Andrew Deck
@andrewdeck.bsky.social
Reporting on AI and journalism for @NiemanLab.org at Harvard. Previously covering tech @restofworld.org @popularmechanics Bylines: @thenation.com @japantimes.co.jp Signal: andrewdeck.01
A new bill in the NY state legislature would require news orgs to label any content “substantially composed, authored, or created" with generative AI. It would also require that humans review that content before publication. More details @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/a-ne...
A new bill in New York would require disclaimers on AI-generated news content
A new bill in the New York state legislature would require news organizations to label AI-generated material and mandate that humans review any such content before publication. On Monday, Senator Patr...
www.niemanlab.org
February 5, 2026 at 10:10 PM
A new bill in the NY state legislature would require news orgs to label any content “substantially composed, authored, or created" with generative AI. It would also require that humans review that content before publication. More details @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/a-ne...
Reposted by Andrew Deck
from curiousity at acquisiton to the "democracy dies in darkness" days to "a complexifier for me" to mandates for the opinion section. @laurahazardowen.bsky.social made a timeline of Bezos statements about @washingtonpost.com. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/some...
“Something I will be most proud of when I’m 90”: How Jeff Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post, and what’s changed
Jeff Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post with real curiosity, and the things he said were interesting and specific. Over time, that changed.
www.niemanlab.org
February 4, 2026 at 9:39 PM
from curiousity at acquisiton to the "democracy dies in darkness" days to "a complexifier for me" to mandates for the opinion section. @laurahazardowen.bsky.social made a timeline of Bezos statements about @washingtonpost.com. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/some...
Reposted by Andrew Deck
I do not make this comparison lightly.
"In my few days in Minnesota, I’ve been witness to countless scenes that remind me of moments I’ve seen during previous trips covering conflicts around the world," photojournalist @cengizyar.com writes. "The wars we’ve carried out as a nation abroad have come home."
More: https://propub.li/4acxEeY
More: https://propub.li/4acxEeY
February 4, 2026 at 3:27 AM
I do not make this comparison lightly.
Reposted by Andrew Deck
The folks at @niemanreports.org wrote up a panel I was fortunate to moderate on AI and journalism with @niemanfoundation.bsky.social alums @jaemark.co, Uli Köppen and Ron Stodghill. niemanreports.org/ai-research-...
Journalism at an AI Inflection Point - Nieman Reports
As artificial intelligence moves into newsrooms, four Nieman Fellows weigh in on the technology’s promise, limits, and risks.
niemanreports.org
February 4, 2026 at 2:36 PM
The folks at @niemanreports.org wrote up a panel I was fortunate to moderate on AI and journalism with @niemanfoundation.bsky.social alums @jaemark.co, Uli Köppen and Ron Stodghill. niemanreports.org/ai-research-...
Reposted by Andrew Deck
Journalism coops give me — and most of the journalists I know — a lot of hope for the industry. But I've been curious: What's it like to actually work at one? I spent the last few months talking to a bunch of brilliant worker-owners to find out.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/jour...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/jour...
Journalism coops seem utopian. What’s it like working in one?
"If I was less self-directed, I'd probably be freaking out."
www.niemanlab.org
February 3, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Journalism coops give me — and most of the journalists I know — a lot of hope for the industry. But I've been curious: What's it like to actually work at one? I spent the last few months talking to a bunch of brilliant worker-owners to find out.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/jour...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/jour...
NEW: News publishers are limiting Internet Archive access to prevent AI crawlers from using the digital library as a backdoor to their content.
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I confirmed The Guardian and The New York Times have put in place new restrictions. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I confirmed The Guardian and The New York Times have put in place new restrictions. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
News publishers limit Internet Archive access due to AI scraping concerns
Outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times are scrutinizing digital archives as potential backdoors for AI crawlers.
www.niemanlab.org
January 29, 2026 at 7:21 PM
NEW: News publishers are limiting Internet Archive access to prevent AI crawlers from using the digital library as a backdoor to their content.
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I confirmed The Guardian and The New York Times have put in place new restrictions. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I confirmed The Guardian and The New York Times have put in place new restrictions. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
With "Web Guide," Google is testing AI rewrites of meta-descriptions in search. It's just the latest example of Google chipping away at publisher real estate. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/disc...
