The result of the recent US elections provides further confirmation that what we are witnessing in much of the world is the consolidation of a 21st century form of fascist authoritarianism grounded in the rising power of Big Tech as well as resurgent forms of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. But it is also an elite project of meeting present and future climate crisis, with all of its horrifying ripple effects, through mass violence (including genocide) and mass manipulation. What does such a moment mean for those of us who work in grassroots and independent media? What does it demand of us?

The rise of AI in journalism comes at a time when traditional media outlets are grappling with dwindling resources, financial instability, and a crisis of public trust. For grassroots journalism, which has historically operated outside these institutional frameworks, the integration of AI presents distinctive opportunities and challenges. As AI becomes more prevalent in content creation, information sourcing, and analysis, we must ask: How does AI influence the identity of grassroots journalism, and what impact does this have on its mission of amplifying marginalized voices?

Weave News is announcing a new fiscal sponsorship agreement with the Media Freedom Foundation (MFF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports independent media projects. 

In a seismic collision of technology and journalism, December 2023 witnessed The New York Times (NYT) thrusting the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) into legal and ethical crossfires. The NYT lodged a lawsuit against tech giants and AI-industry leaders Microsoft and OpenAI, pinpointing their ChatGPT language model for alleged copyright infringement. The charge is weighty: ChatGPT purportedly harnessed millions of NYT articles, even those shielded behind paywalls, to mold its language learning capabilities.