Several major news organizations are hosting reporter fellows whose salaries are paid by donor-backed AI journalism groups - and those funding relationships often go undisclosed to readers. The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism places fellows at outlets including Bloomberg, Time, NBC News, The Guardian and the Los Angeles Times, paying between $60,000 and $110,000 per year. Some outlets alert readers to the funding; others do not, raising questions about how disclosure standards are applied in practice.
Tarbell has sponsored at least 28 journalists covering topics such as Anthropic, deepfakes, AI in geopolitics, misuse, the economy and misinformation. The group states on its website that it does not set the direction of its reporters' work. "Our donors have no editorial control over the work of Tarbell, our fellows, or our grantees. Tarbell does not accept anonymous donations greater than $10,000," the site says.
Yet Tarbell receives funding from groups that advocate for specific positions on AI safety. Coefficient Giving, backed primarily by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz - an Anthropic investor - has awarded more than $4.7 million to Tarbell, according to the organization's public grants database. Other funders include the Future of Life Institute, the EA Infrastructure Fund and the Survival and Flourishing Fund.
When disclosure is missing - and when it isn't
Harry Booth, a Tarbell fellow working with Time, wrote an article titled "The War for AI" and called Anthropic's Claude a "world-class model" after visiting the company's headquarters. Time did not disclose Booth's Tarbell funding in the story. Similarly, The Verge did not mention reporter Robert Hart's paid Tarbell fellowship in an article about OpenAI and the Trump administration's clash with Anthropic.
Time said disclosure decisions are left to its editors. "TIME is committed to transparency. Current Tarbell Fellows' affiliations are disclosed in their TIME author biographies. TIME's editorial decisions are determined solely by our editors," the outlet said in a statement. The Verge did not respond to requests for comment.
Other outlets take a different approach. NBC News added an editorial note to the work of Jared Perlo, a fellow who reported on the Future of Life Institute. The note read: "This reporter is a Tarbell Fellow, funded through the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism, a nonprofit devoted to supporting the news coverage of artificial intelligence." NBC added that the Tarbell Center receives funding from the Future of Life Institute, a subject of the article, and that it "had no input on NBC News' reporting."
What Tarbell says about transparency
Cillian Crosson, executive director of the Tarbell Center, said the organization requires fellows and host outlets to disclose its support on the fellow's author page. "Transparency is a core principle for Tarbell," Crosson said. "All six fellows disclose their Tarbell support on their author page."
Crosson noted that fellows who are later hired full-time by their publications are no longer required to keep the disclosure, since they are no longer funded by Tarbell. He also stressed editorial independence: "All our fellows maintain strict editorial independence. Tarbell does not dictate the conclusions or perspectives of the journalists we support - their reporting is guided only by facts they uncover, not predetermined narratives."
Tarbell's website echoes that policy, stating that donors have no editorial control and that the group does not accept anonymous donations above $10,000.
Why this matters for writers
For journalists and editors, the Tarbell case is a practical test of disclosure standards. A fellowship that pays up to $110,000 inevitably creates a financial tie - and when that relationship is hidden from readers, it undermines trust in the newsroom's independence. Writers covering AI companies should understand that funding sources are as relevant as any other conflict of interest. If your outlet hosts sponsored fellows, the clearest practice is to note the funding at the top or bottom of every relevant story, not just on an author bio page that few readers see. The difference between credible journalism and paid advocacy often comes down to a single line of editorial disclosure.
Your membership also unlocks:
