Latest news with #WillLewis
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Will The Washington Post Embrace the AI Slush Pile?
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Early in my career, I worked as an assistant at a literary agency. Big publishers generally consider taking on only writers already represented by agents, which makes literary agencies a front line of sorts. As the person opening the mail, I was the front line of the front line. I saw the true democratic range of the slush pile, full of pitches that no one had vouched for and, for the most part, that no one ever would. One thing I learned: There's a lot of writing out there that you, the reader, just don't need in your life. Some of it is inaccurate. Some of it is self-serving. Above all, a lot of it is just not interesting enough to find many readers: generic, predictable, telling you something you've already heard. Editorial gatekeepers get a bad name, but from another point of view, they are heroically holding back a tidal wave of crap while, ideally, letting the good stuff through. That early lesson in the value of editorial judgment came back to me this week, when The New York Times reported on an effort taking shape at The Washington Post under its owner, Jeff Bezos, and its publisher, Will Lewis. Through a project internally called Ripple, Post executives intend to dramatically expand opinion writing at the paper, creating an offering outside the paywall that will include content from partner news organizations and Substack. More controversially, a final phase of the plan will employ an AI writing coach called Ember to assist 'nonprofessional writers' in submitting op-eds. This effort was not exactly news to me. Until January, I was a senior editor at the now almost completely hollowed-out Opinions section of the Post. Along with others from across the organization, I'd participated about a year ago in a brainstorming session on what would become Ripple. At that point, it was clear already that Bezos was interested in massively scaling up the output of our section, perhaps on the model of Amazon—which had scaled up and up for years before turning a profit. It had also become clear that the way to management's heart was to cite artificial intelligence as the means to any end, a special technological sauce to be drizzled on everything. [Damon Beres and Charlie Warzel: At least two newspapers syndicated AI garbage] Although I'd started out skeptical, by the end of the session, I was convinced that the Post did have the potential to reach a larger audience. Readers want locally relevant news, but local outlets are succumbing one by one to the dynamics of a centralized online market for both content and advertising. If we were so determined to scale up, why couldn't the Post partner with existing local news sources, offering them a tech back end, a network effect, and a cut of resources while tapping a much larger pool of locally written and edited work? Some elements of those ideas seem to have trickled into the Ripple project. But another vision was presented at the brainstorm too, the spark of what is now called Ember. The concept seemed to be that anyone could write a good op-ed, if only they had coaching from an AI editor. As a newsroom AI strategist explained the premise to the members of the group—most of whom had never faced an inbox of op-ed submissions—I felt filled with dread, because the content that this program would yield sounded dreadful. When you consider pitches, as an editor of opinion content, you look for surprise: insightful analysis of new information, diagnosis of and perhaps solutions to an unappreciated problem, a personal tale told in a way that makes you laugh or tear up, an original way of experiencing something familiar. Generative AI based on large language models, by contrast, is optimized to produce writing with the opposite qualities. It is a predictability machine, operating by asking what word is most likely to come next in a sentence based on all the other text that has fed into its training data. This doesn't mean that AI can't be a useful tool for certain kinds of writing and editing, but it does mean that an AI editor will probably exacerbate exactly the qualities that make the opinion slush pile so slushy in the first place. What Ember seems likely to produce, in other words, is the kind of writing I have spent my whole career trying to hold back. There are good uses for AI at a newspaper, which is why it's so puzzling that everyone keeps trying to make AI do not those tasks but the ones it is bad at, the ones that we humans most want to keep for ourselves. Just to take one example, much of the Washington Post archive is inaccessible via search; why not use AI to crawl, tag, and make discoverable this huge body of work? Maybe because that's not showy enough. Everyone these days seems to want to make AI the writer, the editor, the creator, the star. But within media, at least, that's not the best use case for this technology. Instead, we should be using these powerful tools for scut work, data crunching, even brainstorming—not as a substitute for the editorial judgment and critical thought that make writing worth reading. 'The values of The Post do not need changing,' Bezos wrote when he bought the newspaper, in 2013. 