Idaho Statesman journalists strike over wages and AI practices
Reporters, photographers, and columnists at the Idaho Statesman walked off the job Tuesday, leaving only managers in the newsroom. The Idaho News Guild is demanding higher wages, better negotiating conditions, and guardrails on how parent company McClatchy uses artificial intelligence.
Three issues are driving the strike. Union members say McClatchy's decision-makers are not negotiating directly with them. Wages are not keeping pace with rising costs in the Boise area. And the company is using AI to rewrite reporters' stories and republishing them under the original reporter's byline.
The wage problem
Sally Krutzig, a breaking news reporter at the Statesman, said the financial reality is forcing her to reconsider her career. "I love working at the Statesman. I love reporting on this community. I love Boise, but I've had to take stock of my life and think, 'is this something I can afford to keep doing?'" she said.
Michael Lycklama, chair of the Idaho News Guild, said union members feel they are not being taken seriously at the bargaining table.
The AI concern
McClatchy has been taking reporters' stories, running a second version through AI, and reposting it with the reporter's name still attached. Noah Daly, a suburbs reporter at the Statesman, said that practice puts reporters' credibility at risk.
"When that tool inevitably makes a mistake, it's then attributed to the reporter," Daly said. "And then we lose credibility, and then people start to lose faith in our ability to tell the stories that are important to this community."
For writers and journalists, this raises a fundamental question: who is responsible for the work published under a reporter's name? The practice also highlights how generative AI and LLMs are being deployed in newsrooms without clear standards for when and how they are used.
Why human reporting matters
During Tuesday's news conference, Lycklama argued that journalism still requires a human presence. "AI cannot sit with a victim recounting the most difficult time in their life. AI cannot sit at that statehouse and report to the community what is happening there. AI cannot go to Boise State and describe the emotions of a championship," he said.
McClatchy did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
The strike was coordinated with four McClatchy newspapers in Washington state. Union representatives said they will return to the bargaining table in one week.
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