Since returning to Warren County after an almost four-year hiatus, I’ve had numerous people tell me that they missed my writing style. It flows, it is objective, it is interesting, and most importantly, it is not AI generated.
When I began reporting the news 21 years ago (2005), I did it the old-fashioned way. We used pen, paper for notes, a hand-held recorder, and a camera. There weren’t any short cuts. It was hard work that I found enjoyable. I’d cover a lengthy list of city government meetings one evening. Before the next morning, I logged them mentally from most to least important and began generating news articles the next morning as quickly as my fingers would allow. I’m happy to report that I’m still generating the news the old-fashioned way.
Today, figuratively speaking, I’m being told that the future is AI-generated news reports. If nothing else, voice recognition that types out the meeting/conversation for you. Then, all you have to do is tweak it. I’ve seen the results. As one would expect from something not generated by a human, it’s horrible. There’s no personality. There’s no flow. It’s not interesting.
Not sure where I stand in the rise of AI-generated news. I’ve been resisting it. It’s not supposed to be the death of journalism, but “a new chapter.” AI cannot replace editorial judgement. It cannot replace professional journalism. It can’t replace common sense.
It is much quicker, which is about the only point I can give it. If I sit in a room with a reporter who uses AI, their coverage of the meeting will be out before mine. Guaranteed. Mine will be written better, in my humble opinion. However, quicker is why I’ve thought about trying it. This online world of news reporting has an underlying theme of getting to it first and getting it out there. Is the fact that mine is human generated enough for our readers to excuse a slight delay?
So, I guess I’m tossing this question out into The Warren County Way universe for you to decide: AI or just I? Are you willing to wait a little for your human-generated news coverage or should I use AI? Let me know what you think on The Warren County Way’s Facebook page. I’m listening.