'The paper's duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners.' That declaration became harder to trust last year, when Bezos blocked the Post editorial board's endorsement of Kamala Harris, on the pretext that he had suddenly decided that making presidential endorsements gave the impression of bias—only to cheer the 'extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory' of Donald Trump just a few weeks later. [Listen: The media is splitting in two] The proposed use of Ember casts doubt on the commitment to readers too. If Bezos is really interested in scaling up opinion writing beyond the scope of human editors, what he's essentially doing is either starting a social blogging network—something like Medium, Reddit, or Substack—or a contributor platform of glorified press releases, such as the one abandoned in 2018 by HuffPost as a drag on its brand. As the New York Times columnist Lydia Polgreen wrote on X, 'When I was editor of HuffPost we shut down our contributor platform because it was bad for our journalism and it did not contribute significant traffic or revenue.' If Bezos wants to run a social network, perhaps to compete with Elon Musk for clout, that's fine. But let's not pretend that it's journalism, or that it's good for the Post and its readers. As recently as 2021, when the paper had already been under Bezos's ownership for years, the Post was touting a plan to add 41 new editors to the newsroom. 'This expansion demonstrates anew that The Washington Post is an ascendant news organization, with boundless ambitions and a growing capacity to meet them,' wrote then–Executive Editor Sally Buzbee and her team. That memo might as well be from another universe. Today, the Post's owner seems to have lost track of those ambitions, or replaced them with other ones. But if the journalistic or commercial health of the paper as an institution still matters to him, I hope he will realize that using AI to scale up the slush pile is a poor idea. If that's really Bezos's dream for the nation's readers, he should pursue it separate from the Post, rather than risk undermining the editorial tradition that has made the paper great. Article originally published at The Atlantic
CBC
25-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
P.E.I. pilot project offers cooking classes to young autistic adults
A new pilot project is offering cooking classes to young autistic adults on P.E.I. The eight-week course is offered by The Thoughtful Giver, an organization that provides programming and care services, such as tutoring and housekeeping. Students aged 18 to 30 will learn basic cooking skills, such as knife skills, poaching, searing and how to cook a three-course meal. When Will Lewis started the program, he didn't know anything about how to cook. But after the first class, he said he realized he had nothing to fear. "Everything has been so far easy," he said. "I've been scared of nothing." Basil Killorn said he didn't have a ton of experience cooking and knew how to make only a few soups, salads and curries. So far, he said the first two classes have been very useful. "It's a fantastic group of people who I feel very comfortable around, and it's a really nice opportunity to get out of the house and socialize and learn some new skills." Cooking, teaching accommodations provided Jen Mckenna, an in-home personal chef who also gives cooking classes, said it's wonderful to help the students learn new skills and gain more confidence in the kitchen. "It's such an important skill to have, so to be able to do that and kind of give back, it's really great," she said. Because there are only eight participants, Mckenna said she's able to go around the class and help each individual in whatever way they need to be taught. Georgina Bassett, the founder of The Thoughtful Giver, said accommodations are in place for the neurodiverse students, which include having a small class size and picking a quiet, open space with a lot of natural light. "A lot of those little things add up to the ability for the students to ask their questions, to ask to be shown how to do things, to take their time. We're not in a rush," said Barrett. Killorn said it feels great to be part of a class that accommodates the different ways in which people learn. "As an autistic person, it's so nice to see the community, like, becoming more aware of our needs and accommodations that would help us," he said. Classes teach independence For Lewis, his goal when starting the cooking classes was to learn how to provide for himself when he lives alone. Bassett said many young adults who are leaving home or transitioning from school to adulthood want to learn basic life skills, like cooking. It's no different for young neurodiverse adults. "It seems like a simple task," she said. "But when you're getting out there, you know, some things — like turning on the stove, chopping, cooking, what to make, meal preparation — that can be a little overwhelming for people." Besides cooking skills, Bassett said she wants participants to gain independence.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
WaPo turmoil deepens: Jeff Bezos appointed CEO Will Lewis vanishes from newsroom, staff cite concerns over his absence and alleged drinking habits
