Tech Platforms Undermine Journalism's Accountability Muscle - Episode Hero Image

Tech Platforms Undermine Journalism's Accountability Muscle

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Original Title:

TL;DR

  • The pervasive influence of tech platforms on journalism, exemplified by Google's News Initiative, has created a power asymmetry that hinders the press's ability to hold powerful entities accountable.
  • Journalism's historical reliance on breaking news and reactive structures, amplified by tech platforms, generates "noise" that functions as censorship, obscuring deeper truths and connections.
  • The tech industry's narrative of inevitability around AI and its potential to reshape society favors its own interests, leaving little room for critical examination or alternative futures.
  • A fundamental recalibration of journalism's relationship with tech companies is necessary, moving beyond transactional deals to establish fair value exchange and independent accountability.
  • The concept of "capture" by Silicon Valley extends beyond media to influence politics and intimacy, necessitating cross-disciplinary storytelling to explore these complex, interconnected issues.
  • The erosion of journalism's accountability muscle is evident in the age of impunity, where powerful individuals and authoritarians form alliances that undermine the press's function.
  • Journalists must actively seek accountability from the humans behind tech companies, not just data, and find allies in the knowledge economy to counter systemic capture.

Deep Dive

Natalia Antelava argues that the tech industry, particularly Silicon Valley, has fundamentally undermined the institution of journalism by creating an information ecosystem dominated by noise and a power asymmetry that prevents accountability. This has led to a situation where journalism can no longer fulfill its crucial role of holding the most powerful entities accountable, a dynamic that is now being replicated with AI companies.

The core issue is the pervasive "noise" generated by platforms, which the author views as a new form of censorship, obscuring vital information and making it impossible for journalism to "punch through." This noise is a direct consequence of platforms prioritizing ad revenue and engagement over the health of the knowledge economy or democratic institutions. Antelava uses the analogy of a fossil fuel company funding wetland initiatives to describe the superficial engagement of tech companies with journalism, suggesting that support is offered without genuine alignment on journalistic values or accountability. This is exemplified by events like "Newsgeist," where tech executives, rather than being questioned, are positioned as arbiters of journalism's future, symbolized by the "Werewolf" game where publishers are metaphorically assigned fates.

The implications of this dynamic are far-reaching. Journalism's inability to hold powerful tech companies accountable means that these entities, acting like nation-states with vast financial resources, operate with impunity. This power imbalance also means that the narrative around technological inevitability, particularly with AI, is shaped by those who stand to benefit most, like Sam Altman, rather than by a broader societal consideration of consequences. Antelava suggests that the path forward for journalism involves a recalibration of its relationship with these companies, prioritizing genuine value exchange over dependency, and focusing on "human" accountability by directly engaging with the individuals running these powerful organizations. Furthermore, she advocates for cross-disciplinary collaboration and a renewed focus on core journalistic values to navigate an era where noise drowns out truth and the very concept of sovereignty is being redefined by these tech giants.

Action Items

  • Audit tech platform relationships: For 3-5 key platforms, document the nature of financial and operational ties to journalism organizations.
  • Develop 5-10 "connection" story frameworks: Identify recurring themes or underlying currents that link disparate global events, moving beyond reactive breaking news.
  • Track 3-5 instances of "noise as censorship": Analyze how information overload or platform-generated noise obscures important stories or hinders accountability.
  • Measure impact of non-reactive journalism: For 3-5 investigative pieces, assess audience engagement and policy influence independent of breaking news cycles.
  • Identify 3-5 potential allies: Map organizations or individuals in complementary fields (e.g., culture, knowledge economy) for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Silicon Valley companies are among the most intransparent and difficult to access and hold accountable out there. You know, I used to cover fossil fuel companies; I did a lot of kind of on oil and gas when I was based in Central Asia and the Caspian region, and like, I have never, I've dealt with BP and Chevron of this world, I have never dealt with companies like Google. It is literally impossible to get an answer."

Natalia Antelava argues that major tech companies, specifically Google, are exceptionally opaque and resistant to accountability, even more so than traditional industries like fossil fuels. Antelava highlights this lack of transparency as a significant challenge for journalists attempting to investigate their practices.

"I think what we as an industry were quite bad at connecting is the, you know, what was happening in the world as the authoritarians got more and more powerful, often using these platforms, and Richard is a very articulate man, and he deflects very masterfully. So I thought hard about, like, what is my line of questioning in this case, and really, what I really kind of picked was the, without making it, trying not to make it personal because it wasn't about him, it was about the kind of the power structures that we're allowed to create, was like the conversation about the power asymmetry."

Antelava explains her approach to interviewing Richard Gingras, focusing on the power imbalance between tech platforms and the journalism industry. She emphasizes that her aim was to question the systemic structures rather than the individual, highlighting how authoritarian movements leverage these platforms.

"And to me, it was such an incredible metaphor to the relationship that we got ourselves in with these tech platforms. So I really wanted to ask Richard whether he ever thought to it as, and he was just so genuinely outraged by that question and bewildered, actually, maybe is the right word, not outraged. He was like, no, no, I never, I never did."

Antelava uses the "werewolf" game at the Newsgeist conference as a metaphor for the problematic relationship between tech platforms and journalism. She notes Richard Gingras's strong, almost bewildered, reaction to her questioning the game's implications, underscoring the disconnect she perceived.

"I think what media the media's greatest fault is the structure which we used to operate and primarily the breaking news structure, the 24-hour news cycle. That has become such a, such a common frame for everyone to use, even if you don't have to use it. It's in its nature, it's so reactive that you always, you always delegate, you always give away your right to set an agenda to someone else and you end up telling serving someone else's narrative just because you're being so reactive."

