Last week, The Washington Post launched an AI-curated podcast based on users’ news consumption habits, with options to customize the length, topics and hosts. The podcast is part of a multiyear agreement between the Post and AI voice-generating company Eleven Labs, and it is intended to engage younger, more diverse audiences, Sara Guaglione writes for Digiday.
But is it journalism if it’s not held to the same editorial standards as the Post’s reporting?
That question rapidly became relevant when the Washington Post Guild raised concerns about the podcast’s rollout and accuracy. The Post itself states on its help page that the product “is not a traditional editorial podcast,” and a note in the mobile app advises listeners to “verify information” heard in the podcast, reports NPR’s Bill Chappell.
Further reporting from Semafor’s Max Tani found that more than two-thirds of the podcast’s scripts did not meet the Post’s editorial standards during testing: the tool was found to fabricate or misattribute quotes, mispronounce reporters’ names and add commentary to reported stories. Despite the issues uncovered during testing and concerns raised by staff, the podcast was launched with a plan to “iterate through the remaining issues.”
It’s not just the Post that’s experimenting with artificial intelligence to customize news digests — just last week, Yahoo announced its own AI-powered news digest podcast and TechCrunch reported that Google is using AI to generate Google News audio briefings and article summaries.
In these instances, the line between news products and editorial content can be fuzzy. Being transparent about not only how a news product uses AI but whether generated content is held to the same editorial standard as reported pieces can help build trust and transparency, according to Trusting News’ Artificial Intelligence Trust Kit — notably, its top-viewed resource of 2025.
News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.
Civic Discourse & Democracy
>> Reporting with One Hand Tied: A new report documents a hostile environment for US journalists this year (CJR)
This year, the US Press Freedom Tracker documented 32 instances — mostly during protests against immigration policy — of journalists arrested or charged for doing their jobs. That number is lower than the 50 cases in 2024 and the peak of 147 in 2020, but the report also recorded 170 assaults against journalists this year — nearly as many as the previous three years combined.
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Culture & Inclusion
>> ‘It’s not a coincidence’: Journalists of color on being laid off amid Trump’s anti-DEI push (The Guardian)
The Guardian’s Melissa Hellmann spoke with seven recently laid-off journalists about people of color on their teams being let go while their white colleagues were spared. “When you see what’s happening around you, and you see the nature of even the media companies capitulating to the administration, you can’t help but feel like that has some part or some role in what took place,” said Curtis Bunn, the only reporter at NBC BLK, who was laid off in October.
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Community Engagement & Trust
>> New from API: 4 ways to partner with community expertise and talent to strengthen local journalism
At our recent API Local News Summit on Inclusion, Belonging and Local Leadership in Washington, D.C., we heard how news outlets are building trust and supporting the cultural health of their communities by giving trusted messengers tools and platforms for creative storytelling. In our final essay series of the year, four summit participants shared more about the ways they are empowering communities with skills and opportunities to have influence in their local news ecosystem.
>> AP introduces AP Verify to strengthen, streamline online content verification (The Associated Press)
AP Verify, a paid tool from AP, uses AI features and digital verification tools to help journalists authenticate online photos, videos and other digital content. The dashboard, developed by journalists and used in AP’s daily work, streamlines the process.
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Revenue & Resilience
>> America’s newspapers would like a word with journalism philanthropy (LinkedIn, Blue Engine Collaborative)
Newspaper leaders are looking to philanthropy for sustainable support in 2026, a survey of almost 50 print publishers found. Almost one-third of respondents said they are investing in this approach by adding development directors to their staff, targeting philanthropic organizations in marketing outreach and finding ways to boost philanthropic giving and paid subscriptions in tandem.
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What else you need to know
💵 Trump sues BBC for $10 billion, claims defamation from Panorama documentary (CNBC)
🤥 A history of PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year, from 2009 to 2025 (PolitiFact)
➡️ Axios CEO: US is in ‘post-news’ era (Semafor)
🎤 WSJ launches new opinion offshoot “Free Expression” (Axios)