The Washington Post is experiencing internal chaos as employees increasingly worry about their CEO. Will Lewis , hired by Jeff Bezos , has been almost entirely absent from the newsroom, sparking concern and fueling internal tension. Reports also highlight increasing concern regarding Lewis' drinking problem and mercurial leadership style. Tensions are mounting as morale collapses and newsroom departures accelerate, with employees pointing to a lack of transparency and erratic decision-making. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo Where has CEO Will Lewis been? Will Lewis, the former Rupert Murdoch acolyte whom Bezos appointed in late 2023, has been in what the magazine called a "state of hiding" since last June, according to several Post employees who spoke to The New Yorker. A former senior editor told The New Yorker, "One thing that has damaged him internally is that his drinking is widely known in the newsroom." "His employees actually make jokes about it." Live Events Will Lewis appointed Executive Editor Matt Murray to the position earlier this year, and his absence has strained his relationship with him, as per a report by the Daily Beast. ALSO READ: Air Force One 2.0: Pam Bondi reportedly plotting legal loophole to hand Donald Trump a presidential-style flying palace without violating constitution What's causing staff to lose trust in leadership? According to The New Yorker, Lewis was upset about how the Post reported on his own scandal-plagued time there. Since then, the Post has largely stopped reporting on itself. The former senior editor told The New Yorker that Will Lewis was upset with Matt Murray for the Post's coverage and wouldn't talk to Matt for a period of time. Lewis' absence is a recurring theme in The New Yorker's in-depth analysis of the Post's turmoil, which detailed how Bezos came in to save the publication in 2013 but has since left employees feeling devastated and discouraged. In response to a request for comment, The Post said that Lewis has "tremendous respect and appreciation for his colleagues" and denied to The New Yorker that he and Murray had a falling out. The controversial decisions have alienated staff members, and Bezos has not visited the paper since before the election. Dozens of Post reporters have fled to CNN, The Atlantic, and The New York Times since October, as per a report by the Daily Beast. Last week, the Post's D.C. newsroom, under Murray's leadership, celebrated its numerous Pulitzer Prize victories. The New Yorker reported that Lewis failed to appear, which Murray explained away as a well-planned trip. Lewis did not attend the paper's annual Eugene Meyer Awards late last year, suggesting that Bezos's detached approach has also extended to his CEO. Rather, he praised the paper's recent achievements despite its layoffs while hosting a private dinner for award recipients in January. As per The New Yorker, Lewis has since made fun of his employees in meetings and asserted that they "needed to be disciplined." FAQs Why are Washington Post employees unhappy with CEO Will Lewis? Many people point to his extended absence, poor communication, and rumours about his drinking. Has Jeff Bezos addressed any internal issues at the Post? No, Jeff Bezos hasn't visited the newsroom in months and has been largely silent.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Washington Post CEO in a ‘state of hiding' as staffers joke about his rumored drinking amid low morale
Amid an ongoing exodus of talent from the Washington Post as staffers have grown increasingly demoralized with the direction of the legendary paper, embattled chief executive officer and publisher Will Lewis has been described as going into a 'state of hiding' as his apparent drinking has become a 'joke' among employees. In a damning and comprehensive story by The New Yorker, reporter Clare Malone dives into the 'identity crisis' occurring at the post while wondering if mega-billionaire owner Jeff Bezos is 'selling out' the publication as he cozies up to Donald Trump following the president's return to the White House. 'In some ways, this is all a story about Jeff and how he changed over the course of his ownership and really became a different person with huge implications for the institution,' one former top editor at the Post told Malone. During Trump's first term, Malone notes, Bezos suffered through the media-bashing president's relentless attacks on him and his paper before welcoming Joe Biden into office. However, 'Bezos felt a sense of betrayal' after the Biden administration sued Bezos' cash cow Amazon in 2023 for illegally maintaining monopoly power. In the runup to the 2024 election and in the first months of the second Trump administration, Bezos made a number of moves at the paper that raised the ire of Post staffers and its readers, who took the outlet's 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' motto to heart. Notoriously, the owner's last-minute decision to block the editorial board's endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for president led to hundreds of thousands of canceled subscriptions and the resignations of several board members. Bezos' mandate that the opinion section only concentrate on free market principles and personal liberties left staffers outraged and prompted the opinion editor to quit. Meanwhile, there has been a steady exodus of talent over the past few months, many of whom have jumped ship to The Atlantic. Though Bezos and Lewis have implemented these changes while insisting the staff 'needs to be disciplined,' both leaders of the paper have largely been missing in action despite calls from employees for meetings. Lewis' leadership, or lack thereof, has been cited as a key reason why many reporters and editors have left. 'In exit interviews, meanwhile, staff members have attributed their departures to Lewis's lack of a discernible plan for the paper,' Malone pointed out. 