The human in the loop 

The relationship between AI and journalism may feel a little like a no-rules Wild West these days. But if there is “one firm rule,” writes media watcher Margaret Sullivan, it’s that “there should always be a human in the loop before publication.” That’s because AI is “often wrong on the facts,” Sullivan writes in her Guardian column.

Her piece was one of many takes this week on a new AI-driven “Insights” feature in the Los Angeles Times that provides alternative views to opinion pieces. One of its first acts, noted by New York Times reporter Ryan Mac on Bluesky, was to add an “other side” to a piece urging people not to forget the city of Anaheim’s KKK past. That AI-generated “insight” was taken down — presumably by a human.

The importance of human involvement was also one of the takeaways in a piece from Clark Merrefield of Journalist’s Resource, who wrote about a pair of studies on AI use in the AP and BBC newsrooms. Both studies came out earlier this year, but Merrefield interpreted them and provided bullet-point findings.

Among them: It’s important for newsrooms to manage expectations, “as AI tools often need to be tailored to the specific needs of particular newsrooms.” Also, Merrefield wrote, “AI tools by and large require a human in the loop — journalists to ensure that what is produced is accurate.”

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Inside the Trump White House’s relentless strategy to dominate news (The Washington Post)

The White House press shop has transformed into a “rapid-response influencer operation,” write Drew Harwell and Sarah Ellison. It uses memes, TikToks and podcasts to disseminate its messages, in a sort of “parallel information universe” of right-wing rapid responders who are trying to sell Americans on President Trump’s views and actions.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> New from API: Develop your influencer strategy

As part of our guide to working with influencers, Ariel Zirulnick lays out a step-by-step process for developing a creator strategy, including ways to demystify the collaborations and enhance community outreach. Critical to the strategy, she writes, is identifying the kind of creators you’re working with, preparing yourself for questions from the newsroom and getting buy-in from staff.

  • Related: Two pieces cite API’s work on influencer collaborations

Our work on influencer collaborations was cited in an article in CJR by Klaudia Jaźwińska on how news organizations are embracing creators as “complementary or collaborative, rather than competitive.” It was also mentioned in a piece by TyLisa Johnson for Poynter about how a podcaster “struggled with ethical journalistic boundaries” in interviewing Megan Thee Stallion at an Oscar party.

Coming in Monday’s Need to Know: Navigating ethical implications of working with influencers

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Join our team: API is hiring a new Director of Community Engagement 

Our new Director of Community Engagement will serve as the institute’s subject matter expert on how local journalism can meet community needs through sustained connection and convening. This role will facilitate the expansion of API’s deep portfolio on community engagement and inclusion best practices. Learn more and apply here.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> The Assembly announces plans to double its reach to North Carolina news markets (The Assembly) 

The four-year-old news outlet in North Carolina has announced plans to expand its local reporting capacity and provide daily local news to ten markets across the state by 2027. To support the growth, it has launched The Assembly Growth Challenge Fund with support from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

>> API in the news: Digital Transformation Guide tackles engaged journalism, management through change (International News Media Association) 

API’s director of journalism strategy Emily Ristow, author of our digital transformation guide, was featured in a piece by INMA’s Amalie Nash, who focused on the guide’s sections on engaged journalism and managing change, saying they “align most closely” with newsroom transformation. You can find the guide here. 

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What else you need to know

🤝 Contract deal is reached, walkouts averted at 6 Gannett titles (Media Post)

🧭 Revitalizing Tulsa’s news landscape: Nonprofit Tulsa News Initiative charts a new path (Editor & Publisher)

📰 Tariffs latest blow to newspaper industry (The Seattle Times)

✂️WSJ cuts tech staff, creates tech and media team (Talking Biz News)

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Weekend reads

+ Irrelevant and unloved: how the press lost its touch (Prospect)

+ My trauma was nearly forty years ago. Then a journalist called. (CJR)

+ Can the media’s right to pursue the powerful survive Trump’s second term? (The New York Times)

NYT v. Sullivan: Will the landmark defamation ruling survive? (The New York Times)