Platforms and Publishers
Platforms and Publishers, which began in 2016, is a multi-year project researching the relationship between journalism and technology companies in order to promote mutual understanding of the impact of emerging technologies on the practice and business of journalism.
When new tools like social media or artificial intelligence (AI) are introduced, the rush to capture audiences and establish new commercial businesses can often overshadow the impact on the citizen rather than consumer. Non-commercial functions of the free press, such as defending free speech, protecting vulnerable sources, resisting government pressure for censorship, and practicing commercial transparency often clash with technology companies’ business interests.
This project provides news publishers and journalists with a more granular understanding of how journalism and independent publishing has been – and continues to be – affected by integration with social media and AI, as well as how tech companies approach their relationships with publishers. It engages software development, social platforms, and AI companies in understanding best practices for supporting ethical journalism in a rapidly evolving information ecosystem.
To learn more about the project, check out the reports below and explore our interactive timeline, which tracks key developments on tech platforms used by journalism publishers.
- Who owns the news consumer: Social media platforms or publishers? (2016)
- The Platform Press: How Silicon Valley Reengineered Journalism (2017)
- Friend and Foe: The Platform Press at the Heart of Journalism (2019)
- Platforms and Publishers: The End of an Era (2020)
- Where did Facebook’s funding for journalism really go? (2023)
If you are interested in learning more or working with us, email Klaudia Jaźwińska, research lead on the Platforms and Publishers project.
Project lead: Emily Bell
Team members: Pete Brown, Klaudia Jaźwińska, Jueni Duyen Tran