Sponsored by

Media

US newsrooms are being taken over… by the British?

If there isn’t a better reason to subscribe to NextGen News, this should be the very on top. There’s been a disruption in the news industry and it might not be what you’re thinking… some of America’s leading publications are now led by avid tea drinkers.

Mainstream media outlets have been suffering financially, even amid an oncoming presidential election, and they’re looking for something, well, British, to switch it up.

Why choose the Brits?

British editors have had a long reputation of their stark, no BS reporting and doing so without a huge backing of financial support (we might have something in common).

As US news companies have transitioned from appealing to local newspaper audiences to global digital ones, the monetary strain on the news business has led publishers to seek a new, more aggressive form of management in our friends overseas.

The British are coming

There is a growing list of UK natives flooding the newsroom “looking for the magic ticket that appeals to consumers and advertisers,” Mark Borkowski, a PR media and crisis consultant, told TheWrap.

And there’s certainly no shortage of them:

• Former Daily Telegraph employee, Will Lewis, is publisher and CEO of the Washington Post.

• CNN CEO, Mark Thompson.

• Emma Tucker and John Micklethwait are editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, respectively.

• Daisy Veerasingham is in charge of the Associated Press.

• Some other notable newcomers are The Daily Beast’s content chief Joanna Coles and the outlet’s new executive editor Hugh Dougherty.

Although the crumpet eaters are taking up top positions in US media, not all news is good news. After CEO Will Lewis revamped his staff this past week and it became known that he attempted to suppress critical articles about him in the media, the Washington Post is in a state of disarray.

At least we can rest knowing they won’t impose a tax on us… right?

Tech

What’s up with Apple’s new reveal?

While most other tech companies have been playing the AI game for the last few years, Apple has stayed on the sidelines… until now. Apple began its yearly Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, unveiling a new feature that will be integrated into the newer version of iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products, called “Apple Intelligence”.

Apple will work with OpenAI to develop a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, allowing users to manage data access among a plethora of other capabilities. It should be mentioned that Apple highlighted user privacy and stated that the new AI features can be disabled by choice.

What’s the big deal?

Apple is far behind in the AI frenzy that has taken over the tech industry, among others. And compared to its competitors, the company has taken a wary approach when it comes to integrating artificial intelligence in its devices.

But now the time has finally come, and here’s what it can do:

• ChatGPT will be intertwined with Siri and other Apple apps, providing the biggest update to the virtual assistant since its inception.

• Siri will essentially act as an iPhone user guide, pulling info from ChatGPT, and can do tasks across apps.

  • This will allow users to multitask: For example, you could schedule a meeting right from gmail and Siri would put it in your calendar, mark it on maps, and set a reminder for you all at once.

• Users will be able to write out math problems that will solve themselves.

• Writing Tools can now rewrite texts, emails, or notes to adjust for tone.

• The ability to create custom, AI-generated emojis (ready for this one).

And that’s just the half of it, see the full breakdown here.

For those worried about privacy: As aforementioned, these are optional. Apple also emphasized privacy, saying the AI will be run either on the device itself or on the company’s own servers through the cloud, so (hopefully) no third-party will be stealing your data.

Adobe is under fire

If there is one thing consumers don’t want, its their content being used to train AI. After a change to Adobe’s terms of service earlier this year, customers were enraged to find their content could be used to train its AI systems.

What happened?

Adobe, the company that developed PhotoShop, recently updated its Terms of Service (TOS) and "clarified that we may access your content through both automated and manual methods," per a message given to users.

Customers’ worries seem to be that Adobe would utilize user content to train its generative AI model Firefly and the fact that it could gain access to confidential projects covered by nondisclosure agreements with clients.

Adobe’s response

Adobe quickly clarified that user material is not used as training data for its generative AI models in response to the possibility of a widespread boycott, noting that the wording surrounding this subject in its TOS has hardly changed in over ten years.

• Adobe’s president of digital media, David Wadhwani, told The Verge, “In retrospect, we should have modernized and clarified the terms of service sooner,” capping off the hastened apology.

As people are increasingly concerned about tech companies taking private (or otherwise unauthorized) information and content from them to feed AI, Adobe’s apology likely won’t make up the ground it’s hoping it will.

Grab Bag

Flying spiders are invading America

As if the British invading our media wasn’t bad enough, now we have to deal with giant, venomous arachnids. Love that. Joro spiders, originally from east Asia, have made their way to the Northeast US and are now spreading to other regions.

What are these abominations?

Joro spiders, also known as the Trichonephila clavata, are a type of invasive, flying, venomous, arachnid (I never want to hear those words together ever again). They likely made their way to the US through international cargo.

• Although they are classified as venomous, researchers have said a bite from a Joro spider isn’t deadly (but you might turn into Spiderman).

• The arachnids are generally pretty shy and don’t pose a threat to humans or pets, according to a study done by Dr. Andy Davis at the University of Georgia.

They have made their way to the US in recent years and are in the process of migrating to other states. They’ve been seen in Maryland, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Kentucky, although New York and New Jersey should be seeing them soon.

Can they actually fly?

Well, no, but kinda? The invasive species uses a technique called “ballooning,” in which they glide through the air using their webs as a parachute, giving the illusion that they’re flying. The spiders can travel up to 100 miles by catching air currents alone.

Since they use the wind to travel, they don’t have much of a say on where they end up which is partly why they’ve been seen moving in a rather arbitrary pattern. Let’s just hope they hop on a ship and go back home.

Nicotine demand has led to a “Zyndemic”

The increasingly popular tobacco alternative is running short on supply. The flavored nicotine pouch brand Zyn, which is rapidly gaining popularity among youth, is getting progressively difficult to find in stock, per the WSJ.

Currently, stores across America report selling out of the pouches due to massive demand. After Swedish Match, Zyn’s parent company, was acquired by tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) two years ago, the company said sales were up 80% in the first quarter to 132 million cans and could reach 560 million by the end of the year.

Why is it so popular?

Well the obvious answer, as all of its products contain it, is the addictive stimulant nicotine. According to Bloomberg, 73% of those who started using the pouches aren’t able to quit smoking, which indicates that it just gives those who use it to quit a more discreet way to get a buzz.

Another way it entices young people specifically is the large variety of flavors. Much like e-cigarettes, Zyn boasts a category of flavored products, with peppermint, cinnamon, and citrus being the most popular in the US.

• The pouches are also extremely convenient and easy to use, with no residue leftover or spitting required, like chewing tobacco.

So what’s with the shortage? Increased demand can take its toll, but Zyn should at least be able to get some shelves stocked, so why haven’t they? We don’t really know.

Some social media users are calling it the “Zyndemic,” as Emmanuel Babeau, the chief financial officer of Philip Morris International, said the success of the brand has created “some tensions on the supply chain.”

Fast Facts

Goodbye Glizzy: Joey Chestnut has been banned from the annual July Fourth Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition due to his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a plant-based meat company. 

Food Frenzy: The restaurant industry is about to have its best year ever in 2024, with $1.1 trillion in sales. That’s up from $864 billion in 2019, just before the pandemic.

Sudden Stabbing: Four professors from Iowa Cornell College were stabbed at a park in China. So far, police have arrested a single suspect.

Machine Makeup: What is an AI beauty pageant? You have as good of a guess as I do.

Bball Breakout: The WNBA reported its best early-season TV viewership in league history and the highest attendance in 26 years. All hail Caitlin Clark.