Leading media publications such as The New York Times and CNBC are currently engaged in preliminary discussions to establish guidelines concerning the fair use of digital content by AI tools. The digital trade organization, Digital Content Next, has introduced a set of seven principles governing the development and governance of Generative AI.

Among the members of Digital Content Next are prominent entities including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Disney, NBCUniversal, and The Wall Street Journal.

The concern driving these conversations is that generative AI programs, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, “are trained on large amounts of publicly available information from the internet, including journalism and copyrighted art. In some cases, the generated material is actually lifted almost verbatim from these sources,” as highlighted by CNBC, which broke the news about the ongoing discussions.

Publishers are apprehensive that these AI programs could potentially undermine their business models by disseminating repurposed content without proper credit, leading to a proliferation of inaccurate or misleading information online and eroding trust in news sources.

Concurrently, Digital Content Next has drafted a document titled “Principles for Development and Governance of Generative AI,” aiming to establish regulations for content usage.

The group argues that “most of the use of publishers’ original content by AI systems for both training and output purposes would likely be found to go far beyond the scope of fair use as set forth in the Copyright Act and established case law,” as reported by Media Post.

The Principles for Development and Governance of AI document can be found here.

Paramount is currently in the process of considering a potential sale of the CBS Broadcast Center located on West 57th Street in New York City. The expansive complex, spanning an entire city block, currently serves as the headquarters for CBS News. It houses state-of-the-art studios where popular shows such as HBO’s Last Week Tonight, various syndicated TV shows, a number of CBS News and CBS Sports programs, and other engaging content are produced.

In a memo addressed to the staff, CBS chief George Cheeks confirmed that the company is exploring the possibility of selling the Broadcast Center. Reports about the potential sale were initially brought to light by The New York Post.

The CBS Broadcast Center holds significant importance as one of the few remaining prominent properties owned by Paramount under the CBS brand. Previously, the company divested its Black Rock corporate headquarters as well as Television City in Los Angeles.

Below is the memo from Cheeks:

Team – You may have seen media reports about the potential sale of the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan. It is true that the company has retained a real estate consultant to evaluate selling the BC and to identify a new home for our teams there.

We are in the early stages of this process. The timeline for any potential sale, design and build of a new facility and an eventual move is very hard to predict. If a transaction happens, it will likely be some time before there would be any significant changes to our current operation.

We see this as an opportunity to invest in and reimagine a new facility that will support teams that are central to our success today and in the future.

I will keep you updated on any new information regarding this potential transition as it progresses.

A significant number of journalists employed by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the United States, staged a walkout on Monday, alleging that the company’s CEO has severely weakened its local newsrooms.

According to The New York Times, this walkout marked the largest labor action in Gannett’s century-long history. Employees from approximately two dozen newsrooms, including The Palm Beach Post, The Arizona Republic, and The Austin American-Statesman, participated in the demonstrations. Some newsrooms were expected to continue their protests on Tuesday.

The collective action was strategically timed to coincide with Gannett’s annual shareholder meeting on Monday morning. The NewsGuild, representing over 1,000 journalists from Gannett, sent a letter to Gannett shareholders in May, urging a vote of no confidence against CEO and chairman Mike Reed.

In the letter, NewsGuild criticized Gannett’s 2019 merger with GateHouse Media, stating that it had burdened the company with debt, jeopardizing its future. The letter also targeted Mr. Reed, previously the CEO of GateHouse Media, who assumed leadership of Gannett following the merger.

The union criticized his substantial compensation, which amounted to $7.7 million in 2021 and $3.4 million in 2022, deeming it excessive for a company that was cutting jobs and allegedly paying “depressed wages” to remaining journalists. Since the merger with GateHouse, Gannett’s share price has plummeted by approximately 70 percent.

Peter D. Kramer, a reporter for the USA Today Network, expressed his concerns, stating, “Gannett has created news deserts everywhere you look. That’s Mike Reed’s Gannett.” Kramer, based in Westchester County, revealed that some Gannett reporters had to seek second jobs or exit the profession due to inadequate salaries.

In response, Lark-Marie Anton, a Gannett spokeswoman issued a statement in response,“During a very challenging time for our industry and economy, Gannett strives to provide competitive wages, benefits and meaningful opportunities for all our valued employees,” Ms. Anton said. “Our leadership is focused on investing in local newsrooms and monetizing our content as we continue to negotiate fairly and in good faith with the NewsGuild.”

Anton said there would be no disruption to Gannett’s news coverage during the work stoppage this week.