Following USA Today Co.’s announcement of a partnership with Palantir to help monetize its users’ data, journalists across the country represented by The NewsGuild-CWA (TNG-CWA) called on their parent company to cut ties with the technology company.
The joint statement was signed by 31 local unions, including bargaining units at some of USA Today Co.’s largest papers. Newsroom workers cited serious data privacy concerns around this deal because Palantir’s artificial intelligence (AI) software has been connected to human rights abuses, widespread surveillance and immigration crackdowns. Additionally, the company’s co-founder Peter Thiel has argued that freedom and democracy are incompatible—a sentiment that flies in the face of a free and independent press.
“We will continue pushing back on ill-planned attempts to force A.I. into our newsrooms and onto our readers, who deserve quality, human-led journalism,” TNG-CWA members said in a joint letter. “We will advocate for the responsible use of new technologies when it emboldens our journalists and their work instead of shamelessly promoting A.I. to support profit-driven corporate edicts. We will continue fighting for transparency and quality journalism for our readers without compromising their trust. We call on USA TODAY CO. to immediately end its partnership with Palantir.”
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