Tong Li
@tongli.bsky.social
Digital Media & Brand Strategy Expert | Former Journalist & Skilled Storyteller | Data & Business Analytics Enthusiast
Netflix and iHeartMedia are betting big on video podcasts.
What started as intimate, low-cost conversations is now becoming platform-scale media.
More reach, yes.
But also more consolidation — and more pressure to trade substance for spectacle.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/b...
#Media #Podcasting
What started as intimate, low-cost conversations is now becoming platform-scale media.
More reach, yes.
But also more consolidation — and more pressure to trade substance for spectacle.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/b...
#Media #Podcasting
Netflix Adds Podcasts in Deals With iHeartMedia, Barstool Sports
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Netflix and iHeartMedia are betting big on video podcasts.
What started as intimate, low-cost conversations is now becoming platform-scale media.
More reach, yes.
But also more consolidation — and more pressure to trade substance for spectacle.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/b...
#Media #Podcasting
What started as intimate, low-cost conversations is now becoming platform-scale media.
More reach, yes.
But also more consolidation — and more pressure to trade substance for spectacle.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/b...
#Media #Podcasting
The entire New Yorker archive is now fully digitized — more than a century of journalism, culture, and critique preserved and searchable.
In a moment of short attention spans and disappearing context, this kind of archival access really matters.
www.newyorker.com/news/press-r...
#Journalism
In a moment of short attention spans and disappearing context, this kind of archival access really matters.
www.newyorker.com/news/press-r...
#Journalism
The Entire New Yorker Archive Is Now Fully Digitized
For the first time, every cover, article, and issue in the magazine’s hundred-year history can be enjoyed on newyorker.com.
www.newyorker.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:27 PM
The entire New Yorker archive is now fully digitized — more than a century of journalism, culture, and critique preserved and searchable.
In a moment of short attention spans and disappearing context, this kind of archival access really matters.
www.newyorker.com/news/press-r...
#Journalism
In a moment of short attention spans and disappearing context, this kind of archival access really matters.
www.newyorker.com/news/press-r...
#Journalism
AP has launched a new Verify dashboard to help newsrooms track and debunk misinformation in real time.
In an AI-driven info ecosystem, verification is no longer a “nice to have.”
It’s democratic infrastructure.
🔗 pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/w...
#Journalism #FactChecking #MediaTrust
In an AI-driven info ecosystem, verification is no longer a “nice to have.”
It’s democratic infrastructure.
🔗 pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/w...
#Journalism #FactChecking #MediaTrust
AP launches verification dashboard for publishers to meet 'demand for authenticity'
Associated Press has rolled out a new verification system for newsbrands to ensure content is authentic before publishing.
pressgazette.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 9:35 PM
AP has launched a new Verify dashboard to help newsrooms track and debunk misinformation in real time.
In an AI-driven info ecosystem, verification is no longer a “nice to have.”
It’s democratic infrastructure.
🔗 pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/w...
#Journalism #FactChecking #MediaTrust
In an AI-driven info ecosystem, verification is no longer a “nice to have.”
It’s democratic infrastructure.
🔗 pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/w...
#Journalism #FactChecking #MediaTrust
WSJ opinion writers moving to Substack say they want “free expression.”
But freedom from editorial oversight isn’t the same as freedom for the public good.
Institutions can fail — but accountability still matters.
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/12/15/w...
#Media #Journalism #FreeSpeech
But freedom from editorial oversight isn’t the same as freedom for the public good.
Institutions can fail — but accountability still matters.
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/12/15/w...
#Media #Journalism #FreeSpeech
Exclusive: WSJ launches new opinion offshoot "Free Expression"
The new section is meant to expand WSJ's opinion coverage to a broader audience.
www.axios.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:03 PM
WSJ opinion writers moving to Substack say they want “free expression.”
But freedom from editorial oversight isn’t the same as freedom for the public good.
Institutions can fail — but accountability still matters.
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/12/15/w...
#Media #Journalism #FreeSpeech
But freedom from editorial oversight isn’t the same as freedom for the public good.
Institutions can fail — but accountability still matters.
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/12/15/w...
#Media #Journalism #FreeSpeech
The Washington Post is launching an AI-powered podcast, per NPR.
Interesting experiment — but AI in news audio raises real questions about labor, transparency, and trust.
Accessibility is a win.
Opacity is not.
