NewsBreak (sometimes stylized as News Break) is a local news aggregation platform founded in 2015.[1] It uses a mobile app and website to deliver geographically specific news to users across the United States.[2][3]
The app was made by Particle Media, a company founded by Zheng Zhao Hui. Particle Media was initially a subsidiary of his Chinese technology company, Yi Dian Zi Xun.[4] The company now has Francisco Partners and IDG Capital as their shareholders with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and headquarters in Mountain View.[5][6]
According to a 2024 report by Reuters, erroneous stories published by NewsBreak due to their use of AI impacted local communities in more than 40 instances since 2021.[4] In 2022, NewsBreak settled a lawsuit brought by Patch Media alleging copyright infringement due to unauthorized republication of their content by NewsBreak for $1.75 million without the admission of wrongdoing.[4]
References
- ^ "在美受追捧的News Break 能否不受中国政府控制？". Voice of America Chinese (in Chinese). 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ Ha, Anthony. "Local news app News Break raises $115M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ^ Liao, Rita. "Meet News Break, the news app trending in America". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ^ a b c Pearson, James (June 6, 2024). "NewsBreak: Most downloaded US news app has Chinese roots and 'writes fiction' using AI". Reuters.
- ^ "又一个TikTok? 美议员担心新闻应用程序NewsBreak的中国背景，呼吁进行严格审查". Voice of America Chinese (in Chinese). 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ Alexandra Alper; James Pearson (8 June 2024). "Some US lawmakers call for more scrutiny of news app NewsBreak over Chinese origins". Reuters. Retrieved 2 March 2025.