June 19, 2025
In this week's edition: 2025 digital news report, AI hallucinations & crisis, discovering earned attention, what execs don't want in a presentation, masters of outrage, AI browser wars, & much more...
2025 Digital News Report - An annual must-read. “In most countries we find traditional news media struggling to connect with much of the public, with declining engagement, low trust, and stagnating digital subscriptions. An accelerating shift towards consumption via social media and video platforms is further diminishing the influence of ‘institutional journalism’ and supercharging a fragmented alternative media environment containing an array of podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokers.” (Reuters Institute / Oxford) - Key finding: For the first time, social media overtakes TV as Americans’ top news source (Neiman Lab)
AI Overviews hallucinates that Airbus, not Boeing, involved in fatal Air India crash - Google's disclaimer says AI "may include mistakes," which is an understatement. (ArsTechnica - via Szymon Szymczyk). Speaking of which: Fake Images and Conspiracy Theories Swirl Around L.A. Protests (NYTimes - $)
Congratulations McKinsey: You've Discovered Earned Attention - “McKinsey surveyed 7,000 consumers globally and discovered something that will shock absolutely no one in our field: not all attention is created equal. Their “attention equation” reveals that the quality of attention—driven by focus and intent—matters far more than the quantity of time spent consuming media.” See McKinsey’s study here. (Dan Nestle)
Trump’s shadow on the riviera - “The pressure on marketers — who gather on the Riviera this week for the annual Cannes Lions festival — is another major front in Trump’s media war.” (Semafor)
Risks of retreat: The enduring inclusion imperative - “The field of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is facing significant legal and social threats, prompting some organizations to retreat from efforts aimed at advancing fairness in the workplace. New data from a survey of 2,500 US employees conducted by Catalyst and the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in 2025 reveal significant risks of such a retreat in four areas.” (Catalyst/Meltzer Center)
Executives don’t want the full story. They want the "get to the point and tell me why it matters" version - “A simple 4-step framework… to make sure execs actually listen.” (Daniel Galletta)
Yachts🛥️ vs Sunfish ⛵ - “How to think about the rapidly-changing media landscape.” (So What)
Inside Google’s plan to have Hollywood make AI look less doomsday - “There’s an incredible amount of skepticism in the public world about what AI is and what AI will do in the future… We, as an industry, have to do a better job of communicating the public benefits and explaining in simple, clear language what it is that we’re doing and what it is that we’re not doing.” (LATimes - $)
The AI browser wars are about to begin - “Artificial intelligence is already writing an obituary for the internet as we know it. So why is everyone building new web browsers?” (Platformer)
Behaviour often signals before headlines do - “Strikes in the Middle East were preceded (quietly) by something seemingly mundane: a sharp spike in pizza deliveries around the Pentagon.” This is fascinating. (Aymen Retibi)
How Brands Can Dominate the Battle for Visibility in AI with PR - “A roadmap for PR professionals to lead in AI search and content generation, from strategic media placements to structuring content for AI indexing.” (James Crawford)
30 of the best AI prompts for better communications work - “Communicators shared their favorite prompts for super-charged work.” (Ragan)
He’s a Master of Outrage on X. The Pay Isn’t Great - “An online creator went from a “nobody” to a conspiratorial sensation on X. What he gets in return is less clear.” (NYTimes via Matt)
Social Media and Protest Used to Go Together. Not Anymore - “The events of this week — and the ways they’ve played out on social platforms — are a jarring reminder of how much, in a few short years, social media’s relationship with activism has changed.” (NYMag)
Rethinking Climate Change Narratives: Lessons from a Public Debate -
“We seem to be in short supply of listening that isn’t in service of persuasion or strategy. Sometimes the most meaningful step is to simply seek to understand, without trying to convert.” (Heavy Lifting/Bob Eccles)
We Made a Film With AI. You’ll Be Blown Away—and Freaked Out: “We tried to direct an AI film with Veo and Runway. The tools are magic. The process is madness.” (WSJ - $)
And finally, the most popular article from last week was State of the Consumer 2025: When disruption becomes permanent by McKinsey.