Tarbell Center Places AI Fellows in Major US Newsrooms

The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is placing fellows in major news organizations, including CBS News, CNBC, and the Los Angeles Times. These journalists received training focused on AI safety and existential risk before their placements. The program intends to spend $10 million by the end of 2027, offering individual scholarships ranging from $75,000 to $135,000.

Funding for the initiative comes from Coefficient Giving, formerly known as Open Philanthropy, which is backed by Good Ventures. Good Ventures was established by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna. While the Tarbell Center maintains that it operates with editorial independence, critics argue the funding promotes a media bias toward AI doomerism.

Opponents of the program link the initiative to the effective altruism movement and its goal to regulate artificial intelligence. These critics point to a Washington Examiner study indicating that existential risk narratives appeared most frequently in the coverage produced by the 2025 cohort.