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Tow Center for Digital Journalism

@towcenter.bsky.social
4.2K followers 106 following 53 posts

The Tow Center hosts a variety of research projects that explore the intersection of journalism and technology

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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Since the 1990s, @raziaiqbal.bsky.social has had a front-row seat to world events and the transformation of journalism. On Journalism 2050, live at @zegfest.bsky.social she reflects with cohosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
How independent media organizations are standing together against an authoritarian government. Lika Antadze and Nino Bakradze live at @zegfest.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Razia Iqbal on the role of universities and how we learn. Listen to the full podcast from Tow's Journalism 2050 series here: www.cjr.org/kicker/journ...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Razia Iqbal on the need for journalists to stand up for one another. Listen to the full podcast here: www.cjr.org/kicker/journ...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Razia Iqbal on the need for journalists to stand up for one another. Listen to the full podcast here: www.cjr.org/kicker/journ...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Razia Iqbal on the role of universities and how we learn. Listen to the full podcast from Tow's Journalism 2050 series here: www.cjr.org/kicker/journ...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
How independent media organizations are standing together against an authoritarian government. Lika Antadze and Nino Bakradze join hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin, live at @zegfest.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Since the 1990s, @raziaiqbal.bsky.social has had a front-row seat to world events and the transformation of journalism. On Journalism 2050, live at @zegfest.bsky.social, she reflects with cohosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
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klaudia jaźwińska @klaudia.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New in @towcenter.bsky.social's Deals & Disputes Tracker: 💰 OpenAI provides 400+ ChatGPT Edu subscriptions to CUNY & Northwestern J-schools and collaborates with Tow-Knight Center & Knight Lab 💰 OpenAI strikes its first Canadian news deal with Village Media
Screenshot of the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes Tracker

Reported details: In addition to "collaborating closely" with the Tow-Knight Center and the Knight Lab, OpenAI will provide more than 400 ChatGPT Edu subscriptions to interested graduate students and faculty at the two journalism schools for the 2026-2027 academic year.Screenshot of the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes Tracker

Reported details: Village Media and OpenAI are partnering to launch Open Door, an AI-powered community health and care navigation platform. Village Media will own the product, with OpenAI providing funding, API credits and technical support. As part of the agreement, Village Media's content will also be cited in ChatGPT.
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klaudia jaźwińska @klaudia.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New in @towcenter.bsky.social's Deals & Disputes Tracker: 💻 OpenAI & WAN-IFRA partner to provide AI support to Ukrainian media via AIRPPU ⚖️ Seattle Times & Newsday (which prev. got 💰 from OpenAI & Microsoft) sue OpenAI & Microsoft 💻 OpenAI & Ringier launch collab tow.cjr.org/ai-deals-law...
Screenshot of the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes Tracker

Reported Details: OpenAI, WAN-IFRA and AIRPPU develop a new initiative supporting AIRPPU-selected news organizations in developing and implementing AI-driven newsroom, commercial and operational transformation projects. The Newsroom AI Masterclass Series will bring together international experts and practitioners to share practical knowledge, case studies and implementation strategies, while the Newsroom AI Catalyst will provide hands-on support to 10 participating Ukrainian news organizations. All participating organizations will also receive OpenAI API credits "to facilitate the development of bespoke newsroom solutions."Screenshot of the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes Tracker

Reported Details: The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges the AI companies scraped the publishers' content and used it to train LLMs, which can reproduce passages from their reporting and provide outputs that reduce the need to visit their websites or buy subscriptions. It also alleges the AI companies diluted the publishers' trademark by generating outputs that falsely attributed fabricated content to the outlets. The publishers seek an unspecified amount of damages and the "impoundment and/or destruction" of data sets and AI models that include their works. Microsoft Philanthropies underwrites some Seattle Times journalism projects, and the both the Times and Newsday have previously received funding from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism's AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program (which was funded by Microsoft and OpenAI) for hiring a two-year AI fellow.Screenshot of the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes Tracker

