McClatchy Reporters Withhold Bylines Over AI-Generated Articles
Journalists at McClatchy newspapers including The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee, and The Idaho Statesman are refusing to attach their names to articles created by a new artificial intelligence tool that summarizes and repackages existing reporting for different audiences.
The reporters' action marks one of the sharpest conflicts yet between journalists and their employers over AI use in newsrooms. Instead of traditional bylines, the AI-generated articles will run with generic credits and be labeled as AI-assisted.
"We don't want to put our bylines on stories we did not actually write even if they're based on our work," said Ariane Lange, an investigative reporter at The Sacramento Bee and vice chair of The Sacramento Bee News Guild. "That in itself feels like a lie."
How the Tool Works
McClatchy developed the tool internally, calling it the Content Scaling Agent. It takes existing articles and generates different versions tailored to specific audiences. The company has deployed it across all 30 of its newspapers in 14 states.
McClatchy, owned by hedge fund Chatham Asset Management since 2020, has not disclosed how widely the tool is being used or plans for future expansion.
Broader Newsroom Tensions
The byline dispute reflects wider disagreements across the industry about AI's role in journalism. Publishers are experimenting with tools that automate work previously requiring hours of labor, while some outlets have begun using AI to write full articles from scratch.
Many journalists are pushing for guardrails on AI use in reporting and production. McClatchy's reporters have made clear they want control over how their work is attributed and used.
For writers navigating these changes, understanding AI for Writers and how Generative AI and LLM systems work can help you engage more effectively in these workplace discussions.
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