'The idea that the newsroom is the reason for the Post's struggles is unfair,' a former editor told the New Yorker. 'The newsroom is not always its own best friend, but Will somehow convinced Jeff that it is the problem, when really there is no business strategy.' Lewis has also apparently had a falling out with the paper's executive editor Matt Murray, the former Wall Street Journal editor who was initially supposed to just temporarily replace Sally Buzbee but was permanently given the role when no other candidates took the offer. Much of his anger with Murray, according to Malone, is due to the paper's coverage of Lewis' scandal-plagued tenures at both the Post and the British tabloids. 'I know Will [Lewis] was very upset with Matt [Murray] for the Post's coverage and for some period of time wouldn't talk to Matt,' a former senior editor said. Both Murray and Lewis denied this to Malone, but in the end, Murray did institute a policy discouraging reporters from covering the paper itself. 'Since last June, Lewis has gone into what a number of Post staffers described as a state of hiding,' Malone added. 'Rumors began circulating about Lewis drinking heavily in social settings. 'One thing that has damaged him internally is that his drinking is widely known in the newsroom,' the former senior editor said. 'It's literally something his employees joke about.' (Lewis declined multiple requests to speak with me.)' The New Yorker additionally noted that during his time at the Telegraph, Lewis had a 'a clique of mannish guys' and a 'reputation for hard drinking.' While the Guardian reported at the time that 'no one has ever seen him drunk' or late for work, he picked up the nickname 'Thirsty' Will Lewis. 'A person who has known Lewis for decades described him to me as a 'wide boy'—British slang for someone who survives by his wits, often on the wrong side of right,' an associate of Lewis' told Malone. Lewis' absence at a number of staff-wide events has been notable, such as the recent Pulitzer Prize celebrations for the paper and a screening party for a documentary on the Post's legendary publisher Katharine Graham. Murray and Bezos also skipped the documentary screening. In fact, Bezos has been incredibly hard to reach for the Post's leadership team. When the opinion editors attempted to set up an opportunity to talk with the billionaire in August, Lewis told them that 'Bezos's schedule was full until late September.' Despite other requests from staff, and Bezos' edicts demanding change in coverage, the owner hasn't visited the paper since before the election.
Geek Wire
12-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Bezos shifts from passive owner to active shaper at Washington Post amid its ‘identity crisis'
Jeff Bezos spoke in New York City on Sept. 20, 2021 to announce $1 billion in grants from the Bezos Earth Fund. (Bezos Earth Fund Photo) A detailed report from The New Yorker reveals how Jeff Bezos has evolved since buying the The Washington Post — which is going through an 'identity crisis' as the Amazon founder gets more involved with the storied newspaper. The article details the cultural, editorial, and strategic upheaval at the Post under the ownership of Bezos, who bought the paper for $250 million in 2013. The billionaire's recent leadership appointments, including tapping Will Lewis as publisher, has caused newsroom unrest. Dozens of staffers — including Pulitzer Prize winners — have since left the Post. Bezos was initially a distant but supportive owner, though he's been more involved — and controversial — during the second Trump administration. 'In some ways, this is all a story about Jeff and how he changed over the course of his ownership and really became a different person with huge implications for the institution,' a former top Post editor told The New Yorker. Bezos clashed with Trump in his first presidential term. Trump accused Bezos of using the paper as a 'tax shelter.' Amazon in 2019 lost a $10 billion cloud computing deal with the Pentagon. But since the November election, Bezos has joined other tech leaders in expressing a willingness to work with the administration. Bezos was among those who attended the presidential inauguration. Meanwhile, Bezos told Post employees in February that the opinion section would now focus on supporting and defending what he called 'two pillars' — personal liberties and free markets. The move led to the resignation of David Shipley, the Post's opinion editor. That action came in the wake of Bezos' decision last fall to end the newspaper's tradition of endorsing candidates for president — including a reported spiking of the Post's endorsement of Kamala Harris. The New Yorker story also notes how Bezos' broader business interests have influenced his stewardship of the Post. A report last month about Amazon's apparent plan to show consumers tariff-related costs drew sharp criticism from the White House. Amazon pushed back on the report, and said the plan 'was never approved and is not going to happen.' Trump reportedly called Bezos about the report, and later said that 'Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly. And he did the right thing. [He's] a good guy.' The New Yorker story notes how Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sánchez dined with the president and Melania Trump in December. Two weeks later, Amazon licensed a documentary project about the First Lady — 'nearly three times more than the company had ever spent on a documentary.' Read the full New Yorker story here.
