Story perspectives

USA Today partners Palantir, unions demand termination as traffic falls

8/11/2026

Summary

USA Today Partners

USA Today Co. partnered with Palantir, creating a “common intelligence layer” to monetize reader data.
Thirty-one unions representing about 800 workers (15% of staff) demanded the partnership be ended, saying it threatens reader trust and raises ethical concerns about Palantir’s surveillance work.
Labor-relations VP Amy Garrard called the deal a business decision, said data remain protected, noted the company has not answered union questions, and warned readers may cancel subscriptions.

Summary

USA Today Slumps

USA Today Co. reported unique visitors fell to 158 million in Q2, 22 million fewer than the prior quarter.
Digital advertising revenue fell 9.2% to $79.8 million while EBITDA dropped 11.6% to $56.9 million.
Digital-only subscriptions slipped to about 1.3 million, down 24,000, earning $45.6 million.
CEO Mike Reed warned the firm may block Google’s scraping without a licensing deal, while it will focus on newsletters, social media and video using Palantir’s platform, keeping data ownership.

History

Historical Context

2024 layoffs at the Los Angeles Times, cutting more than 20 % of its newsroom, echo earlier industry collapses that saw roughly 2,200 U.S. local papers shut between 2005 and 2021. Today, USA Today’s partnership with Palantir and protests led by union activist Amy Garrard revive the New York Times Guild’s 2010 resistance to newsroom cuts, highlighting a decade-long shift toward data-driven business models.

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USA Today Partners

USA Today Co. partnered with Palantir, creating a “common intelligence layer” to monetize reader data.
Thirty-one unions representing about 800 workers (15% of staff) demanded the partnership be ended, saying it threatens reader trust and raises ethical concerns about Palantir’s surveillance work.
Labor-relations VP Amy Garrard called the deal a business decision, said data remain protected, noted the company has not answered union questions, and warned readers may cancel subscriptions.

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