🔗 www.npr.org/2025/12/13/n...
#Journalism #AI #MediaEthics
Interesting experiment — but AI in news audio raises real questions about labor, transparency, and trust.
Accessibility is a win.
Opacity is not.
🔗 www.npr.org/2025/12/13/n...
#Journalism #AI #MediaEthics
Questions of accuracy arise as Washington Post uses AI to create personalized podcasts
The Post calls the podcast an "AI-powered tool" that turns its articles into an audio news digest.
www.npr.org
December 15, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The Washington Post is launching an AI-powered podcast, per NPR.
Interesting experiment — but AI in news audio raises real questions about labor, transparency, and trust.
Accessibility is a win.
Opacity is not.
🔗 www.npr.org/2025/12/13/n...
#Journalism #AI #MediaEthics
Interesting experiment — but AI in news audio raises real questions about labor, transparency, and trust.
Accessibility is a win.
Opacity is not.
🔗 www.npr.org/2025/12/13/n...
#Journalism #AI #MediaEthics
Disney pouring $1B into AI-generated content says a lot: efficiency > artistry, scale > creativity.
When one of the world’s biggest cultural producers embraces “slopification,” independent creators and creative labor lose the most.
🔗 www.404media.co/disney-inves...
#AIEthics #Culture
When one of the world’s biggest cultural producers embraces “slopification,” independent creators and creative labor lose the most.
🔗 www.404media.co/disney-inves...
#AIEthics #Culture
Disney Invests $1 Billion in the AI Slopification of Its Brand
With OpenAI investment, Disney will officially begin putting AI slop into its flagship streaming product.
www.404media.co
December 12, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Disney pouring $1B into AI-generated content says a lot: efficiency > artistry, scale > creativity.
When one of the world’s biggest cultural producers embraces “slopification,” independent creators and creative labor lose the most.
🔗 www.404media.co/disney-inves...
#AIEthics #Culture
When one of the world’s biggest cultural producers embraces “slopification,” independent creators and creative labor lose the most.
🔗 www.404media.co/disney-inves...
#AIEthics #Culture
A startup is trying to take back the Twitter trademark from Musk — and honestly, the case says more about our broken digital public sphere than about branding rights.
🔗 arstechnica.com/information-...
#TechAccountability #DigitalRights
🔗 arstechnica.com/information-...
#TechAccountability #DigitalRights
Operation Bluebird wants to relaunch “Twitter,” says Musk abandoned the name and logo
“Abandonment” offers rare chance to reclaim one of tech’s most recognized brands.
arstechnica.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:30 AM
A startup is trying to take back the Twitter trademark from Musk — and honestly, the case says more about our broken digital public sphere than about branding rights.
🔗 arstechnica.com/information-...
#TechAccountability #DigitalRights
🔗 arstechnica.com/information-...
#TechAccountability #DigitalRights
Video podcasts have exploded far beyond their “man cave” origins.
More voices = more diversity — but also more noise, more misinformation, and more parasocial dynamics shaping how people understand the world.
🔗 www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
#Media #Culture #Podcasting
More voices = more diversity — but also more noise, more misinformation, and more parasocial dynamics shaping how people understand the world.
🔗 www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
#Media #Culture #Podcasting
Why Video Podcasts Multiplied Beyond the Man Cave
Whether you’re a pundit, a politician, or an A-list comedian, the best media strategy these days is a D.I.Y. stage set and a microphone.
www.newyorker.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Video podcasts have exploded far beyond their “man cave” origins.
More voices = more diversity — but also more noise, more misinformation, and more parasocial dynamics shaping how people understand the world.
🔗 www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
#Media #Culture #Podcasting
More voices = more diversity — but also more noise, more misinformation, and more parasocial dynamics shaping how people understand the world.
🔗 www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
#Media #Culture #Podcasting
AI companies are rolling out new “accountability” frameworks (AAIF) + Anthropic’s MCP to make AI systems easier to integrate.
But self-regulation ≠ public-interest governance.
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
#AIethics #DigitalRights #TechPolicy
But self-regulation ≠ public-interest governance.
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
#AIethics #DigitalRights #TechPolicy
AI companies want a new internet — and they think they’ve found the key
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” says the Linux Foundation’s Jim Zemlin.
www.theverge.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:34 PM
AI companies are rolling out new “accountability” frameworks (AAIF) + Anthropic’s MCP to make AI systems easier to integrate.
