It’s almost the fourth of July. But this is no ordinary Independence Day.
It’s number 250.
We feel this across the country, and we feel it in Boston, too, a place that had so much to do with the American Revolution. That revolution wasn’t just about flinging off the chains of oppression. It was about innovation, about the drive to make things better.
We’re still doing that across the state of Massachusetts.
In my public talks this year, I’ve been stressing that history, talking about historic events here in Boston, and tying that to what’s going on today. There’s a revolution on now, but it’s not happening primarily in the streets. So where is it happening? It’s happening in digital realms, and in boardrooms, and in research facilities, and, last but not least, in our institutions of higher learning.
The AI revolution is an existential one. It makes us ask the tough questions, about ourselves, about our societies, and our values, what makes us “tick” as humans. The emergence of a competitive intelligence is an existential challenge. We have to move forward to face it.
For this July 4, I wanted to write about a keynote intro given by Susan Goldberg of GBH, the nation’s leading public media company based out of right here in Boston. Goldberg’s address, given just prior to the momentous anniversary of our nation’s independence, covers a lot of the challenges that we have in the AI era, and the work that we need to do.
The next 250
Taking the stage, Goldberg invoked the enigmatic future of another 250 years, culminating in the year 2276. We can’t see that far ahead. Given the pace of technology, we can’t really even see ten years out.
What Goldberg focused on was the present moment, the now, and how we got here, and what’s happening in public media, and why it matters.
She characterized 2025-2026 as a “topsy-turvy year” for public media, with an estimated $1.1 billion loss of funding from a wary federal government, and a public advocacy movement that, she suggested, is up to the challenge.
“We have been doing phenomenally well,” she said of public media. “We’re starting to regain our financial footing, we’re reinventing our revenue streams, and we’re continuing to enhance our journalism.”
That last part, Goldberg noted, is important. She talked about news deserts expanding across America, about the fragility and importance of genuine investigative journalism, and its role in supporting democracy.
“Here in Massachusetts, I feel like we’re doing our part,” she said. “We’re building a sustainable business model, to make sure that people across the commonwealth have trusted, fact-based reporting.”
Battling Chaos
This effort, she said, is set against a blizzard of misinformation that is shaking our institutions to their cores, and having an impact on personal mindsets as well.
“Some people don’t believe in anything anymore,” she said, citing the damage done by ‘thumb on the scale journalism,’ and by newsrooms closing at the caprice of billionaire owners, and the questioning of basic scientific research in ways that are not in good faith.
“This is a moment to protect the first amendment, a free press, and real reporting,” Goldberg said. “These are essential for a functioning democracy. This is something we must choose to keep, or it might slip away.”
Democracy and Darkness
Going further into the environment that the average American citizen now finds themselves in, Goldberg mentioned government by falsehood, and algorithmic chaos, two forces that muddy the waters of our collective discourse. She called for radical transparency, homegrown reporting, and a culture where we own our mistakes instead of trying to remake reality to suit an agenda.
“Mostly, we try to just keep doing the work,” she said, of the movement around GBH and other public media players.
“Telling stories can change the world. Shining a light into dark corners so problems can be fixed, and shining a spotlight on what’s been right, so it can be emulated.”
The struggle, she said, will continue:
“We’ll be battling on behalf of our audiences,” Goldberg said. “Old people, young people, digital natives, technology troglodytes, people from every background, zip code and tax bracket, who want to make their country a better place.”
So happy July fourth, and after the weekend is over, I’ll be bringing you more from this summit where Susan and others contributed to a picture of America in the future, as we hope it shall be.
