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The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s recent experiment with AI-generated videos has raised concerns over transparency and the future role of automation in journalism amid ongoing industry debates about maintaining audience trust.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s latest foray into artificial intelligence has renewed unease about how far local newsrooms should go in automating journalism. According to Poynter, the paper’s digital arm, Cleveland.com, has begun publishing AI-generated videos on social media featuring a cartoon character called T.T., short for Terminal Tower, a nod to one of the city’s best-known landmarks. The clips, which discuss topics such as Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges’ marriage proposal and marriage age laws, have drawn criticism not only for their synthetic style but also because they do not carry AI disclosures.
Editor Chris Quinn has defended the approach, telling Axios Cleveland reporter Sam Allard in an exchange posted on X that the outlet is using AI because it lacks the resources to do the work any other way. That explanation has not quelled concerns from journalists and readers, some of whom see the move as another step towards a blander, less transparent news product. On Instagram, commenters described the videos as strange and complained about the lack of labelling. Poynter has previously reported that disclosure matters for audience trust, especially when machine-generated material is presented in a news context.
The new videos also mark a sharp escalation from Cleveland.com’s earlier experiments with automated writing. Last autumn, the outlet hired an “AI rewrite specialist” and began using Advance Local’s in-house ChatGPT tool to turn reporter notes and press releases into draft stories. In February, a college student withdrew from consideration for a reporting role at the Plain Dealer because of objections to the newsroom’s use of AI, even as Quinn said humans still controlled reporting, editing and publication. The latest social-first clips suggest the outlet is pushing AI further into the public-facing side of its journalism.
Reaction from the wider industry has been sceptical. Washington Post reporter Gene Park argued on X that a newspaper already under pressure should not further weaken its brand with generic AI imagery, while Associated Press photographer Lindsey Wasson questioned the point of “cartoon reporters” at all. The debate lands at a moment when news organisations are under intense financial strain, but also when many journalists worry that overuse of synthetic content could erode credibility just as audiences are struggling to tell reliable reporting from produced noise.
That anxiety was echoed in Italy, where Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network director Angie Drobnic Holan moderated a panel on the future of fact-checking at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia. Participants described fact-checkers as the “janitors of the internet”, a role that has become harder after Meta ended its US fact-checking partnership and funding for smaller fact-checking groups has tightened. The discussion pointed to a broader industry dilemma: as AI accelerates content production, the work of verifying facts and clearly labelling what is machine-made may become even more important, not less.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The article was published on April 24, 2026, and reports on events from April 19, 2026, indicating timely coverage. No evidence of recycled content was found.
Quotes check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article includes direct quotes from Editor Chris Quinn and other sources. While the quotes are attributed, they cannot be independently verified through other sources, raising concerns about their authenticity.
Source reliability
Score:
9
Notes:
The article is from Poynter, a reputable journalism resource. However, the piece is an opinion article, which may introduce subjective interpretations.
Plausibility check
Score:
9
Notes:
The events described are plausible and align with known facts, such as Austin Hedges’ proposal on April 19, 2026. However, the use of AI-generated videos by Cleveland.com is a significant development that warrants further verification.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): FAIL
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article provides timely coverage of Cleveland.com’s use of AI-generated videos, but the inclusion of unverifiable quotes and the opinion-based nature of the piece raise concerns about its reliability. The lack of independent verification for some claims further diminishes confidence in the content’s accuracy.
