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Could machine-generated articles replace those created by human beings?
After their series on AI in the media, Alan and Lionel now turn to listenersâ questions.
There's no question that AI could help to make journalists lives easier, but what sort of practical uses will there be on a day-to-day basis? Is there a risk that AI will take over the creative roles of writers and reporters? And what are the main threats to media employees?
Alan and Lionel remain cautiously optimistic about the future of the tools that will become more and more available.
Theyâre convinced that the subtlety, wit and nuance of real-life journalists will win out and cannot be replaced by machines. At least not yetâŠ
Follow us on BlueSky @prospectmagazine.bsky.social and stay up to date with all our latest stories by signing up to our new daily newsletter Lightbulbâsimply click on the newsletter tab on our website and enter your email address to register.
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Can traditional journalism survive when ChatGPT is able to produce copy in a matter of seconds?
In Media Confidentialâs third episode in a series exploring the world of artificial intelligence, Alan and Lionel are joined by Felix Simon, an AI expert and research fellow at the Reuters Institute of Journalism.
He shares how the technology could transform the way newsrooms operate, and why this might actually be a good thing.
Meanwhile, despite ongoing deals between AI companies, publishers and news organisations, data scraping and the future of copyright ownership remains a grey area. Why does it matter?
To watch this video, head to our YouTube channel, where Media Confidential is published every Thursday.
Not sure what to gift this Christmas? Why not make use of Prospectâs discounted subscription offer here.
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What do you do if a big story breaks on Christmas Day and there's a skeleton crew running the newsroom?
That's just one of the seasonal questions put to Alan and Lionel in this week's Q&A episode.
The editors also discuss Mishal Husain's departure from the BBC's Today programme, characterising her as one of the best interviewers of recent times.
Finally, they reflect on how reporting has changed since the #MeToo movement. One feature of the Daily Mail, in particular, is singled out as being stuck in the 1980s.
If you're after Christmas gift ideas, look no further than our very own Lionel Barber's recent book Gambling Man, or why not try a discounted subscription to Prospect magazine? (Listener Annie Day's dad will be very happy this year!)
https://subscription.prospectmagazine.co.uk/dec24off/prospect-magazine/de24nl
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In the second episode on our series focusing on AI's impact on the media industry, Alan and Lionel talk to the executive chairman of Sky News, David Rhodes.
David has expressed support for AI advancements, as long as publishers are compensated fairly. Heâs keen to promote transparency, support credible journalism, and combat fake news.
Noble ambitions...but how does he intend to carry them out?
Now that the Observer has finally been sold to James Harding's Tortoise Media, Alan and Lionel discuss the next stage in an unfolding saga.
Finally, in the Murdoch empire, life imitates art. The latest developments sound like a plot straight from the series Succession: Alan and Lionel discuss who might take on the mantle once Rupert passes away. Could he rule his empire from beyond the grave?
Keep your media questions coming. Send them to [email protected] and follow us on BlueSky @ prospectmagazine.bsky.social
Also, stay up to date with all our latest stories by signing up to our new daily newsletter, Lightbulb - simply click on the newsletter tab on our website and enter your email address to register.
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Office streakers, whiskey before lunchtime, and untimely deaths: with Christmas party season almost upon us,
Alan and Lionel get nostalgic for the old-fashioned newsroom on this weekâs Media Confidential Q&A.
Plus, your weekly update on the contested Observer sale, amidst disquiet amongst journalists at the paper. After grilling Tortoiseâs James Harding on the podcast, plenty of questions still remain...
Meanwhile, down under, the Australian ban on social media for under 16s sparks discussion, and it becomes clear that one of our hosts is not a social media fan.
But this âdinosaurâ can still biteâlisten to the episode to hear his objections.
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In the first of three special editions on artificial intelligence and the media, Alan and Lionel are joined by the CEO of ProRata.ai, Bill Gross.
Artificial intelligence poses a serious threat to the survival of news organisations. Last year, the New York Times sued Microsoft over AI models secretly scraping its copyrighted work. Millions of articles from the Times were used to train chatbots, which now compete with the paper, the lawsuit claimed.
How can be affected newspapers be identified and compensated for the use of their stories? Bill offers a novel solution, which is being taken up by some of the biggest names in the media: the Guardian, Sky News, the FT, the Daily Mailâs publisher, as well as Prospect.
Also this week: updates on the ongoing Observer saga, and Lionel and Alan discuss the scandal involving BBC presenter Gregg Wallace.
To watch this interview, and many more, head over to YouTube and search for âProspect Magazineâ.
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In this weekâs Q&A, Lionel Barber takes centre stage to tell the tale of a largely unknown man who, for three days, was the richest man in the world.
Recorded in front of an audience at Prospect HQ, he spoke about his new book, Gambling Man: The Wild Ride of Japanâs Masayoshi Son, in conversation with Prospectâs books & culture editor, Peter Hoskin.
