News Roundups

News Roundup: January 27, 2023

News Roundup

January 27, 2023

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In this week’s edition: Some progress in the HarperCollins strike negotiations, signs that AI may not be ready to replace human journalists just yet, two new initiatives target authors from under-represented communities, and more.

HarperCollins, Harper Union Move to Solve Labor Dispute with Independent Mediator
Publishers Weekly
Both sides in the HarperCollins dispute have agreed to have a mediator take over negotiations, which appears to represent a step forward amid a strike that has stretched on for two and a half months.

Florida School District Begins ‘Cataloging’ Books to Comply with DeSantis-Backed Law
CNN
Volunteers in Manatee County School District are working to compile lists of books in classrooms and check that they’re approved material.

CNET Found Errors in More Than Half of Its AI-Written Stories
The Verge
The site said it has paused its use of AI “for now.”

BuzzFeed is the Latest Publisher to Embrace AI-Generated Content
Engadget
CNET’s snafu doesn’t seem to be troubling one of its competitors. BuzzFeed’s announcement that it will use AI for its meme-able quizzes and other content comes after it laid off 12 percent of its newsroom last month.

MacDowell’s New Residency for Indigenous Authors
Publishers Weekly
The nation’s longest-running artistic residency has launched a new fellowship program for Native writers in an effort “to support a diversity of voices that will enrich our culture.”

Phenomenal Media, Hachette Book Group Announce Publishing Partnership
The Hollywood Reporter
The media company founded by Meena Harris, the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, will develop work from underrepresented voices across a range of genres.

Writing Wrongs: How True Crime Authors Can Fall Victim to Tragedy
The Guardian
From Truman Capote to Michelle McNamara, whose posthumously published 2018 book, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, probed a string of California murders, some true-crime authors, struggle to keep a healthy distance from their subjects.