But self-regulation ≠ public-interest governance.
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
#AIethics #DigitalRights #TechPolicy
But self-regulation ≠ public-interest governance.
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
#AIethics #DigitalRights #TechPolicy
The RSL licensing spec is live — a tool for publishers to tell AI models what they can (and can’t) scrape or train on.
A good step.
But unless big AI firms respect these rules, consent is still optional and journalism stays extractable.
www.theverge.com/news/841222/...
#AI #Journalism #DigitalRights
A good step.
But unless big AI firms respect these rules, consent is still optional and journalism stays extractable.
www.theverge.com/news/841222/...
#AI #Journalism #DigitalRights
A pay-to-scrape AI licensing standard is now official
RSL 1.0 helps publishers outline how AI companies should pay for the content they scrape across the web.
www.theverge.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:31 PM
The RSL licensing spec is live — a tool for publishers to tell AI models what they can (and can’t) scrape or train on.
A good step.
But unless big AI firms respect these rules, consent is still optional and journalism stays extractable.
www.theverge.com/news/841222/...
#AI #Journalism #DigitalRights
A good step.
But unless big AI firms respect these rules, consent is still optional and journalism stays extractable.
www.theverge.com/news/841222/...
#AI #Journalism #DigitalRights
CJR reports that AI “widgets” on news sites are quietly scraping articles + user behavior, feeding external AI systems.
Local newsrooms often don’t even know what’s being taken.
This isn’t “innovation.”
🔗 www.cjr.org/analysis/loc...
#Journalism #AI #DigitalRights
Local newsrooms often don’t even know what’s being taken.
This isn’t “innovation.”
🔗 www.cjr.org/analysis/loc...
#Journalism #AI #DigitalRights
Locally Sourced Chum: The AI widgets taking over news sites and extracting our data.
The AI widgets taking over news sites and extracting our data.
www.cjr.org
December 9, 2025 at 11:20 PM
CJR reports that AI “widgets” on news sites are quietly scraping articles + user behavior, feeding external AI systems.
Local newsrooms often don’t even know what’s being taken.
This isn’t “innovation.”
🔗 www.cjr.org/analysis/loc...
#Journalism #AI #DigitalRights
Local newsrooms often don’t even know what’s being taken.
This isn’t “innovation.”
🔗 www.cjr.org/analysis/loc...
#Journalism #AI #DigitalRights
Young adults under 30 are following the news less — but they get more of it from social media, influencers, newsletters. Pew’s 2025 report shows the news-consuming generation is rewriting the rulebook.
🔗 www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...
#MediaJustice #DigitalJournalism #News #Democracy
🔗 www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...
#MediaJustice #DigitalJournalism #News #Democracy
Young Adults and the Future of News
U.S. adults under 30 follow news less closely than any other age group. And they’re more likely to get (and trust) news from social media.
www.pewresearch.org
December 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Young adults under 30 are following the news less — but they get more of it from social media, influencers, newsletters. Pew’s 2025 report shows the news-consuming generation is rewriting the rulebook.
🔗 www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...
#MediaJustice #DigitalJournalism #News #Democracy
🔗 www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...
#MediaJustice #DigitalJournalism #News #Democracy
Big Tech companies have more power than many governments — and new reporting shows they’re using it. Through deep lobbying, secret deals, trade-group influence and media co-optation, they’ve shaped laws, silenced regulation, and weakened media protections.
niemanreports.org/big-tech-lob...
niemanreports.org/big-tech-lob...
Journalists From Across the Globe Join Forces to Investigate Big Tech Lobby - Nieman Reports
Transnational partnership uncovered almost 3,000 lobbying actions in 11 countries and the European Union, writes Natalia Viana.
niemanreports.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Big Tech companies have more power than many governments — and new reporting shows they’re using it. Through deep lobbying, secret deals, trade-group influence and media co-optation, they’ve shaped laws, silenced regulation, and weakened media protections.
niemanreports.org/big-tech-lob...
niemanreports.org/big-tech-lob...
Newsweek is testing AI-powered “modes” to personalize homepages. Interesting idea — but personalization can easily become narrowing.
If AI curates our news, we need transparency & civic-minded design.
🔗 digiday.com/media/newswe...
#Journalism #AI
If AI curates our news, we need transparency & civic-minded design.
