Pictured: An AI-generated image of World Cup soccer player Jude Bellingham who was reportedly seen at Whole Foods in Montclair during his team’s stay during the global tournament.
Across the media industry, AI has become another tool in the editorial workflow. The Associated Press uses automation and AI-assisted tools to streamline repetitive reporting and newsroom production. Bloomberg has introduced generative AI features to support reporters with research and organization. The New York Times has approved internal AI tools to help journalists summarize documents, organize information and assist with coding and product development—all while maintaining human editorial oversight.
The debate inside many newsrooms has shifted. The question is no longer whether AI belongs in journalism. It’s where the line should be drawn.
For local news organizations, that question carries particular weight.
Small newsrooms are expected to produce more reporting than ever while operating with limited resources. AI has the potential to eliminate hours of repetitive production work, freeing journalists to spend more time interviewing sources, attending public meetings and reporting stories that matter to their communities.
But journalism runs on trust. Any efficiency gained through technology has to be balanced against transparency with readers.
That’s why The Montclair Pod has adopted a straightforward principle:
Every story begins and ends with humans.
Our editorial team remains responsible for the research, reporting, editorial judgment and final publication of every article, podcast and newsletter we produce. AI may assist us, but it never replaces those responsibilities.
What AI Helps US Do
Like many news organizations, we use AI primarily as a production tool.
Depending on the project, AI may help organize interview transcripts, summarize background material, generate early brainstorming ideas, suggest alternate wording or identify possible factual inconsistencies that deserve another look. It also helps streamline podcast production by reducing repetitive editing work such as removing filler words and long pauses.
These are tasks that happen before publication – not the journalism itself.
Every output generated by AI is reviewed, edited and approved by a human before it becomes part of anything we publish.
Occasionally, AI also supports creative production.
For a recent World Cup social media reel, co-host Mike Schreiber wrote the lyrics for an original song celebrating the tournament. AI was used to generate the instrumental arrangement, allowing us to create an original soundtrack without licensing commercial music or hiring session musicians. It wasn’t a replacement for reporting or storytelling. It was simply another production tool.
Where We Draw the Line
Knowing where AI can help is only half the equation. Knowing where it shouldn’t be used matters even more.
At The Montclair Pod:
- AI does not conduct interviews.
- AI does not make editorial decisions.
- AI does not determine what is newsworthy.
- AI does not publish directly to our website, newsletter or social channels.
- AI does not write the final version of our reporting.
- AI does not replace original reporting, fact-checking or human judgment.
Those responsibilities remain with our newsroom.
AI cannot independently verify facts, build relationships with sources, attend a Township Council meeting or understand the context that comes from covering the same community week after week.
Those are fundamentally human responsibilities, and they remain at the center of our work.
Technology Changes. Editorial Standards Shouldn’t.
Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, and so will the ways news organizations use it.
Some tools will become more capable. Others will disappear. New questions about copyright, attribution and compensation for creators are already reshaping the media industry and will continue to do so. Our responsibility, however, remains the same.
Every story we publish is the result of human reporting, human editorial judgment and human accountability. AI may help us work more efficiently behind the scenes, but it does not replace the values that define our journalism. If anything, the rise of AI makes those values more important—not less.
We recognize that some readers would prefer news organizations avoid AI altogether, and we respect that perspective. Our approach is different. We believe AI can be a useful production tool when it’s used transparently and responsibly – but it should never replace reporting, editorial judgment, or accountability. Those responsibilities remain entirely ours, and they always will.
If you have questions about how we use AI, or think we’ve fallen short of the standards we’ve outlined here, we’d like to hear from you. Transparency is an ongoing conversation, and we believe our readers deserve a seat at that table. You can also review our our full Editorial and AI policy here.
