The Future of News Media: AI, Revenue Models, and Democracy
The UN Brief
Session 250
How are we building the future of journalism?
A conversation around the impact of AI on newsrooms, the global news media landscape, and new revenue models for news media organizations. We will take a look at Semafor's venture capital funded-model, philanthropic and foundations support for non-profit newsrooms, and multiple revenue sources' case studies to support independent press, and how paywalls and fact-checking work.
We will address copyright issues, fact-checking, and discuss what news media organizations are focusing on in order to bring trustworthy, reliable, information to readers on tech policy issues. We will also discuss how to train the next generation of journalists and adopting AI tools for research, news production, and fact-checking.




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C3. Access to information and knowledge
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C4. Capacity building
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C9. Media
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C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
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C11. International and regional cooperation
Action Line 3: Right to Information and Press Freedom and the Role of News Media
Action Line 4: Capacity Building Training Journalists in the Age of AI
Action Line 9: Media Revenue Models
Action Line 10: Ethical Dimensions in AI and Their Impact on News Media
Action Line 11: International Cooperation Among Publishers to Be Compensated Adequately for the Journalism They Produce
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Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
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Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
SDG 8 - News organizations have been struggling to survive since the rise of social media platforms. News media and digital platforms have to work in tandem, Big Tech is swallowing the livelihoods of journalists around the globe, which is detrimental for democracy.
SDG 10 - The news media is a pillar of democracy. We need a news ecosystem that holds governments and corporations accountable, where facts lead and news media organizations are trustworthy. AI can help or hinder that. The current data extractivist models are not adequate.