🔗 digiday.com/media/newswe...
#Journalism #AI
Newsweek is building an AI Mode-like experience to customize homepages for readers
Newsweek is building an AI homepage modeled after Google's AI Mode to increase engagement and offset declining search referrals.
digiday.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Newsweek is testing AI-powered “modes” to personalize homepages. Interesting idea — but personalization can easily become narrowing.
If AI curates our news, we need transparency & civic-minded design.
🔗 digiday.com/media/newswe...
#Journalism #AI
If AI curates our news, we need transparency & civic-minded design.
🔗 digiday.com/media/newswe...
#Journalism #AI
Many journalists think AI poses a big threat — and yet nearly all are using it anyway. For journalism to stay worthy of trust, we can’t treat AI as just another tool — we have to treat it as a responsibility.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/jour...
#MediaEquity #AIEthics #Journalism #DigitalMedia
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/jour...
#MediaEquity #AIEthics #Journalism #DigitalMedia
Journalists may see AI as a threat to the industry, but they’re using it anyway
Although AI use is now widespread among U.K. journalists, they still see it as much more of a threat than an opportunity.
www.niemanlab.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Many journalists think AI poses a big threat — and yet nearly all are using it anyway. For journalism to stay worthy of trust, we can’t treat AI as just another tool — we have to treat it as a responsibility.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/jour...
#MediaEquity #AIEthics #Journalism #DigitalMedia
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/jour...
#MediaEquity #AIEthics #Journalism #DigitalMedia
Newsrooms are no longer just dabbling in AI — journalism is becoming part of AI systems. The recent JournalismAI Festival showed how publishers worldwide are testing AI-assisted reporting, personalized articles, deep-fake detection, and more.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
#MediaEquity
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
#MediaEquity
News media is “becoming part of AI systems”: Notes from the JournalismAI Festival 2025
The London conference tackled topics like AI-assisted reporting, article personalization, and deepfake detection.
www.niemanlab.org
December 2, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Newsrooms are no longer just dabbling in AI — journalism is becoming part of AI systems. The recent JournalismAI Festival showed how publishers worldwide are testing AI-assisted reporting, personalized articles, deep-fake detection, and more.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
#MediaEquity
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
#MediaEquity
More people read news — but fewer share it. According to Nieman Lab, “sharing ≠ guaranteed” anymore.
If journalism is to matter — even when it’s not trending — we need to build systems that value depth, trust and public-service, not just reach.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/why-...
#MediaJustice #News
If journalism is to matter — even when it’s not trending — we need to build systems that value depth, trust and public-service, not just reach.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/why-...
#MediaJustice #News
Why people choose not to share news
Plus: U.K. journalists' skeptical adoption of AI, politicians as drivers of journalist harassment, and metrics' post-publication influence
www.niemanlab.org
December 1, 2025 at 9:36 PM
More people read news — but fewer share it. According to Nieman Lab, “sharing ≠ guaranteed” anymore.
If journalism is to matter — even when it’s not trending — we need to build systems that value depth, trust and public-service, not just reach.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/why-...
#MediaJustice #News
If journalism is to matter — even when it’s not trending — we need to build systems that value depth, trust and public-service, not just reach.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/why-...
#MediaJustice #News
Big win for newsroom ethics & labor: An arbitrator found Politico violated its union contract when it rolled out AI-powered tools without bargaining or editorial oversight.
AI “efficiency” should never mean surrendering accuracy, fairness or human judgment.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
AI “efficiency” should never mean surrendering accuracy, fairness or human judgment.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
Politico management violated key AI adoption safeguards, arbitrator finds
The ruling marks one of the first major tests of an AI clause in a newsroom union contract.
www.niemanlab.org
December 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Big win for newsroom ethics & labor: An arbitrator found Politico violated its union contract when it rolled out AI-powered tools without bargaining or editorial oversight.
AI “efficiency” should never mean surrendering accuracy, fairness or human judgment.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
AI “efficiency” should never mean surrendering accuracy, fairness or human judgment.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
AI tools like ChatGPT just scraped pay-walled journalism — then denied it when asked. The target? Press Gazette. The tone? Defensive. If we care about honest information, we need transparency, rights-respecting AI design.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/reading/chat...
#MediaEquity #AI #Copyright #Journalism
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/reading/chat...
