[News] How AI Is Being Used to Paper Over a Local News Crisis

McClatchy, a major U.S. local‑news publisher, has deployed an in‑house “content scaling agent” that publishes AI‑written stories under real reporters’ bylines to counter a $34 million revenue loss, stagnant audience growth and newsroom productivity pressures. Executives tout AI as a business lifeline, yet the strategy yields high traffic with cheap clicks but fails to stem a decline in digital subscriptions, suggesting the output lacks the trust and loyalty essential for sustainable revenue. Reporters report added workload checking AI copy, while missteps—such as repurposing outdated museum coverage for holiday searches—highlight quality concerns. The move mirrors broader industry trends, but McClatchy’s experience warns that scaling AI‑generated commodity content cannot replace genuine, value‑driven journalism needed to retain readers.