progress, but I refuse to sleepwalk into a less humane future. None of this is inevitable! We can and should fight to make sure these advancements aren't used to exploit or demean us. We must reject this twisted vision. It's a fight we can and must win!

People who worry about AI replacing writing or journalism are often missing an important point. It doesn't matter if AI gets "better" at writing than humans. People will still not want it. Think of it this way: how do you feel when you watch an adorable cat video but then learn it was AI? 1/

New @propublica.org: @emsimani.bsky.social analyzed nonprofit tax filings and found that more than 1,000 charities have stripped DEI-related language from their mission statements this year. www.propublica.org/article/dele...

Following up on my Nieman Lab prediction that news will return to its open-source ways, I’ve revived my old bot that posts new repos from newsrooms. @openjournalism.bsky.social

I’m sorry, but that’s not how this works.

Is it me, or are the @niemanlab.org predictions particularly bad this year?

"Consider the possibility that what you're seeing isn't a lack of humanity, but a form of humanity you haven't been trained to recognise." Great piece. Though I struggle to see how anyone could believe @marcusolang.substack.com's brilliant turns of phrase could be generated by a machine!

Jarvis occasionally has interesting things to say, but you can always count on him to take the side of big tech over journalism. Ultimately this advice is worthless unless he has a business model to propose. Otherwise what he's proposing is just surrender.

In case you have never seen this.

I agree, unfortunately. But I also agree this isn't inevitable.

Another example of the Washington Post using AI irresponsibly. In this era of AI fakes newsrooms need to be doubling down on the humanity of our journalism, and building more authentic connections with the communities we serve. That's how we create value. We don't have to jump on this bandwagon!

After becoming a congressional leader, a politician’s stock portfolio beats out those of peers by 47 (!!!) percentage points a year through trades timed around bills and firms that later get government contracts www.nber.org/papers/w34524 via @florianederer.bsky.social

WaPo's use of AI is a perfect example of how not to use AI in the newsroom. And given how we've seen Elon Musk put his thumb on the scale for Grok's responses, I want to know more about which model(s) WaPo is using behind the scenes, and to whom the organization has handed editorial control.

Methodology

Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents. I did it because the government isn’t. This is what I found.

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵) www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

@laylaayanna.bsky.social (and TPM) are doing great work tracking how the Trump administration is undermining government data. Follow her!

"Israel is using food and aid as a weapon to humiliate, weaken, displace and kill Palestinians in Gaza" edition.cnn.com/2025/10/02/m...

If you are following the story of The Pentagon's new policy, nicknamed, "you must check with us before you dream of doing any journalism," you may enjoy this update from @status.news

#DataESR #DataEN Mise à jour du défragmenteur de Code de l'éducation. Depuis l'élection de M. Macron, 56% du Code de l'éducation a été modifié.

The most accurate recreation of DS9 I've seen.

I know it's been said a million times before but this style of headline is journalistic malpractice. #BBC should be giving the context to know who to believe here: Trump, whose lies and scientific illiteracy have been heavily documented, or scientists whose profession is to study drug side effects?

The Washington Post now has no Black Opinion columnists - none - at a time when white nationalism is ascendant in our nation. I am grateful to Karen for the truth and fearlessness her work has always shown. Keep shining that light, my friend.

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Wall Street Journal has now added an editor's note to the report that said "transgender ideology" messages were left by Charlie Kirk's shooter. When @oliverdarcy.bsky.social asked last night why they hadn't added a correction, they said "none was deemed necessary." www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

you cannot be disparaged by your own words... people cannot attack you with your own ideas if ones words are repeated and they are viewed unfavorably that is not a reflection of the one who repeats it is a reflection of the author

My deodorant ran out between armpits, and now I've got to walk around all day with one armpit smelling like "cool wave" and the other like "arctic ice", like a lunatic!