Several major US news organisations have been placing AI-focused reporter fellows in their newsrooms without disclosing that these positions are funded by donor-backed AI journalism groups, raising questions about editorial transparency. The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism, which pays the salaries of these fellows, has placed them at prominent outlets, meaning readers are often unaware that coverage of artificial intelligence is being written by reporters whose pay comes from a third-party organisation with its own interests in the field.

The report highlights concerns about a lack of disclosure across these arrangements, with the funding source rarely made clear to audiences consuming the AI-related journalism produced by these fellows. This comes amid heightened public scrutiny of AI more broadly, including developments such as Anthropic's restriction of access to its newest model over safety and cybersecurity concerns, underscoring the sensitivity of transparent, independent reporting on the AI industry at this moment.