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By Casey Bukro

Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists

It was Brian again, a freelancer calling AdviceLine with another question about writing with the aid of artificial intelligence.

His life as a freelancer was getting complicated because rules governing the use of artificial intelligence in journalism were changing fast, and his supervisors were giving him mixed messages.

“I am reaching out seeking a followup on a past case that I spoke (about) to the Ethics AdviceLine,” Brian said in his email. “I found out that my company will soon be incorporating AI tools after editors/leadership gave me a hard time after I unknowingly used a rephrasing/clarity tool which still does not appear to be against our written policy.

“I want to be proud of these stories and continue to worry that because they (AI tools) were now seemingly the policy, I can’t be.”

Admits using Toolbox

The first time he got into trouble, Brian had admitted to his editors that he used Toolbot to check spelling and grammar, making suggestions for alternate phrasings and insure his pieces conformed to the AP Stylebook, but not for generating content.

Brian’s editors told him they “would not have used such a tool,” and this caused Brian to fret that he had done something unethical, and that the quality of his former work was tainted by the use of Toolbot.

By chance, Hugh Miller, an AdviceLine ethics expert, was on duty the first time Brian contacted AdviceLine, and Miller happened to be on duty the second time.

Miller assured Brian that his earlier use of Toolbot was not unethical.

New AI tools

But here’s what worries Brian the second time he contacted AdviceLine: The company he works for will be introducing a new content management system (CMS) to its newsroom which will have AI tools built in. Exactly what those tools are, and what they will be capable of doing, has not been made clear by the editors.

This causes Brian renewed anxiety about his past articles, and what might be the ethical use of AI tools being newly introduced in the newsroom where Brian submits his stories.

Here’s a description of the conversation between Miller and Brian as they tried to noodle their way through this new dilemma:

Hugh Miller: Do you know what the tools are?

Brian: I don’t yet.

HM: I presume they will at least have the minimal editing and formatting capabilities of, say, a Toolbot, yes?

B: I assume so, and possibly others.

HM: As a recent post on the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists website points out, “A 2024 Associated Press survey found nearly 70 percent of newsroom staffers use the technology for basic skills such as producing content, information gathering, story drafts, headlines, translation and transcribing interviews. One-fifth said they used AI for multimedia projects, including graphics and videos. Surveyed were 292 media representatives from legacy media, public broadcasters and magazines, mostly based in the U.S. and Europe.” So AI is already being extensively used in newsrooms in ways far beyond the bare-bones use you were making of Toolbot. Does your organization have an AI use/ethics policy in place?

B: I don’t believe so.

HM: Perhaps it might be a good idea to help craft one.

B: I belong to the union at work, and we have begun to discuss this. But we only meet every few months.

HM: This is an issue on which management and union interests converge. Credibility is the very lifeblood and stock-in-trade of journalism. Readers should know that their human concerns are being reported by human journalists, and there should be transparency about AI use. Perhaps you could get it on the agenda for the next meeting that you want to discuss a company-wide AI use/ethics policy.

B: I think we’re moving in that direction, yes.

HM: And in the meantime, collect examples of such policies from other newsrooms or places like theSociety of Professional Journalists and the Poynter Institute.

B: Yes, I’ve already begun looking into those.

HM: Any other issues?

B: Not right now.HM: It sounds like you have a plan to move forward. Keep me posted.

AdviceLine has four staff members who help journalists solve ethics dilemmas through a discussion leading to a conclusion. The four advisors taught or are teaching ethics at the university level. These advisors meet periodically to review advice that was given to journalists, and whether it could have been better. 

After giving advice to journalists, advisors write case reports for each query handled by AdviceLine. At the periodic Zoom meetings, those case reports are discussed.

At a recent Zoom meeting, Miller described his exchange with Brian, and the advice he gave.

Good advice

In all cases where journalists ask for guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, suggested David Ozar, they should be asked “does your editorial workplace have a policy? That’s good advice.”

Ozar is a co-founder of AdviceLine and emeritus professor of the Department of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago, and a consulting ethicist for the Institutional Ethics Committee, NorthShore University Health System.

Journalists should “encourage collective action; this is an issue where workforce and management might converge,” suggested David Craig, Presidential Professor and Gaylord Chair, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Ok.

Also attending was AdviceLine advisor Joe Mathewson, a professor at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, who teaches ethics and law of journalism.

Miller has been with AdviceLine since 2002 and was assistant professor of philosophy at Loyola University Chicago and taught courses in ethics and business ethics. His areas of specialization were philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, history of metaphysics and contemporary French philosophy.

AdviceLine ethics cases are archived at the Medill School of Journalism.

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The Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists was founded in 2001 by the Chicago Headline Club (Chicago professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists) and Loyola University Chicago Center for Ethics and Social Justice. It partnered with the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 2013. It is a free service.

Professional journalists are invited to contact the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists for guidance on ethics. Call 866-DILEMMA or ethicsadvicelineforjournalists.org.