Discover isn’t the only place Google is experimenting with AI-generated snippets
On Friday, The Verge’s Sean Hollister reported that Google is now calling AI-generated headlines in Discover a “feature,” not just an experiment.
For several months now, Google has been rewriting hea...
www.niemanlab.org
January 27, 2026 at 3:53 PM
With "Web Guide," Google is testing AI rewrites of meta-descriptions in search. It's just the latest example of Google chipping away at publisher real estate. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/disc...
I was in London last month for the first in-person JournalismAI Festival hosted by @polislse.bsky.social and the Google News Initiative. I wrote up a few of the highlights for @niemanlab.org.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
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 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I was in London last month for the first in-person JournalismAI Festival hosted by @polislse.bsky.social and the Google News Initiative. I wrote up a few of the highlights for @niemanlab.org.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/news...
NEW: Last week an arbitrator ruled that Politico management violated key AI terms in its union contract.
The decision is a landmark win for the Politico union, which is one of the first to legally challenge the rollout of AI technology in its newsroom. www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
The decision is a landmark win for the Politico union, which is one of the first to legally challenge the rollout of AI technology in its newsroom. 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 5:12 PM
NEW: Last week an arbitrator ruled that Politico management violated key AI terms in its union contract.
The decision is a landmark win for the Politico union, which is one of the first to legally challenge the rollout of AI technology in its newsroom. www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
The decision is a landmark win for the Politico union, which is one of the first to legally challenge the rollout of AI technology in its newsroom. www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/poli...
Last week, Suncoast Searchlight's four reporters wrote a letter to their board. Their editor-in-chief had secretly been using ChatGPT and inserting hallucinated quotes into their drafts.
The next day, one of those reporters was fired. My latest for @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/flor...
The next day, one of those reporters was fired. My latest for @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/flor...
Florida nonprofit news reporters ask board to investigate their editor’s AI use
Suncoast Searchlight’s four reporters told the board their editor-in-chief was using AI editing tools and inserting hallucinations into drafts. The next day, one of the reporters was fired.
www.niemanlab.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Last week, Suncoast Searchlight's four reporters wrote a letter to their board. Their editor-in-chief had secretly been using ChatGPT and inserting hallucinated quotes into their drafts.
The next day, one of those reporters was fired. My latest for @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/flor...
The next day, one of those reporters was fired. My latest for @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/flor...
Reposted by Andrew Deck
SCOOP: China's top 2 gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, became unavailable on app stores over the weekend. Apple confirmed to WIRED that it removed the two apps following "an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China."
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
Apple Pulls China’s Top Gay Dating Apps After Government Order
The removal of Blued and Finka marks another setback for China’s marginalized LGBTQ+ community.
www.wired.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:27 AM
SCOOP: China's top 2 gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, became unavailable on app stores over the weekend. Apple confirmed to WIRED that it removed the two apps following "an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China."
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew Deck
✨ Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds.
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds
What do readers really think of AI-generated images in their news? There has been substantial research on how audiences respond to AI-generated text, but far less dedicated research on image generator...
www.niemanlab.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:56 AM
✨ Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds.
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew Deck
NEW: Common Crawl, the massive archiver of the web, has gotten cozy with AI companies and is providing paywalled articles for training data. They’re also lying to publishers who have asked for material to be removed. “The robots are people too,” CC’s exec director told us when we asked about this.
The Nonprofit Feeding the Entire Internet to AI Companies
Common Crawl claims to provide a public benefit, but it lies to publishers about its activities.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
NEW: Common Crawl, the massive archiver of the web, has gotten cozy with AI companies and is providing paywalled articles for training data. They’re also lying to publishers who have asked for material to be removed. “The robots are people too,” CC’s exec director told us when we asked about this.
Reposted by Andrew Deck
Grateful to the always-fantastic @andrewdeck.bsky.social for writing such a substantial piece building on our recent AI Watchdog work at the Atlantic 🙏
Hundreds of thousands of videos from news publishers like The New York Times and Vox were used to train AI models
YouTube channels from major news publishers and creators were in video data sets used by Microsoft, Meta, Snap, Runway, and Bytedance.
www.niemanlab.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Grateful to the always-fantastic @andrewdeck.bsky.social for writing such a substantial piece building on our recent AI Watchdog work at the Atlantic 🙏
Tens of thousands of videos were also taken from some of the most popular news creators on YouTube.
