AI and automation: An updated guide to using LLMs for local news
How small and local newsrooms can effectively and ethically integrate generative AI and LLM tools
Today I’m releasing an updated guide on how small and local newsrooms can effectively and ethically integrate generative AI and LLM tools into their reporting and publishing operations.
In my role as associate director of operations at the Center for Cooperative Media, I’ve spent considerable time exploring how AI can benefit local news organizations without compromising their integrity or stretching their limited resources. (And it kinda feels like that’s all anyone wants to talk to me about anymore :)
Over the past two years, I’ve published a handful of these guides to help local news organizations understand and implement AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude into their operations. My previous guides include a beginner’s guide to ChatGPT, a guide to custom GPTs, and a primer on using DALL-E 3.
But the pace of development in AI technology has been just a bit faster than some of the other tools journalists may have had to pick up in the past, with major platforms releasing significant updates almost weekly.
As such, some of the tips, case studies, tutorials, and other information in this guide may already be outdated. That’s why I’ve tried to focus primarily on core principles and fundamental concepts of LLM use rather than chasing the latest features or shiny new objects. My hope is that a more foundational approach will allow the information to remain valuable even as the technology continues to evolve.
The guide is titled “AI and automation: An updated guide to using LLMs for local news,” and you can access it for free by clicking the link or the button below.
This guide reflects those learnings and provides clear, actionable guidance on:
- Understanding large language models (LLMs) and their core functionality
- Best practices for ethical AI use and proper disclosure
- Practical automation strategies and integration techniques
- Real-world case studies from local newsrooms
- Step-by-step tutorials for common AI tasks
- Resources for further learning and development
The guide emphasizes free and low-cost tools that can be implemented without extensive technical expertise. I’ve included detailed case studies showing how newsrooms are already using AI successfully, from automated newsletter curation to content optimization and administrative task automation.
One case study I found particularly interesting was the AI-assisted “news harvest” process that Simon Galperin created for his local nonprofit news org, The Jersey Bee. I’ve embedded the video from our conversation below, and I think local news publishers will find it especially useful for their own operations.
I like the Jersey Bee’s application of these tools specifically because it highlights the value of leaning more on automation rather than generation for newsgathering — using LLMs sparingly and primarily as a layer of additional functionality or as a bridge between more complicated code-related tasks rather than a load-bearing component of the overall workflow.
You’ll also find thorough discussions of critical concerns around ethics, transparency, and maintaining human oversight of AI systems. These considerations are particularly important for local newsrooms, which must maintain the trust of their communities while adapting to new technologies.
If you have questions about the guide or want to discuss AI implementation in your newsroom, feel free to reach out to me at amditisj@montclair.edu.
Joe Amditis is the associate director of operations at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. Contact him at amditisj@montclair.edu or on Bluesky at @jamditis.bsky.social.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
