☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here!
In today’s email:
- Featured story: States push to regulate AI use in political campaigns
- New from Pew Research Center: Friends, family and neighbors as a source of local news
- In other news: Israel shuts down Al Jazeera office in the West Bank
- Looking ahead: The New York Times will offer podcast subscriptions on Apple and Spotify
- Chart of the week: Friends, family and neighbors are a more common source for local news than newspapers, TV or radio stations
🔥 Top story
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, at least 26 states have passed or are considering bills to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in political campaigns. This comes as concerns grow over AI’s potential to mislead or even suppress voters. Uses of AI vary, though: Some political campaigns are using these technologies to reach voters facing language barriers.
Many Americans are wary about the impact of AI on the 2024 election. A new Center survey finds that 57% of U.S. feel extremely or very concerned that people or organizations seeking to influence the election will use AI to create and distribute fake or misleading information about the candidates and campaigns.
About four-in-ten Americans (39%) say AI will be used mostly for bad purposes during the presidential campaign, compared with only 5% who say it will be used mostly for good purposes. Another 27% say it will be used about equally for good and bad purposes.
🚨 New from Pew Research Center
Americans’ relationship with local news is changing. More people are getting news online, and fewer are turning to more traditional sources like daily newspapers. However, the role of friends, family and neighbors as key sources of local news for most Americans remains consistent. In fact, they are the most common source of local news asked about in a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year as part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Read the full analysis of how Americans get local news from friends, family and neighbors here.
📌 In other news
- Israel shuts down Al Jazeera’s office in the West Bank
- Vice returns with print magazine, subscription offerings
- A New York Magazine writer is on leave after admitting a personal relationship with subject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- News publishers turn to WhatsApp to reach readers
- Alex Jones’ Infowars to be liquidated, auctioned off to pay Sandy Hook families
- Univision will host separate town halls with Harris, Trump
- X concedes legal fight in Brazil, complies with court orders
📅 Looking ahead
The New York Times has announced it will offer audio subscription services through Apple Podcasts and Spotify beginning in October. For most Times podcasts, only the latest two or three episodes will be offered for free, with older episodes available through paid subscription.
A 2022 analysis of top-ranked podcasts found that about half (47%) sought out financial support from listeners, including 31% that offered a paid subscription. At the time, podcasts that were affiliated with a larger organization were less likely than independent podcasts to offer subscriptions (23% vs. 47%).
📊 Chart of the week
Our chart of the week highlights the role that friends, family and neighbors play in how Americans are getting local news and information. According to a new Center analysis, these types of personal connections are the most common source of local news for U.S. adults, ranking above TV stations, radio stations and online forums like Facebook groups. About three-quarters of Americans (73%) say they often or sometimes get local news from friends, family and neighbors, up from 66% who said the same in 2018.
👋 That’s all for this week.
The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Michael Lipka and Kirsten Eddy, and copy edited by Anna Jackson.
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