The Paper's approach to innovation without losing authenticity

Across the country, publishers of newspapers large and small are wrestling with the relentless expansion of Artificial Intelligence and its infiltration into all aspects of the media industry.

To shed some light on the impact of AI in newspapers, the industry’s leading trade publication, Editor & Publisher, recently surveyed 39 news organizations and found widespread experimentation with AI, from transcription and copyediting to SEO and audience analysis.

The Paper was asked to participate in this national survey, which was published this week.

In this fast-changing media landscape, The Paper’s approach — cautious, responsible adoption guided by transparency — is an established model for small-town journalism. As reported in the survey, we feel that AI should be embraced, with strict limitations and oversight.

“Any entity — and especially in the media world, with the fast pace it demands and the ever-changing habits of consuming news — any entity that does not explore new technology and figure out its fit is really setting themselves up for trouble,” I said in the survey. “Think about how much easier the reporter’s job is today because of cell phones, Google, email and the rest, compared to 40 years ago. … AI is another technological tool in the toolbox. To prosper, you must learn to use it responsibly. And that’s the key, to use it responsibly.”

I told E&P that unethical uses of AI are already seeping into local news with so-called “news” websites that look legitimate but have no reporters, no editors — just algorithms. These sites use AI to scrape real local stories from genuine outlets, repackage the content, and post it as their own.

“And all of a sudden, they’re an ‘authoritative’ media source that sells ads, gets subscribers, and it hasn’t cost the owners a dime,” I said in the survey. “We are very protective of the authenticity, reliability and credibility of our content.”

E&P reported that The Paper’s team uses ChatGPT for suggesting headlines, generating social media teasers and story summaries, SEO, data mining and pattern recognition.

I mentioned that The Paper is especially cautious about using AI to generate images in its pages.

“Our experience has been that AI-created graphics and images are not working for a publication like ours,” I told E&P. “They’re just too fabricated. In one case, to accompany a humor column, we used AI to create a sketch to accompany it. A reader wrote back and said, ‘I’m disappointed because the paper is standing on its authenticity policies, yet you used AI.’ That was the last time we did that. Authenticity is paramount.”

Most publishers in the survey said they’re using AI behind the scenes — not to write stories, but to make the newsroom work faster and cleaner. Tasks like transcribing interviews, crunching data, writing headlines, editing copy, and building social posts are where AI tools have found a foothold.

A few outlets have also turned to AI for coding, audience analysis, sales leads, and SEO. Nine publishers, including The Paper, have formal AI policies, seven are drafting theirs, and only five have struck licensing deals with AI developers.

The Paper’s policy is summarized on its Opinion Page. It reads, “The Paper permits AI-assisted content creation when supervised by editorial management. All AI-assisted content for publication is reviewed and approved by management. AI-generated headlines and social posts are allowed with oversight.”

Survey participants represented media organizations from fewer than five employees to more than 100. The Paper has 12 employees in addition to select freelance contributors.

The most common concerns voiced by participants were related to “accuracy and hallucinations, transparency and audience trust, copyright and intellectual property risks, the impact on news media jobs, data privacy, and fear of amplifying misinformation,” according to E&P.

“AI won’t replace local reporters who know the people, the politics and the stories of Burke County,” I said in the survey. “But it can help us work smarter and spend more time doing what matters — reporting the news. … We’re here to provide Burke County with solid, responsible, thorough coverage of local news, sports, entertainment and opinion.”