Discussion with news leaders discussing ‘Challenges to Local Media’ to be held January 7

The rapidly changing landscape of the media in the US cannot be overstated. With media outlets consolidated into just a handful of big players and the marked absence of locally owned news outlets some people describe it as a media desert, for much of the country. This week, Oregon Public Broadcasting published an investigation into DailyTidings.com which publishes AI generated news stories about local and regional events to Southern Oregon. 

The authors uncovered that the website uses false identities for its “authors” and misleads its audience by using the web address of the former Ashland Daily Tidings. OPB asserts that it marks the first time that a fully AI-generated “news” website has been identified in Oregon, and includes an interview with the Executive Editor of Ashland.news as well as the formern owner of Rosebud Media. Rosebud Media sold both the Ashland Daily Tidings and Mail Tribune to a company that folded both publications. 

In addition to the article about the plagiarism and misleading identities used on DailyTidings.com, OPB also published “The State of the Media in Oregon in 4 Charts.” The reporting includes the numbers of journalists working within Oregon’s counties as of 2022, and explores how a large number of outlets are now owned by the Mississippi-based Carpenter Media Group. 

Next month, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Ashland Branch will offer an opportunity to discuss the challenges surrounding local and regional journalism on January 7 at the Ashland Public LIbrary. The event will feature Bert Etling from Ashland.news, Bob Wise from KOBI-TV, and Heidi Wright, former CEO of EO Media Group.

Perhaps the discussion can support a much-needed campaign to support quality journalism in rural Oregon in a time of national uncertainty surrounding the future of American democracy. Without an informed citizenry, how can democracy work?

Every week, Clear Actions News provides insight into pressing issues, from a values-based framework, in the interest of promoting human rights, social justice and initiatives for peace.