The Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis (then CEO of Dow Jones & Company) speaks at the Beyond Sport United Conference on July 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Welcome to the latest edition of Breaker. If this email has been forwarded, you can subscribe here and send your questions and complaints here. If you have a tip, contact the 24/7 Breaker Tip Hotline via text or Signal # 551 655 2343. Anonymity guaranteed!
In tonight’s edition, The Washington Post has warmly embraced AI under publisher Will Lewis. But several senior journalists in the newsroom are concerned about one particular initiative he’s introduced.
Also, tonight, The View has been a lynchpin of ABC’s daytime programming since its debut in 1997. But amidst speculation about the six co-hosts continuing on, we get some clarity on the show's future.
Plus, former ABC News boss Kim Godwin makes a bizarre on-camera return, cuts at The Daily Mail, and expansion at The Guardian.
Finally, a new Thursday feature – Journo Jobs. Each week, we will hand-curate what we think are some of the best opportunities for those looking to get their start in the media, as well as gigs for more experienced journalists. Tonight we’re featuring jobs at The New York Times, Vanity Fair, HuffPo, and The Guardian.
Mentioned tonight: Debra OConnell, Almin Karamehmedovic, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Dean Baquet, Marc Lacey, Marc Tracy, Betsy Reed, Mark Guiducci, Ben Smith, Adam Friedland, Shawn McCreesh, Sam Buckingham Jones, and more.
WaPo’s AI Bot Bet
(Exclusive.) When Washington Post publisher Will Lewis emailed the newsroom last month (ostensibly to give anyone who wasn't on board with his vision for the publication a nudge to take the buyout) he did a victory lap for a number of initiatives at WaPo that he touted as steps in their "significant reinvention journey.”
One of them was embracing AI “rapidly across all our workflows.” And true to his word, AI has become prolific at WaPo under Lewis.
There is AI-audio read news and AI-generated article summaries. Staff are now working with Haystacker, an AI tool that allows journalists to sift through data (videos, photos, and text) to find trends that could be newsworthy. WaPo has welcomed a strategic partnership with Sam Altman’s OpenAI, and in June, they announced their first “Chief AI Officer.”
But within The Washington Post newsroom, a number of senior journalists have voiced concern about WaPo's all-in approach to AI.
One of their major issues, Breaker has learned, is…
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