Reported Details: The collaboration enables Ringier to secure "long-term, secure, and cost-effective access to OpenAI’s language models and tools." The publisher's individual business units will decide independently where and how to deploy the AI company's produces and services. The collaboration includes "[g]radual rollout of ChatGPT Enterprise across the Ringier Group, supported by OpenAI and the joint development of specific use cases." Financial terms are not disclosed, and the agreement does not include content licensing.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
City employees we spoke to said that paying influencers is cheaper than TV and radio ads and reaches groups that may be missed by traditional outlets. Despite the fact that taxpayer money is being spent on these campaigns, information about these relationships is closely guarded.
cjr.org
Mamdani’s new NYC ecosystem of friendly influencers and public messaging.
A look inside the new New York ecosystem.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
City employees we spoke to said that paying influencers is cheaper than TV and radio ads and reaches groups that may be missed by traditional outlets. Despite the fact that taxpayer money is being spent on these campaigns, information about these relationships is closely guarded.
cjr.org
Mamdani’s new NYC ecosystem of friendly influencers and public messaging.
A look inside the new New York ecosystem.
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Dhrumil Mehta @dmil.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Polymarket's AI-generated news summaries are full of errors, from misrepresentations and misattribution of news to outright fabricated references to nonexistent news stories, @towcenter.bsky.social finds. www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...
cjr.org
Polymarket calls itself News 2.0. Its AI is feeding users fabrications.
The prediction market fancies itself a “global truth machine” and a boon to journalism. Tow finds a very different reality.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We found Polymarket's AI-generated news summaries are full of errors, from misrepresentations and misattribution of news to outright fabricated references to nonexistent news stories. By @tlysik.bsky.social www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...
cjr.org
Polymarket calls itself News 2.0. Its AI is feeding users fabrications.
The prediction market fancies itself a “global truth machine” and a boon to journalism. Tow finds a very different reality.
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klaudia jaźwińska @klaudia.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New in @towcenter.bsky.social's Deals & Disputes Tracker: 🛒 Reuters makes its content available for licensing via Snowflake Marketplace ⚖️ Argentinian publisher Editorial Perfil becomes the first Spanish-language outlet to sue OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement and unfair competition
Screenshot of card on the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes tracker summarizing details about Reuters' arrangement with Snowflake MarketplaceScreenshot of card on the Tow Center's Deals and Disputes tracker summarizing details about Editorial Perfil's lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We found Polymarket's AI-generated news summaries are full of errors, from misrepresentations and misattribution of news to outright fabricated references to nonexistent news stories. By @tlysik.bsky.social www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...
cjr.org
Polymarket calls itself News 2.0. Its AI is feeding users fabrications.
The prediction market fancies itself a “global truth machine” and a boon to journalism. Tow finds a very different reality.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
New from Tow: One org requested all syllabuses for 74 courses at UNC Chapel Hill with terms related to DEI. Their mission to “expose and root out corruption in government..." They claim to have filed more than 100,000 FOIA requests and nearly 100 lawsuits since 2022 By @mirandagreen.bsky.social
cjr.org
How a network of pink-slime sites and conservative activists went after campus DEI.
Using FOIA requests and hidden-camera videos, the groups targeted universities, leading to the firing of faculty and staff.
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Sasha Chavkin @sashachavkin.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
One of the coolest parts of @theexamination.org's new Red Bull investigation was the creative technology and research tools we used. How computational journalists from @towcenter.bsky.social helped me identify a key source for the story 👇
theexamination.org
How AI helped us uncover Red Bull’s influence on energy drink research
In our analysis of conflicts of interest in PubMed, we used an LLM to trace relationships between academics and companies – helping us discover more ties.
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The Examination @theexamination.org · 30/07/2026
For over a decade, @redbull.com funded studies that disputed the risks of consuming energy drinks and alcohol together — and research tied to the company has been used to roll back public health regulations in Canada and elsewhere. Read our latest investigation:
theexamination.org
Is it safe to drink Red Bull and vodka? Dubious research tied to the company has shaped energy drink policy.
The company paid scientists whose studies largely found that mixing energy drinks and alcohol isn’t harmful, contrary to most research.
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
How a Network of Pink-Slime News Sites and Conservative Activists Went After Campus DEI, by Miranda Green. www.cjr.org/tow_center/h...