“When the use is this concentrated it feels less like incidental inclusion and more like large-scale extraction of intellectual property," political talk show host @davidpakman.bsky.social told me.
“When the use is this concentrated it feels less like incidental inclusion and more like large-scale extraction of intellectual property," political talk show host @davidpakman.bsky.social told me.
October 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Tens of thousands of videos were also taken from some of the most popular news creators on YouTube.
“When the use is this concentrated it feels less like incidental inclusion and more like large-scale extraction of intellectual property," political talk show host @davidpakman.bsky.social told me.
“When the use is this concentrated it feels less like incidental inclusion and more like large-scale extraction of intellectual property," political talk show host @davidpakman.bsky.social told me.
Using a searchable database published by The Atlantic, I identified downloads from specific news channels in video training data sets. These data sets were compiled or used by companies including Microsoft, Meta, Snap, Tencent, Runway, and ByteDance.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
AI Is Coming for YouTube Creators
At least 15 million videos have been snatched by tech companies.
www.theatlantic.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Using a searchable database published by The Atlantic, I identified downloads from specific news channels in video training data sets. These data sets were compiled or used by companies including Microsoft, Meta, Snap, Tencent, Runway, and ByteDance.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Hundreds of thousands of videos were taken from some of the most popular news publishers on YouTube and used to train AI video models. That includes The New York Times, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Vox Media, and The Wall Street Journal. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/hund...
Hundreds of thousands of videos from news publishers like The New York Times and Vox were used to train AI models
YouTube channels from major news publishers and creators were in video data sets used by Microsoft, Meta, Snap, Runway AI, and Bytedance.
www.niemanlab.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Hundreds of thousands of videos were taken from some of the most popular news publishers on YouTube and used to train AI video models. That includes The New York Times, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Vox Media, and The Wall Street Journal. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/hund...
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages have dropped off in recent months. Our analysis shows that since May 16, the number of captures available for 100 top news sites declined by 87%.
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I report for @niemanlab.org.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I report for @niemanlab.org.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages plummet after a “breakdown” in archiving projects
Between May and October 2025, homepage snapshots fell by 87% across 100 news publications.
www.niemanlab.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:50 PM
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages have dropped off in recent months. Our analysis shows that since May 16, the number of captures available for 100 top news sites declined by 87%.
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I report for @niemanlab.org.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and I report for @niemanlab.org.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
Deepfakes of broadcast journalists are spreading across social media. Many of them are ads selling cryptocurrencies, gambling apps, and snake oil medicines.
Meanwhile, social media companies like Meta profit off the ad dollars. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/scam...
Meanwhile, social media companies like Meta profit off the ad dollars. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/scam...
Scammers are using video deepfakes of journalists to peddle products online
Broadcast journalists around the world are being targeted amid an explosion in deepfake scams. Are social media platforms doing enough to counter them?
www.niemanlab.org
October 2, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Deepfakes of broadcast journalists are spreading across social media. Many of them are ads selling cryptocurrencies, gambling apps, and snake oil medicines.
Meanwhile, social media companies like Meta profit off the ad dollars. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/scam...
Meanwhile, social media companies like Meta profit off the ad dollars. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/scam...
Reposted by Andrew Deck
In college, I'd always walk past an unremarkable store in Beijing that sold a variety of trendy, but tacky, toys. That store has turned into Pop Mart, the $45-billion Chinese toy empire behind Labubu, the biggest global fad of 2025.
This is my big story/pilgrimage trip to explain how they got here
This is my big story/pilgrimage trip to explain how they got here
A Journey Into the Heart of Labubu
I made an epic trek across four countries to answer one question: Why is the world going mad for a plushie monster?
www.wired.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:23 PM
In college, I'd always walk past an unremarkable store in Beijing that sold a variety of trendy, but tacky, toys. That store has turned into Pop Mart, the $45-billion Chinese toy empire behind Labubu, the biggest global fad of 2025.
