What happened
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland's largest newspaper, now publishes articles drafted by artificial intelligence under the byline "Advance Local Express Desk," reviewed by human staff. Editor Chris Quinn states AI tools, including those for transcribing meetings, generating story leads, and drafting articles from reporter notes, have boosted the paper's bottom line and page views, with one AI tool generating over 10 million page views last year from podcast summaries. The newsroom, which has shrunk from 400 to 71 employees since the late 1990s, now expects reporters covering suburban areas to file four stories daily with AI assistance.
Why it matters
This shift directly impacts journalists and newsroom executives, redefining reporting workflows and content production metrics. While The Plain Dealer reports increased efficiency and page views, the move has generated industry backlash and internal newsroom anxiety regarding job security and the nature of journalistic work. For platform engineers, this demonstrates a practical application of generative AI in content creation, highlighting the need for robust human-in-the-loop review systems. This follows Ars Technica firing a reporter for AI-fabricated quotes, underscoring the critical importance of human oversight in AI-assisted journalism.
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