Is AI stigma in journalism fading?
Talking Points highlights the topics, trends, and technology, defining the media and communications sectors.
Is AI stigma in journalism fading?
For years, AI was a taboo subject in journalism. Even reporters who acknowledged its potential kept it at arm’s length. Most admitted they weren’t using it—and didn’t plan to anytime soon.
That’s starting to shift. Slowly, maybe reluctantly, but unmistakably: journalists are warming to AI as a legitimate part of their process—or, at the very least, as something that’s no longer avoidable. Not to replace reporting or write copy wholesale, but as a digital colleague: something closer to an always-on, eager-to-please research assistant than a machine that works on their behalf.
That shift in posture is being driven largely by enhancements in the product itself. Media professionals’ reactions to ChatGPT—including our own—were initially underwhelming. Now, we’re increasingly impressed.
Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can now synthesize sources, mimic tone, and draft with startling fluency. The line between what’s “AI-generated” and what’s simply “AI-assisted” is getting harder to draw.
And that gray area is becoming the middle ground many writers are learning to work within.
Former New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo recently described his evolving use of AI chatbots on the How I AI podcast. Manjoo admitted that while “the first versions [of ChatGPT] were not good enough to help with writing,” it’s now an essential part of his process.
“It really feels like it’s integrated into my writing rather than replacing it,” Manjoo said. But even as it assists, he was clear: “It’s really my work.”
This past month, Columbia Journalism Review wrapped up a week’s worth of coverage on journalism and AI, including one piece which published the perspectives of dozens of decorated reporters. What emerged was a complex, and sometimes conflicted, picture of how AI is reshaping journalistic work.
“Large language models simply offer a game-changing deal,” said Ben Welsh of Reuters. VentureBeat’s Emilia David said AI tools have become so ubiquitous that it would be “impossible” to ignore them in the workplace, but also noted that “if I let AI models write for me, I feel like I’ve taken away an important part of that relationship with my readers.” 404 Media co-founder Jason Koebler held staunchly against it, and advised other writers to take a similar stance: “It is unwise to lean into this future and align ourselves with companies developing technologies they want to replace us, and so we haven’t.”
Zach Seward, editorial director of AI initiatives at the New York Times, wrote: “Like all software, [AI is] useful when paired with properly structured data and someone who knows what they’re doing.”
He emphasizes an important lesson as AI continues bleeding into the media and information economy: don’t mistake the tool for the artist. The companion metaphor used by Manjoo and others highlights how performative results depend on intentional guidance, iterative feedback, and creative oversight.
Still, publishers are more pragmatic in how they think about and approach AI. For many, it’s seen as infrastructure, not a threat.
In early 2025, The New York Times launched an internal AI system called Echo, allowing staff to use it for headlines, summaries, and interview prep.
Yahoo News debuted a reimagined AI-powered mobile app in June 2024, following its acquisition of Artifact, the AI-driven news aggregation and discovery platform, earlier that year.
Business Insider debuted an AI-powered search engine, integrated AI into its paywall logic, and now targets ads using tone-based machine learning.
These tools don’t write the news; they support the people who do. That line is one many newsrooms are careful not to cross.
The Times’ policy prohibits using generative AI to write or significantly edit content, and bars inputting sensitive data. “Times journalism will always be reported, written and edited by our expert journalists,” the company stated. The Associated Press and Washington Post have issued similar policies, all built around the same idea: human accountability is non-negotiable.
That trust factor has proven very important, and readers still expect someone with a pulse to be behind the byline—but that expectation may be softening.
A 2024 Reuters Institute study found that while 52% of Americans are uncomfortable with AI-written news, many are fine with AI being used “behind the scenes” to speed up production, help with research, or assist editors. A more recent Poynter-Minnesota Journalism Center survey found that only 1 in 5 U.S. adults want newsrooms to avoid AI entirely. Most readers just want transparency and ethical boundaries.
But the increase in AI-generated or assisted content on our feeds raises a bigger question: does it actually matter if something was written by AI?
PR Daily editor Allison Carter tackled the topic recently in a column. Her answer: Not really, as long as it’s accurate, useful, and ethical. “AI isn’t the enemy. Bad content is. No matter who the author is.”
On-Record with The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey
From the success of Mr. Beast’s Beast Games on Amazon Prime to Giggly Squad hosts Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner selling out not one, but two live shows at Radio City Music Hall, creators and traditional entertainers are increasingly becoming one and the same.
Charting the course for reporting on this space is Natalie Jarvey, long-time entertainment journalist and author of The Ankler’s inaugural creator economy newsletter: Like & Subscribe. With previous stints at The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, and more, Jarvey is no stranger to traditional Hollywood and has had a front row seat to its growing intersection with the digital world.
Calling her decision to launch Like & Subscribe in partnership with the Ankler Media team earlier this year “a no-brainer,” Jarvey thinks Hollywood can take a few pages out of creators’ books.
“Creators are incredibly good at building audiences, speaking to them authentically, giving them what they want to see or hear or read, and marketing themselves,” she told us. “And I think Hollywood… can learn a lot from creators on how they find their audience, how they retain their audience, and how they give their audiences what they want.”
But it goes both ways. As creators are increasingly recognized as key avenues to reach younger audiences and the business behind the industry continues to mature, Jarvey expects we’ll see even more deals and collaborations forming between Hollywood powerhouses and creators. Whether it's through creators turning to the industry for backing or, in some cases, even bringing its execs onboard their team–like Dude Perfect’s hire of NBA executive Andrew Yaffe as the group’s first CEO–influencers can learn a lot from seasoned entertainment alum.
“Any creator, once they reach a certain threshold, can and should start thinking about what they're doing as not just, ‘I'm an individual creator,’ but ‘I’m the founder of a media brand,’” Jarvey explained. “That’s where I think there's an opportunity for both industries to learn from each other.”
The pace and constant evolution of the digital world as new creators rise and platforms emerge, or disappear, may feel like unfamiliar territory to Hollywood conglomerates. But internet culture slows for no one.
“It's a beat where you could not know someone's name one day, and then the next day they’re the most important person in the space,” Jarvey said. “It’s always changing. It's always evolving. And in general, I feel that more and more of what's happening in the creator space has a lot of influence and bearing on what's happening in Hollywood.”
With Like & Subscribe, Jarvey aims to be a resource not only for those already immersed in the creator space, but also readers in media, entertainment, or other industries who know that they should care about creators amidst this continued convergence, but don't know where to start.
When asked about the transition from legacy publications to launching a Substack from the ground up, Jarvey said the newsletter format allows her to be more conversational with readers, taking them deeper inside her thought process and why stories caught her attention that week. She’s enjoyed the freedom to be able to, “break free of the news cycle” and tell the stories that aren't always being told.
Jarvey points out, “[Creators] are entertainers, they are creatives, and there's a whole industry here that is just as big as Hollywood, and should be covered in that way.”
What we’re working on ☕
[Forbes]: “Invisible Universe Unveils Invisible Studio, An AI Engine For Short-Form Video”
[Adweek]: “Trusted Media Brands Names Stephen Colvin Its New Chief Executive”
[Rolling Stone]: “These Esports Players Are Training Like F1 Racers”
[Esports Insider]: ““We’re in an esports spring”: EA’s Monica Dinsmore on ALGS 2025 & other EA games”
[The Esports Radar]: “Red Bull becomes official DreamHack sponsor ahead of Dallas event”
[KCAL]: “PlayLab Beauty | Celebrating AAPI month”
Story ideas, feedback, or just want to get in touch? Email us at contact@jsapartners.co or drop us a line on LinkedIn.