NPR CEO Katherine Maher on GOP Attacks, Editorial Criticisms & Digital Evolution
For the past five decades, every Republican president except Gerald Ford has tried to cut funding for public media. But NPR and PBS have never dealt with a moment like this, where the Trump administration is attacking them from every possible angle. A recent executive order demanded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (or CPB) and executive agencies halt all funding for NPR and PBS; the FCC is investigating their corporate underwriting; and this week, the House is expected to take up a rescissions package that would claw back federal funding for the CPB.
Katherine Maher, the CEO of NPR, is fighting back. On May 27th, NPR and three Colorado member stations filed a suit challenging the president’s executive order. (PBS followed suit a few days later.) Suing the president is, obviously, an uncomfortable position for a media organization which has to cover him. But according to Maher, NPR is doing its patriotic duty to defend the First Amendment.
Kara and Maher discuss the potential effects the defunding would have on NPR, its member stations, and the communities that it serves; criticisms aimed at NPR and Maher, from both conservatives, on one hand, and some journalists, on the other; and her approach to innovation at NPR.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Public radio vs. DOGE: NPR CEO Katherine Maher previews her testimony
Tomorrow, NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher goes before a DOGE subcommittee in Congress to defend the public media outlet’s case for federal funding. Maher returns to Rapid Response for the first time since taking on the CEO role to preview her testimony, sharing how funding cuts would impact Americans’ broad access to crucial news and information, particularly in rural areas. Maher also reveals why the company has pivoted its DEI strategy, how the organization can better frame its identity as an outlet for all Americans, and more.
Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Rapid Response: How Wikipedia will survive AI, with CEO Maryana Iskander
Wikipedia is among the top ten most-visited websites in the world, and it’s been a pillar of online knowledge for more than 20 years. The site’s parent nonprofit, Wikimedia Foundation, wants it to stay that way. CEO Maryana Iskander joins Rapid Response to discuss how Wikipedia is navigating AI-generated misinformation, why debates around truth and neutrality will only intensify, and threats to the platform from authoritarian governments. Iskander shares how human-edited Wikipedia is holding its ground against AI competitors like ChatGPT, and her leadership strategy amid social-technological transformation.
For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Rapid Response: Navigating a leadership crisis, w/Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher
How do you restore confidence after a high-profile leadership uproar? Web Summit’s new CEO Katherine Maher joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss taking over after the sudden, forced resignation of founding CEO Paddy Cosgrave. With echoes of the drama at OpenAI, Maher describes how she navigated the tumult, calming partners like Amazon and Google and enabling Web Summit’s signature event in Lisbon to draw 70,000 attendees. Plus, Maher shares lessons from her time at the helm of the Wikimedia Foundation and insight on how the world of politics and global events is increasingly intertwined with business.
Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/
Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Wikipedia's enduring, nuanced perspective on truth | Katherine Maher
Even with public trust at an all-time low, Wikipedia continues to maintain people's confidence. How do they do it? Former CEO of Wikimedia Foundation Katherine Maher delves into the transparent, adaptable and community-building ways the online encyclopedia brings free and reliable information to the public -- while also accounting for bias and difference of opinion. "The seeds of our disagreement can actually become the roots of our common purpose," she says.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chris Albon — ML Models and Infrastructure at Wikimedia
In this episode we're joined by Chris Albon, Director of Machine Learning at the Wikimedia Foundation.
Lukas and Chris talk about Wikimedia's approach to content moderation, what it's like to work in a place so transparent that even internal chats are public, how Wikimedia uses machine learning (spoiler: they do a lot of models to help editors), and why they're switching to Kubeflow and Docker. Chris also shares how his focus on outcomes has shaped his career and his approach to technical interviews.
Show notes: http://wandb.me/gd-chris-albon
---
Connect with Chris:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisalbon
- Website: https://chrisalbon.com/
---
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:08 How Wikimedia approaches moderation
9:55 Working in the open and embracing humility
16:08 Going down Wikipedia rabbit holes
20:03 How Wikimedia uses machine learning
27:38 Wikimedia's ML infrastructure
42:56 How Chris got into machine learning
46:43 Machine Learning Flashcards and technical interviews
52:10 Low-power models and MLOps
55:58 Outro
A conversation about Section 230 and the future of the internet
Last week, The Verge held a virtual event about regulating the internet — from antitrust to privacy to the many proposals for changing Section 230, hosted by Verge senior reporter Adi Robertson.
The event kicked off with a keynote from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, followed by a panel on Section 230 reform with general counsel at Vimeo Michael Cheah, researcher, writer, and strategist Sydette Harry, and general counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation Amanda Keton.
In this bonus Vergecast, Adi Robertson and Verge policy editor Russell Brandom discuss takeaways from the event and what's next for the future of regulation on the internet.
Further reading:
What will Section 230 mean for the internet?
Everything you need to know about Section 230
Why Congress can’t stop talking about Section 230
Klobuchar calls on Congress to get serious on tech reform
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Interview with Chris Albon (Part 3 of 3)
In today's episode, I interview Chris Albon, co-host of Partially Derivative, a fantastic casual discussion podcast about all things data science. Chris is joined by Vidya Spandana and Jonathon Morgan on the show. We discuss the exciting prospects of machine learning and data science in this three part interview!
Partially Derivative
Chris's personal site
SciKit Learn
Today's episode is brought to you by Linode. Linode Provides superfast SSD based Linux servers in the cloud starting at $10 a month. Linode is offering Developer Tea listeners $20 worth of credit if you use the code DEVELOPERTEA2017 at checkout. Head over to spec.fm/linode to learn more about what Linode has to offer to Developer Tea listeners .
Interview with Chris Albon (Part 2 of 3)
In today's episode, I interview Chris Albon, co-host of Partially Derivative, a fantastic casual discussion podcast about all things data science. Chris is joined by Vidya Spandana and Jonathon Morgan on the show. We discuss the exciting prospects of machine learning and data science in this three part interview!
Partially Derivative
Chris's personal site
SciKit Learn
Today's episode is sponsored by Fuse! Build native iOS and Android apps with less code and better collaboration. Head over to spec.fm/fuse to learn more today!
Interview with Chris Albon (Part 1 of 3)
In today's episode, I interview Chris Albon, co-host of Partially Derivative, a fantastic casual discussion podcast about all things data science. Chris is joined by Vidya Spandana and Jonathon Morgan on the show. We discuss the exciting prospects of machine learning and data science in this three part interview!
Partially Derivative
Chris's personal site
SciKit Learn
Today's episode is sponsored by Fuse! Build native iOS and Android apps with less code and better collaboration. Head over to spec.fm/fuse to learn more today!
.jpg?width=400){kind=small}