Antelava criticizes the media's reliance on the breaking news and 24-hour news cycle structure. She argues that this reactive approach forces journalists to cede agenda-setting power and often leads to serving narratives dictated by external forces, rather than establishing their own.

"I think we have completely misunderstood the disinformation problem. It's not about individual lies, it's not about fact-checking. It's about noise. And noise is the censorship. And I think we as journalists have a real responsibility to make sure that we're not adding to the noise."

Antelava posits that the core issue with disinformation is not individual falsehoods but the overwhelming "noise" that obscures truth. She asserts that this noise functions as a form of censorship, and journalists must actively work to avoid contributing to it.

"I think for me the answer has increasingly been, and that's why we have really focused on, you know, we, it started as a storytelling festival in Georgia, it's called Zeg, which means the day after tomorrow, and we're now growing it beyond Georgia, which has had our first event in London and before that in Amsterdam, and it's all about bringing together like cross-disciplinary like storytellers from across different fields to like try to imagine what the day after tomorrow looks like."

Antelava describes Coda Story's initiative, the "Zeg" festival, as a way to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among storytellers. She explains that this initiative aims to collectively envision future possibilities, moving beyond current challenges to imagine "the day after tomorrow."

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "Empire of AI" by Karen Hao - Mentioned as an example of a journalist who faced blowback for a story critical of Meta.

Articles & Papers

  • "Capture" (Coda Story series) - Mentioned as a series investigating how tech has captured various aspects of life, including media and intimacy.

People

  • Natalia Antelava - Founder of Coda Story and former foreign correspondent for the BBC, discussed for her interview with Richard Gingras and her views on journalism and tech.
  • Richard Gingras - Former head of the Google News Initiative, discussed for his interview with Natalia Antelava and his role in shaping Google's relationship with the journalism industry.
  • Heather Chaplin - Co-host of the podcast "Journalism 2050" and founder and director of Journalism and Design at The New School.
  • Emily Bell - Co-host of the podcast "Journalism 2050" and associated with the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School.
  • Kate Brennan - Mentioned as an individual who spoke at an Open Markets Initiative conference about AI business models.
  • Sam Altman - Founder of OpenAI, mentioned for his views on the future of nation-states and geopolitics.
  • Mike Allen - Academic at USC, mentioned for his point about seeking accountability from humans in tech companies rather than just data.
  • Karen Hao - Mentioned as an excellent journalist who wrote "Empire of AI" and discussed the blowback she received from Meta.

Organizations & Institutions

  • Coda Story - Media organization co-founded by Natalia Antelava, discussed for its coverage of authoritarianism, tech platforms, and its interview with Richard Gingras.
  • BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) - Mentioned as Natalia Antelava's former employer.
  • Google - Tech company discussed extensively regarding its relationship with the journalism industry and its role in the information ecosystem.
  • Google News Initiative (GNI) - Initiative within Google, discussed in relation to its impact on journalism and its relationship with media organizations.
  • The New School - Institution where Heather Chaplin is founder and director of Journalism and Design.
  • Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School - Mentioned as a collaborator on the podcast "Journalism 2050."
  • Columbia Journalism Review - Mentioned as a collaborator on the podcast "Journalism 2050."
  • Open Markets Initiative - Mentioned as an organization that held a conference where Kate Brennan spoke.
  • OpenAI - AI company, mentioned in discussions about AI business models and potential deals with news organizations.
  • Microsoft - Mentioned in the context of AI and potential partnerships with news organizations.
  • Meta - Mentioned as a tech company that journalists have faced blowback from.
  • USC (University of Southern California) - Institution where academic Mike Allen works.
  • Greenpeace - Mentioned as an example of an organization that might question a fossil fuel company executive.
  • Vatican - Mentioned as a location visited by a Coda Story reporter for the "Capture" series.
  • Stanford - Mentioned as where Natalia Antelava did a fellowship.
  • The Guardian - Mentioned as the publication that invented live blogging.
  • Reuters - Mentioned as a wire service that hires reporters to monitor social media.
  • Effective Altruism - Mentioned as a topic Coda Story has covered and considered investigating further with grant money.
  • Audible - Company with which Coda Story made a deal for a narrative podcast.

Websites & Online Resources

  • Coda Story.com - Mentioned as the website where the transcript of the interview with Richard Gingras is available.

Other Resources

  • Newsgeist (formerly Newsfoo) - Conferences discussed in relation to Google's involvement and a "power and deception game" called "Werewolf."
  • Werewolf - A game played at Newsgeist conferences, described as a metaphor for the relationship between tech platforms and news organizations.
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Discussed extensively regarding its business models, impact on journalism, and potential for automation.
  • LLMs (Large Language Models) - Mentioned in the context of AI companies generating context for content.
  • Nations States - Discussed in relation to the changing concept of sovereignty and the potential obsolescence of nation-states.
  • Sovereignty - A concept explored in Coda Story's "Capture" series, discussing its changing meaning and the rise of powerful individuals.
  • Oligarchy - Mentioned as a topic Coda Story covers, related to power and dirty money.
  • Geopolitics - Mentioned in relation to Sam Altman's views on its future.
  • Immortality - Mentioned as a motivation for some in Silicon Valley, linked to the longevity game.
  • Noise (as censorship) - Presented as the primary problem in the current information ecosystem, rather than individual lies.
  • Knowledge Economy - Discussed as an area where tech companies have gained significant power.
  • First Amendment - Mentioned as being weaponized by tech companies, similar to how the Second Amendment is used by the gun lobby.
  • Zeg - Coda Story's storytelling festival, meaning "the day after tomorrow."

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