In the second installment of Echoes & Algorithms, we examine the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and grassroots journalism. At the heart of this exploration lies a pivotal question: How do AI's ability to process vast amounts of data and its challenges in understanding human complexity influence the narratives of grassroots journalism?

As apocalyptic wildfires continue to burn and proliferate in and around Los Angeles, CA, it is important to seek out coverage and perspectives that help contextualize the story, connect it with larger structures and processes such as the world’s escalating climate crisis, and point readers toward opportunities to provide grassroots support. Below we are curating and aggregating important coverage from US-based independent and grassroots media outlets and also from global outlets that are looking at events from outside the US.

During 2024, Weave News was pleased to be able to publish a wide range of original content from our global network of grassroots journalists. These stories focused on a variety of social justice issues across the global-local continuum, from urgent struggles to protect waterways to the ongoing struggle against genocide in Palestine. As a turbulent year draws to a close, we feature the ten Weave News original stories and translations that were read the most throughout the year.

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.