cjr.org
How a network of pink-slime sites and conservative activists went after campus DEI.
Using FOIA requests and hidden-camera videos, the groups targeted universities, leading to the firing of faculty and staff.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
New from Tow: One org requested all syllabuses for 74 courses at UNC Chapel Hill with terms related to DEI. Their mission to “expose and root out corruption in government..." They claim to have filed more than 100,000 FOIA requests and nearly 100 lawsuits since 2022 By @mirandagreen.bsky.social
cjr.org
How a network of pink-slime sites and conservative activists went after campus DEI.
Using FOIA requests and hidden-camera videos, the groups targeted universities, leading to the firing of faculty and staff.
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klaudia jaźwińska @klaudia.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Latest updates to @towcenter.bsky.social's Deals & Disputes Tracker: 💰 OpenAI commits additional funding to the American Journalism Project ⚖️ News Corp countersues Brave AI, alleging copyright infringement tow.cjr.org/ai-deals-law...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
A Tow Center investigation analyzed three years of Restoration News coverage. What we found is a new kind of right-wing media that is openly funded by political donors, with a distribution network that reaches prominent politicians and the courts.
cjr.org
Inside Restoration News, a political nonprofit’s “newsroom.”
How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is “waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.”
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A Tow Center investigation analyzed three years of Restoration News coverage. What we found is a new kind of right-wing media that is openly funded by political donors, with a distribution network that reaches prominent politicians and the courts. www.cjr.org/tow_center/i...
cjr.org
Inside Restoration News, a political nonprofit’s “newsroom.”
How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is “waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.”
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
How Restoration News, a media outlet funded by conservative donors, is “waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left,” by C.J. Robinson. www.cjr.org/tow_center/i...
cjr.org
Inside Restoration News, a political nonprofit’s “newsroom.”
How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is “waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.”
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A Tow Center investigation analyzed three years of Restoration News coverage. What we found is a new kind of right-wing media that is openly funded by political donors, with a distribution network that reaches prominent politicians and the courts. www.cjr.org/tow_center/i...
cjr.org
Inside Restoration News, a political nonprofit’s “newsroom.”
How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is “waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.”
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A.J. Bauer @ajbauer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Great reporting out today from C.J. Robinson at the @towcenter.bsky.social on Restoration News. www.cjr.org/tow_center/i...
cjr.org
Inside Restoration News, a political nonprofit’s “newsroom.”
How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is “waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.”
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Emily Bell @emilybell.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
At the @towcenter.bsky.social we have been tracing partisan outlets presenting as local news (on all sides of the political spectrum) since 2019, a phenomenon which only seems to be growing . It’s a model which redefines how we think about news, and also what counts as political campaigning
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Betsy Morais, the editor of @CJR, introduces our new special issue on access, as Access Hollywood is disappearing, but TMZ has gone to Washington: “Politics, press, performance—the bus rolls on.” www.cjr.org/feature/acce...
cjr.org
Who sets the narrative of public life: Introducing the Access Issue.
Introducing the Access Issue.
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
In our new access issue: Gerry Shih on Gaza, @lizskalka.bsky.social on White House correspondents, @banikarim.bsky.social on TMZ in DC, @haleymelodic.bsky.social celebrities, @joelsimonsays.bsky.social on interviewing dictators. www.cjr.org/the-access-i...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The Tow Center used AI to generate a first-draft fleet of Python scrapers in just minutes. Now we are sharing the code. @toryl.bsky.social @cj-robinson.bsky.social www.cjr.org/tow_center/s...
cjr.org
Scraper Factories
How the Tow Center uses AI to collect data from hundreds of websites at once
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The importance of journalists becoming tool builders, Brown Institute for Media Innovation's Michael Krisch for our panel event launching our report on using AI to Map Local News in Charlotte, NC . @sarahstonbely.bsky.social tow.cjr.org/charlotte-20...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The Tow Center used AI to generate a first-draft fleet of Python scrapers in just minutes. Now we are sharing the code. @toryl.bsky.social @cj-robinson.bsky.social www.cjr.org/tow_center/s...
cjr.org
Scraper Factories
How the Tow Center uses AI to collect data from hundreds of websites at once
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
