USA Today Co. partners with Palantir, sparking journalist backlash

USA Today Co. has entered into a partnership with artificial intelligence firm Palantir, aiming to consolidate and analyze its extensive reader data. CEO Mike Reed described the move as a necessary modernization for the print-focused publisher, which faces declining circulation and evolving digital consumption habits.

The collaboration intends to unify fragmented reader data into a single system. Palantir's AI capabilities will be used to personalize newsletters, target affiliate links, enhance content discovery, and convert anonymous visitors into subscribers. Reed stated the company is now operating as an "intelligence organization" due to its access to consumer data and online behavior.

However, the agreement has ignited strong opposition from journalists across 31 unionized newsrooms. Concerns center on Palantir's existing contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which journalists argue creates a conflict of interest when reporting on immigration and protests. Questions about reader data privacy and public trust have also been raised.

The company, formerly Gannett, has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs since its 2019 merger, halving its workforce by 2024 even as executive compensation increased. Reed believes AI tools will boost productivity and profitability, potentially leading to new hires. The company is also involved in litigation against Google regarding advertising technology.

USA Today Co. is not alone in its pursuit of AI and data analytics; other media organizations like Thomson Reuters, Fox News Digital, and Axel Springer have also engaged with Palantir or similar technologies. Company executives maintain that Palantir's software only handles anonymized data and does not access newsroom systems or subscriber records directly.