America’s largest newspaper chain, USA Today Co., partners with Palantir to analyze audience data

America's largest newspaper chain is betting on data intelligence. USA Today Co., which owns more than two hundred local newspapers plus the national USA Today, announced Thursday a partnership with Palantir—an AI-powered platform—to analyze audience behavior and drive faster revenue growth. CEO Mike Reed described the strategy as converting anonymous reader interactions into 'known relationships' for targeted ads and subscriptions. The move reflects a challenge facing news organizations: USA Today Co. saw unique visitors drop from one hundred eighty million in the first quarter to one hundred fifty-eight million in the second, mainly due to changes in search referrals. According to Nieman Lab, Palantir has drawn scrutiny for work with the Department of Defense and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though USA Today Co. says it complies with data protection standards and maintains editorial independence.

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