How has the nature of political influence changed? What are the implications for journalism? And what can the left learn from the right’s success? @swajcmanearle.bsky.social and Kim Phillips-Fein join @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin on Journalism 2050. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Will AI-free higher education become an experience available only to people in elite environments? Kim Phillips-Fein and @swajcmanearle.bsky.social join hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin on Journalism 2050. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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Emily Bell @emilybell.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
What can we learn about where journalism and the rest of the knowledge economy is going from the recent economic history of the US ? Quite a bit - really enjoyed this discussion with the brilliant Kim Philips-Fein …
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Emily Bell @emilybell.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Boo your commencement speakers who glorify AI by all means (we @towcenter.bsky.social might be inclined to do the same) - but is the ‘tech free space’ in danger of becoming an elite preserve?
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
How has the nature of political influence changed? What are the implications for journalism? And what can the left learn from the right’s success? Kim Phillips-Fein & @swajcmanearle.bsky.social join @emilybell.bsky.social & Heather Chaplin on Journalism 2050. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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klaudia jaźwińska @klaudia.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
While open-protocol tools show some promise in helping publishers take back control over how AI bots access and present their content, technical solutions alone cannot resolve what is a systemic problem. (w/ @aisvarya17.bsky.social for @columjournreview.bsky.social) www.cjr.org/tow_center/a...
cjr.org
AI agents are coming for news. Can publishers reclaim control?
The good news and the bad news about AI agents for journalism.
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
To believe in journalism is inherently to be pro-democracy. Heather Chaplin cohosts Journalism 2050 with @emilybell.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
AI Agents are coming for news. Can publishers reclaim control? Read Aisvarya Chandrasekar and Klaudia Jaźwińska of @towcenter.bsky.social. www.cjr.org/tow_center/a...
cjr.org
AI agents are coming for news. Can publishers reclaim control?
The good news and the bad news about AI agents for journalism.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
@npr.org's @annabrugmann.bsky.social on the relationship between public broadcasting and local news from our latest panel event "Using AI to Map Charlotte's Local News and Civic Landscape". www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pm0... View the full report here: tow.cjr.org/charlotte-20...
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Polymarket and Kalshi offer to predict the future. Journalists should be wary, especially during elections, writes Tow's @cj-robinson.bsky.social for @columjournreview.bsky.social. www.cjr.org/tow_center/a...
cjr.org
A bet is not a poll.
Polymarket and Kalshi offer to predict the future. Journalists should be wary, especially during elections.
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Tow Center's @dmil.bsky.social on the use of AI in newsrooms from our latest panel event "Using AI to Map Charlotte's Local News and Civic Landscape". www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pm0... View the full report here: tow.cjr.org/charlotte-20...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The only substitute for SpaceX is political will. @quinnslobodian.com and @bentarnoff.com talk Muskism on Journalism 2050 with @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
What ‘NPC,’ Elon Musk’s favorite term of abuse, reveals about his worldview. @bentarnoff.com and @quinnslobodian.com talk Muskism on Journalism 2050 with @emilybell.bsky.social and @heatherchaplin. youtu.be/9jCT8RyrgLY
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Mediamorphis @mediamorphis.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
This AI - Publisher deals, lawsuits, and grants tracker by @klaudia.bsky.social at the @towcenter.bsky.social is a 👍resource. The Globe and Mail & Torstar are there for deals and as part of the broad based lawsuits brought by Canadian news media against OpenAi & Cohere. tow.cjr.org/ai-deals-law...
tow.cjr.org
AI Deals and Lawsuits | Platforms and Publishers
A tracker monitoring developments between news publishers and AI companies—including lawsuits, deals, and grants—based on publicly available information.
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Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 05/05/2026
Radiogesichter
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Tow Center for Digital Journalism @towcenter.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
On Journalism 2050, @bentarnoff.com and @quinnslobodian.com discuss Elon Musk's vision of society, what Muskism offers the public besides dystopia, and what journalism free from Muskism looks like, with hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
On Journalism 2050, @bentarnoff.com and @quinnslobodian.com discuss Elon Musk's vision of society, what Muskism offers the public besides dystopia, and what journalism free from Muskism looks like, with hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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