McClatchy News is experimenting with AI. Union reporters have questions

How comfortable are you with AI in your news? 

The Tacoma News Tribune, Tri-City Herald, Bellingham Herald, the Olympian. For over a century all of these local papers have brought in-depth reporting and local news to their communities.

But new policies instituted by publisher McClatchy Media have left reporters at the papers worried that the company is adopting artificial intelligence tools for efficiency’s sake, at the cost of  accurate information.

Union members from the Idaho and Washington State Newsguild, a group of five McClatchy owned papers in the region (that includes the four from WA and The Idaho Statesman), are demanding that the publisher change its policy on how it uses artificial intelligence to produce and collate content.

 

Guests:

• Kristine Sherred is the food reporter at the Tacoma News Tribune, and chair of the WA state newsguild

 

Links:

• To our readers: How we are using AI in our newsrooms - Miami Herald
• The McClatchy News Group Is Pushing AI. Their Union Is Pushing Back. - The Stranger

 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.