Polymarket’s AI is Feeding Users Fabricated InformationThe prediction market fancies itself a “global truth machine” and a boon to journalism. Tow finds a very different reality. Aug 27 26August 27, 2026Article at Columbia Journalism Review
When the pink-slime researchers become the pink slime.We love to hear when journalists engage with our research, so in October, we set up an LLM agent to sort through Google Alerts for Tow Center’s work and notify us when our research is cited in news. The bot began to diligently filter alerts for new mentions of the Tow Center and sent us […] Nov 20 25November 20, 2025Article at Columbia Journalism Review
Toward AI-powered source audits.Building a quote-detection tool for accountability in journalism. Nov 11 25November 11, 2025Article at Columbia Journalism Review
The White House Is Its Own Media OutletThe Trump administration is publishing articles that are top-ranked on Google News. Aug 28 25August 28, 2025Article at Columbia Journalism Review
Shooting the MessengerPresident Trump’s attack on numbers includes public polls, an essential feature of the democratic free press. Aug 14 25August 14, 2025Article at Columbia Journalism Review
UnheardUsing large language models to conduct source audits of the news. Feb 18 25February 18, 2025Article at Columbia Journalism Review
Courier Newsroom Spent Big on a Meta Ad Blitz in OctoberThe $6 million–plus the progressive ‘newsroom’ spent on Meta lagged only the official Trump and Harris campaigns. Nov 05 24November 05, 2024Article at Columbia Journalism Review
What J.D. Vance got right about the media—and Tim Walz’s debate opportunityLate in the night after the last presidential debate, J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, appeared on CNN to praise the performance of Donald Trump. Kaitlan Collins, the network host, wanted to know why Trump had repeated a false claim that Haitian immigrants were eating the pets of residents in the town of Springfield, […] Oct 01 24October 01, 2024Article at Columbia Journalism Review
Can Kamala Harris use the debate to keep her media momentum?In the month following Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race, Kamala Harris received a flurry of media attention. But our analysis of closed-captioning data from the Internet Archive’s TV News Archive indicates that since the Democratic National Convention wrapped up in Chicago last month, Donald Trump has once again been mentioned on the big […] Sep 10 24September 10, 2024Article at Columbia Journalism Review
The F-WordData shows that cable networks are focused on Trump and fascism—as they never have been before. Jun 10 24June 10, 2024Article at Columbia Journalism Review
Trump has recaptured cable TV’s attentionAs the 2024 primary season ramps up into full swing, former president Donald Trump is making news both as the front-runner for the Republican Party’s nomination and due to the trials and indictments he is facing. According to closed-captioning data from the Internet Archive’s TV News Archive, Trump has been mentioned in 38 percent more […] Dec 04 23December 04, 2023Article at Columbia Journalism Review
Trouble in WyomingWhen a GOP megadonor didn't like the coverage he was getting from Wyoming's newsrooms, he funded a new one. Now it’s pushing anti-trans talking points and climate misinformation. Aug 15 23August 15, 2023Article at Columbia Journalism Review
How the media is covering ChatGPTThe Tow Center looked at how news organizations have been covering generative AI over the past six months. May 26 23May 26, 2023Article at Columbia Journalism Review