Adopted as of Sept. 15, 2026 

AI policy for The Rising Tide 

The Rising Tide upholds the standards of journalistic integrity, accuracy and transparency in our reporting. As part of that commitment, we have established the following policy governing the use of artificial intelligence in our newsroom. 

Artificial intelligence will have far-reaching consequences in nearly every industry on the planet. It is important that newsrooms learn how to use AI responsibly and appropriately – and to establish boundaries for when we do not use it. Experimentation with AI is encouraged, but with established guard rails. 

Modeled in part on industry best practices, these guidelines ensure that AI is used responsibly, ethically, and always under the supervision of our journalists. In short, a human must always be in charge and responsible for what we publish at The Rising Tide. 

Reporting 

Our reported stories start and end with a human – always. We do not use AI to write our news stories. Reporters may, however, use AI to ask questions and gather ideas, similar to a Google search. For example, a reporter might ask AI, “What are the population projections for the state of Maine?” That, however, must be followed by shoe-leather journalism. A reporter must then check or interview verifiable and trusted sources of information to create an original story. If a reporter uses AI for any part of their research process, they must disclose that to an editor so that we may verify that trusted source material has been used as the basis for the story. 

Photography and image integrity 

Authentic visual journalism is essential to public trust. We will not use technology in ways that could mislead or deceive our audience. The Rising Tide does not use AI to generate, alter, or manipulate photographs or images unless it is for the purposes of commenting on a story about AI, misinformation, or how content can be altered to mislead, in which case the image will be clearly labeled as AI-generated content. 

Summarizing notes and recordings 

Our news team may use AI to summarize interview notes, transcripts, or recordings to improve efficiency. However, all material must be reviewed and verified by the reporter. Journalists are responsible for ensuring that the information is accurate, that quotes are verified and properly attributed, and that all information is presented in the appropriate context. 

Data visualization 

We may use AI to assist in producing charts, graphs, or other data visualizations. All underlying data must be independently verified by our journalists prior to publication to ensure accuracy

and integrity. In other words, we can use AI to make something visually compelling, but we won’t use it to generate the data itself. 

Press releases 

The Rising Tide receives, and is grateful for, submissions from the public, including press releases. We may use AI to shorten or tighten these into reader-friendly submissions, but only if the original is checked by a human against the AI-generated content. Accuracy is crucial. Our submissions policy will state that the person or organization submitting any piece for publication must disclose if AI was used to create the original submission. Doing so does not mean the submission will not be published. We simply believe we have the right to know if it was used in its creation. 

Opinions 

We do not use AI to edit or alter opinion pieces. These are always edited by a human, and we insist that all such submissions be written solely by the author. Our submissions policy will state that the person or organization submitting any piece for publication must confirm that AI was not used to create the original submission. If it was, we won’t use it. That’s because we want to hear our readers’ truest thoughts without being filtered by a machine. 

Non-journalistic content 

AI tools may be used for production of non-journalistic content, including in marketing efforts, revenue-generation strategies, or copywriting assistance to allow greater efficiency. The use of such tools must be disclosed to the publisher and, as with editorial content, a human must always have final signoff authority before any such content is distributed to advertisers, sponsors or supporters. 

Review 

We will review this policy on a regular basis, and as technology evolves.