This is my big story/pilgrimage trip to explain how they got here
This is my big story/pilgrimage trip to explain how they got here
Reposted by Andrew Deck
NEW from me for @wired.com's politics issue: I have spent SO much time fascinated by the "network state"--privatized cities in special economic zones (SEZs) where the normal rules and regulations don't apply.
www.wired.com/story/tech-b...
www.wired.com/story/tech-b...
Tech Billionaires Already Captured the White House. They Still Want to Be Kings
From Montenegro to Northern California, the tech elite dream of building cities where they make the rules. Is this, finally, their moment?
www.wired.com
September 26, 2025 at 6:56 PM
NEW from me for @wired.com's politics issue: I have spent SO much time fascinated by the "network state"--privatized cities in special economic zones (SEZs) where the normal rules and regulations don't apply.
www.wired.com/story/tech-b...
www.wired.com/story/tech-b...
"I’ve had people tell me they're afraid to go on the air, and after 40 years on the air, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that."
A new report from @newsisout.bsky.social asks how local LGBTQ+ news outlets are weathering the second Trump administration. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/loca...
A new report from @newsisout.bsky.social asks how local LGBTQ+ news outlets are weathering the second Trump administration. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/loca...
Local LGBTQ+ publications are facing a drop in ad dollars and a rise in safety concerns, new report finds
A new report from News is Out, a national collaborative of queer news publishers, has mapped local LGBTQ+ publications across the U.S. The first comprehensive report of its kind, “The LGBTQ+ Media Map...
www.niemanlab.org
September 25, 2025 at 5:54 PM
"I’ve had people tell me they're afraid to go on the air, and after 40 years on the air, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that."
A new report from @newsisout.bsky.social asks how local LGBTQ+ news outlets are weathering the second Trump administration. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/loca...
A new report from @newsisout.bsky.social asks how local LGBTQ+ news outlets are weathering the second Trump administration. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/loca...
Great to chat with NYU’s Ethics & Journalism Initiative about my reporting!
We talked about AI "bias detectors,” automated fact-checking, and navigating both the hype and fear cycles on my beat. ethicsandjournalism.org/2025/09/18/n...
We talked about AI "bias detectors,” automated fact-checking, and navigating both the hype and fear cycles on my beat. ethicsandjournalism.org/2025/09/18/n...
Nieman Lab’s Andrew Deck Has Been Tracking AI Use in the Journalism Industry for Years. Here’s What He Says We Need to Know. - Ethics and Journalism
Since the public launch of ChatGPT nearly three years ago, the media industry has cycled through many phases of AI adoption and experimentation.
ethicsandjournalism.org
September 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Great to chat with NYU’s Ethics & Journalism Initiative about my reporting!
We talked about AI "bias detectors,” automated fact-checking, and navigating both the hype and fear cycles on my beat. ethicsandjournalism.org/2025/09/18/n...
We talked about AI "bias detectors,” automated fact-checking, and navigating both the hype and fear cycles on my beat. ethicsandjournalism.org/2025/09/18/n...
For @thenation.com: I reviewed @karenhao.bsky.social’s Empire of AI and took a closer look at her argument that OpenAI’s "scaling laws" echo the expansionist ideologies of European empires.
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
The True Threat of OpenAI
Karen Hao’s recent book on the company argues that its ambitions are not merely about scale or the market but the creation of a global force that rivals a colonial power of old.
www.thenation.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:03 PM
For @thenation.com: I reviewed @karenhao.bsky.social’s Empire of AI and took a closer look at her argument that OpenAI’s "scaling laws" echo the expansionist ideologies of European empires.
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
Reposted by Andrew Deck
Scoop: Business Insider informed its staff this week that they are allowed to use ChatGPT to generate first drafts of their stories, while also indicating the newsroom will not disclose such A.I. use to readers.
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...
Business Insider and the Bots
The Axel Springer-owned newsroom is buzzing over new ChatGPT writing guidelines—part of an aggressive A.I. strategy pushed by its German parentco and detailed in a memo obtained by Status.
www.status.news
September 17, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Scoop: Business Insider informed its staff this week that they are allowed to use ChatGPT to generate first drafts of their stories, while also indicating the newsroom will not disclose such A.I. use to readers.
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...