AI in NH Local News: Uses & Limits

AI's Role in Local Newsrooms

Newsrooms, both in New Hampshire and beyond, are exploring how artificial intelligence might support their reporting as AI tools become more widespread. They are treading carefully with the technology and establishing explicit guidelines. For example, AI will not create articles or photos.

Many reporters are now using AI tools like Otter to handle transcription of interviews, which saves a lot of time. Some news organizations are also using AI to keep tabs on public meetings they are unable to attend. This helps them find possible stories or sources.

Cautionary Tales

However, there have been some well-publicized cautionary stories regarding the combination of journalism and AI. For instance, earlier in the year, the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer posted a summer reading list containing books that did not exist. The freelancer responsible admitted to using generative AI without checking the facts.

Jonathan Van Fleet, editor of the Concord Monitor, stated that a human must be involved when using AI. AI can assist journalists in working more efficiently, but it is unable to handle their reporting, writing, editing, or fact-checking.

New Hampshire Newsrooms Consider AI

Here's how two newsrooms in New Hampshire are approaching AI. According to Julie Hirshan Hart, editor at The Laconia Daily Sun, formal AI policies are still in development, but they are actively discussing it. A definite rule is that The Daily Sun will not use generative AI for writing articles.

According to Hart, journalists have used AI to generate ideas for headlines and picture captions. She has also considered whether it might automate some repetitive operations, such as formatting police logs. She emphasized, however, that AI will never replace human journalists, but is a tool that can be used in the writing or brainstorming process and it should not take the place of a journalist's experience, news judgment, or voice.

Similarly, the Concord Monitor is using AI tools to improve the work that journalists are already doing. Van Fleet mentioned that they have used AI to recommend URLs that will perform better in search results. It is also capable of rapidly converting large volumes of public records released as PDFs into searchable Word documents. He stated that they are using the tool to help them do their work more quickly and efficiently and are not using it to cover meetings for them.

Transparency is Key

Van Fleet noted that as AI content gets more widespread, readers will question what they can trust. News organizations must be upfront about how they are using AI. For this reason, the Monitor has made its AI policy available on its website.

The policy stipulates that employees must be transparent about any AI use during the reporting, writing, or editing processes. Additionally, a reporter or editor must review any information produced by AI before it is published. The policy states that AI tools enable them to work more efficiently by suggesting headlines, helping to summarize stories, and organizing public information, but they are not a replacement for human judgment, reporting, or editing.

Van Fleet emphasized the significance of that final point. He made it clear that they are not creating phoney articles or having a robot report on community news. Readers will interact with a real person, speak with a reporter, and receive accurate quotes. They can also speak with a human if they have any concerns regarding the story.

This article is part of Know Your News, an effort by the Granite State News Collaborative and the New England Newspaper and Press Association's Press Freedom Committee to highlight the importance of the First Amendment, press freedom, and local news.