The ranks of journalists using artificial intelligence tools are broad and varied. Some are newcomers to the profession — young reporters who have never set foot in the traditional newsrooms that once defined quality journalism before AI became part of daily life. Others are highly experienced, shaped by those very newsrooms, and remain firmly committed to the ethical principles that have long guided the best of human reporting.
Experienced journalists approach artificial intelligence tools with a watchful and critical mindset. They routinely check that AIgenerated headlines or summaries — such as those based on press releases — meet the quality standards of traditional journalism. These standards are often laid out in style guides produced and regularly updated by major newsrooms and publishers. Among them are the Bbc, the US-based Associated Press, and Reuters, the global news agency with a strong focus on economic reporting.
Younger journalists — the future of the profession — are turning to artificial intelligence to generate headlines or summarise documents. But when they read the content produced by these tools, many are unable to judge whether the results meet the standards set by traditional journalism. If we accept that traditional journalism offers a virtuous model of quality and rigour, then younger journalists face a real risk. They may judge AI-generated content as valid — even when it falls short of the standards that define responsible reporting.
We offer three practical suggestions to younger journalists, who deserve our full support and confidence as they shape the future of the profession.
First: they should be voracious readers of articles produced by the world’s leading newsrooms. It’s the best way to absorb the craft and learn — often unconsciously — the secrets of great reporting from the finest journalists in the field.
Second: when using AI tools, they should explicitly request that the output follow the editorial standards set out in recognised style guides, such as those of the Ap, the Bbc and Reuters.
Third: after entering such a prompt, they can upload one of these public and freely available guides to the AI dashboard, ensuring the system understands the rules it is expected to follow. Naturally, journalists should only use documents that are freely distributed and respect the copyright and intellectual property of the publishers involved.
(TEXT TRANSLATED BY AI)