#MediaEquity #AI #Copyright #Journalism
ChatGPT took Press Gazette content, then said that could not have happened
www.niemanlab.org
November 27, 2025 at 4:54 AM
AI tools like ChatGPT just scraped pay-walled journalism — then denied it when asked. The target? Press Gazette. The tone? Defensive. If we care about honest information, we need transparency, rights-respecting AI design.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/reading/chat...
#MediaEquity #AI #Copyright #Journalism
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/reading/chat...
#MediaEquity #AI #Copyright #Journalism
Big news: major publishers (Arena Group, BuzzFeed, USA Today Co., Vox) have joined RSL — a licensing framework so AI companies need to pay for content, not just scrape it.
If we want fair journalism in the AI era — we need standards + solidarity + public interest first.
digiday.com/media/arena-...
If we want fair journalism in the AI era — we need standards + solidarity + public interest first.
digiday.com/media/arena-...
Arena Group, BuzzFeed, USA Today Co, Vox Media join RSL’s AI content licensing efforts
Arena Group, BuzzFeed, USA Today Co and Vox Media are participating in the RSL Collective's efforts to license content to AI companies.
digiday.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Big news: major publishers (Arena Group, BuzzFeed, USA Today Co., Vox) have joined RSL — a licensing framework so AI companies need to pay for content, not just scrape it.
If we want fair journalism in the AI era — we need standards + solidarity + public interest first.
digiday.com/media/arena-...
If we want fair journalism in the AI era — we need standards + solidarity + public interest first.
digiday.com/media/arena-...
Newsrooms are embracing vertical-video “Watch” tabs — The NYT, The Economist, CNN, Newsday and more are betting on swipeable news in the phone feed.
If we want media that serves democracy — not just clicks — we need format diversity, not just format convenience.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/news...
If we want media that serves democracy — not just clicks — we need format diversity, not just format convenience.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/news...
News publishers embrace vertical video with in-app “watch” tabs
“We're not trying to be TikTok."
www.niemanlab.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Newsrooms are embracing vertical-video “Watch” tabs — The NYT, The Economist, CNN, Newsday and more are betting on swipeable news in the phone feed.
If we want media that serves democracy — not just clicks — we need format diversity, not just format convenience.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/news...
If we want media that serves democracy — not just clicks — we need format diversity, not just format convenience.
🔗 www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/news...
New from The Verge — a sober reminder: LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are not “thinking machines.” They’re clever language emulators, not minds. If we build our world on AI “answers,” we risk losing the messy, imperfect but real human judgment, context and care.
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Is language the same as intelligence? The AI industry desperately needs it to be
The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistake.
www.theverge.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:27 AM
New from The Verge — a sober reminder: LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are not “thinking machines.” They’re clever language emulators, not minds. If we build our world on AI “answers,” we risk losing the messy, imperfect but real human judgment, context and care.
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
🔗 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
The Border Chronicle — started by two veteran border reporters — is doing something rare: meaningful, ground-level journalism from communities along the U.S.–Mexico border.
www.cjr.org/feature/the-...
www.cjr.org/feature/the-...
Columbia Journalism Review
The voice of journalism, since 1961.
cjr.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:23 AM
The Border Chronicle — started by two veteran border reporters — is doing something rare: meaningful, ground-level journalism from communities along the U.S.–Mexico border.
www.cjr.org/feature/the-...
www.cjr.org/feature/the-...
AI-generated “recipe slop” is taking over search & social — and Thanksgiving cooking may never taste the same. If we care about real knowledge, we need to say: algorithms can’t replace human expertise. Let’s support creators, not just clicks.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet — And Thanksgiving Dinner
Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures
www.bloomberg.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:18 AM
AI-generated “recipe slop” is taking over search & social — and Thanksgiving cooking may never taste the same. If we care about real knowledge, we need to say: algorithms can’t replace human expertise. Let’s support creators, not just clicks.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Major moment for history + archives: AI now (apparently) can read messy old handwriting reliably, opening up thousands of letters & documents for public access. If archives are entering a new age of access, let’s build that access with justice, not just tech.
newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...
newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...
The Writing Is on the Wall for Handwriting Recognition
One of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Major moment for history + archives: AI now (apparently) can read messy old handwriting reliably, opening up thousands of letters & documents for public access. If archives are entering a new age of access, let’s build that access with justice, not just tech.
newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...
newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...