Nobody had written extensively about Son, and with no western biography available, Lionel leapt at the chance to tell the extraordinary story of a speculator who has won and lost billions over the course of his life.
From the slums to the high-flying world of trading, he uncovers the rise of a Korean-Japanese businessman, who was truly ahead of his time.
Lionelâs book Gambling Man is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/451627/gambling-man-by-barber-lionel/9780241582725
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âFake newsâ, lies, and a deep distrust of the âmainstream mediaâ: these all marked the Trumpâs first presidency. But will Trump 2.0 only usher in more bombastic speeches, or will the regime turn authoritarian?
Alan and Lionel are joined by Margaret Sullivan, columnist and former New York Times editor, who has called Trump an existential threat to journalism. And with several American news organisations in turmoil and some TV networks struggling, what will the next four years hold for independent media?
Margaret discusses the role that new platforms like Substack may play, as well as âshadow presidentâ Elon Musk, who only seems interested in free speech when it echoes his own views.
She calls for stiff spines and strong wills when dealing with the president and shares her hopes for the industry, if reporters can be be courageous enough...
To watch this interview, search for âProspect magazineâ on YouTube, where Media Confidential is published every Friday.
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Tune into a special taster of Media Confidentialâs sister podcast: former Conservative cabinet minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi joins deputy editor Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber on the Prospect Podcast.
In a moving and emotionally frank conversation about her journey in the public eye, she talks about her lifelong effort to challenge stereotypes, and why sheâs finally resigned the whip.
Politicians, media outlets, think tanks and even the entertainment industry have poisoned public discourse, culminating in this summerâs riots, which saw mosques targeted and a wave of anti-Muslim disinformation. Sayeeda unpacks these ideas in her new book Muslims Donât Matter, about âthe silencing, stereotyping and stigmatising of Muslimsâ and describes how Islamophobia, which she calls âBritain's bigotry blind spotâ, not only passes the âdinner table testâ, but has been embraced and enacted into policy.
Muslims Donât Matter is out now: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/sayeeda-warsi/muslims-dont-matter/9780349136486/
And to listen to more from the Prospect podcast, visit https://prospect.lnk.to/podcastgu
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Hurricanes and wildfires are becoming more frequent. The extreme forecasts that were predicted a few decades ago are starting to happen, and climate change is an existential crisis for us all. So how do you tell the biggest story in the world?
Alan and Lionel are joined by award-winning environmental journalist and Financial Times associate editor, Pilita Clark. Pilita dials in from Baku, Azerbaijan, where the annual COP29 meeting on climate change is currently taking place.
Though 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record, discussion around climate has slipped into culture war territory, with ideology often trumping facts. How do journalists punch through and capture the publicâs imagination? When the truth is hard to swallow, should they try and find the positive spin, or tell the grim reality?
To listen to the Prospect podcast on âCOP29 and climate culture warsâ, with Isabel Hilton and Sam Alvis, click here.
And to order tickets to our special book event with Lionel Barber, go here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/gamblingman
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How do you ask those difficult questions to guests that you want to probe further? And what do you do when they react unexpectedlyâand the interview goes awry? This is the position Alan found himself in recently when recording with bestselling author, Michael Lewis. Alan tells us what went through his mind, and how he remained so cool.
And following the tense recent episode with James Harding, where are things currently at with the sale of the Observer? Lionel and Alan discuss how they think the situation could pan out.
The editors also discuss political âleaksâ: how they happen, and the impact inside government.
Plus, why was one our hosts presented with a cherry cake from a well-known British businessman? Listen to this weekâs Media Confidentialâs Q&A to find outâŠ
Send your questions to [email protected] or @mediaconfpod
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From JFKâs assassination to the moon landing, conspiracy theories have always existed. But the rise of social media has enabled fake news to spread like wildfire.
Award-winning journalist Marianna Spring joins the podcast to take Alan and Lionel on a tour through what she calls âConspiracylandâ, a hinterland between the online world and perceived reality.
Marianna is the Disinformation and Social Media correspondent for the BBC and is also the author of Among the Trolls: My Journey Through Conspiracyland. She attempts to make sense of what causes people to be sucked in to mythsâwhole movements sprang during the pandemic, based on disinformation around Covid-19. This summerâs far-right riots were sparked by false information. And after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during his election campaign, others couldnât distinguish if what happened was real or staged.But as more people believe in wild stories, what impact does it have on society?
Will we look back with disbelief at how the truth became distorted beyond recognition, on giant unregulated social media platforms?
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Why is local news so important? And how do we protect it?
Alan and Lionel are joined by Frances Cairncross for a special edition of Media Confidential. Five years ago, she was tasked with producing the Cairncross Review, which examined whether high-quality journalism could survive amid the rise of digital platforms.
In this episode, the editors ask Frances about the decline of local news, despite the reviewâs recommendations to safeguard its future.
