Stewarding the stories that power tries to silence

"As 2026 approaches, journalism finds itself in a dangerous kind of forgetfulness. Hard-won truths grow quieter by the day; the racial reckoning that once roared through newsrooms now echoes faintly beneath a tightening political silence. In that hush, the future of news hinges upon one assignment - remembering what power hopes we forget. And so we enter a moment of transformation."

"The tools ushering in this shift are not the hulking large language models that dominate news headlines, but the smaller, steadier, community-rooted AI archives blooming in places once written off as peripheral. This shift arrives as the political climate freezes the very conversations journalists are trained to lead. Reporters say they hesitate now - to speak of race, to probe injustice, to bring the clarity and courage they carried in 2020's wake."

"At the same time, generative AI reveals a widening paradox: we are drowning in information yet starving for understanding. Mis- and disinformation spread with viral ease. Trust in institutions - including the press - remains alarmingly low. And journalists reporting in politically charged environments face mounting threats, harassment, and state-level restrictions. In this landscape, accuracy is not enough; context becomes the most precious resource we have left."

As 2026 nears, journalism faces collective forgetfulness as racial reckoning fades and newsroom diversity initiatives erode under political pressure. Reporters increasingly hesitate to report on race and injustice amid anti-DEI laws, dismantled diversity programs, beat eliminations, and rising threats. Generative AI compounds a paradox: abundant information with diminishing understanding as misinformation spreads and institutional trust declines. Accuracy alone no longer suffices; contextual preservation becomes essential. Smaller, community-rooted AI archives and a practice of algorithmic witnessing can preserve memory, extend journalists' reach, and collaborate with scholars and archivists to safeguard marginalized histories and provide enduring context for communities.

Read at Nieman Lab