They dissect why protecting local news is vital in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, and the risks of a growing number of people living in ânews desertsâ.
Send your questions to [email protected], or via X, @mediaconfpod
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After weeks of speculation about Tortoise Media's shock bid for the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, Alan and Lionel are finally joined by James Harding, the former BBC director and Tortoise's founder.
In a robust discussion, James is grilled about his start upâa relative newcomer in the media worldâshaping the future of the Observer. Alan and Lionel interrogate where the funding is coming from, and his long-term plans for the title.
The editors are also joined by Carole Cadwalladr, an award-winning investigative journalist and Observer mainstay, to present the view from the newsroom.
She questions whether the newspaper is facing an immediate threat, and discusses the repercussions for journalists at both the Observer and the Guardian. Could a sale lead to strike action?
To watch this episode, head to the 'Prospect Magazine' YouTube channel, where episodes are published every Friday.
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Alan and Lionel are joined, once again, by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, to answer listenersâ questions on a fast-moving media world.
The editors discuss the ethics of whether stories concerning national security should be published. On a lighter note, they share their favourite newsroom-related movies, and are tasked with describing their jobs in just five words. Alan and Lionel reveal which editors they were most in awe of when they began their journalism careers.
Finally, one answer produces fits of giggles, as the hosts share stories of unfortunate typos that appeared under their watches, including one that could have spelt disaster for thousands of men taking the advice of the GuardianâŠ
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Just days ahead of the US election, Alan and Lionel are joined by Steve Coll, a double Pulitzer prizewinner, senior editor at the Economist and former managing editor of the Washington Post.
Steve reflects on one of the most fraught US elections in history, analysing how the candidatesâ relationship with the media has changed and what a Trump win would look like.
Political scientist Robert Kagan also joins the podcast, in the aftermath of his resignation as editor-at-large at the Washington Post. Last week, the newspaper broke with five decades of convention and announced that it will no longer endorse presidential candidates.
Robert discusses what he sees as an attempt by the Postâs owner Jeff Bezos âto curry favour with a likely Trump presidencyâ. But what does this mean for the newspaper whose slogan is âDemocracy Dies in Darknessâ?
To watch this interview, search for âProspect Magazineâ on YouTube, where Media Confidential is published every Friday morning.
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Alan and Lionel are joined by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, senior staff editor at the New York Times and former editor-in-chief at gal-dem, for a special edition of Media Confidentialâs Q&A.
What do newspaper editors talk about when theyâre all in the same room? What support is available for reporters who have witnessed traumatic situations? And what are the rules of giving feedback to writers? (Clue: offer them a shit sandwich.)
With both Trump and Harris making recent appearances on high-profile podcasts, the trio also discuss the role of podcasts in elections and whether American influencers like Joe Rogan might be able to shape the outcome in NovemberâŠ
As a bonus, guess which presenter is obsessed with trying to reach âgeniusâ status in the New York Times game âSpelling Beeâ.
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Alan and Lionel are joined by Eric Beecher to discuss his new book, The Men Who Killed The News about media moguls' abuses of power.
At 33, Eric became the youngest ever editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, before Rupert Murdoch crowned him editor-in-chief at the Melbourne Herald.
So why, several years later, was he sued by the Murdochs?
Eric has seen Murdoch at his best, successful and innovative, and at worst, a ruthless dictator.He shares a story of pressure and coercive behaviour, and his growing sense that the news agenda was being manipulated to avoid bad press connected to his boss. reveals that very little happens in the Murdoch empire without Rupert knowing--including, he alleges, the phonehacking scandal.
Plus, Alan tries an AI experiment on Lionel, which leads to fears that they'll both soon be deemed redundant from their current roles.
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On this weekâs Q&A, Alan and Lionel are back with a postbag of questions.
One listener wonders if AI makes exposing the truth almost impossible, while another asks for some insider tips for new editors.
In the run up to the US election, Alan and Lionel also discuss Elon Muskâs open endorsement of Donald Trump and whether X should be penalised as a result.
The former newspaper editors also extol the virtues of courage (and Dutch courage) for journalist, plus, inevitably, more on the drinking habits of those working in the media
Send your questions to Alan and Lionel via email at [email protected] or via X, @mediaconfpod
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Alan and Lionel are joined by Michael Lewis, the bestselling author of The Big Short and The Blind Side.
His new book Going Infinite chronicles the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, the tycoon behind the crypto-trading company FTX.
When the company collapsed, and it was discovered that Bankman-Fried had stolen billions of dollars from customers, it ultimately landed him a prison sentence.
Michael was fascinated by Bankman-Fried, watching this story unravel before his eyes. But when Alan raises some criticisms of the book, the interview gets heated.
Media Confidentialâs interviews are also published on YouTube every Friday morning. To watch this explosive interview, and more âidiot questionsâ from our hosts, simply go to YouTube and search for âProspect Magazineâ.
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