Chicago Survey Finds Widespread Distrust of AI in Local News

A new survey from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University indicates that news consumers are largely wary of artificial intelligence (AI) being used in local newsrooms. The report, released this week by Stephanie Edgerly and Tim Franklin, highlights a widespread distrust of AI in the news-gathering process among respondents. The survey, which polled 1,223 adults in the Chicago area, found that a significant majority of participants were uncomfortable with AI's involvement in crucial journalistic functions such as coverage prioritization, writing news stories, and generating images or video content. Even for more basic tasks like editing for spelling and grammar, only about half of the respondents expressed comfort, with 22% reporting being "very uncomfortable or uncomfortable" with AI's assistance in this area. The researchers suggest that these findings in the Chicago area can serve as a representative indicator of sentiments across the country regarding AI in local news. The report also detailed broader trends in local news consumption. Two-thirds of respondents reported no use of AI to find or consume local news in the past week, and only 11% indicated they had asked an AI chatbot a question about local news, preferring traditional search engines. The survey also touched upon the declining financial support for local news organizations, with the percentage of individuals subscribing, donating, or becoming members dropping from 19% in 2024 to 14% in 2026. Furthermore, the daily use of search engines to find local news has decreased to 34%, down from 41% in 2024. In terms of media format transition, newspapers are demonstrating a stronger move towards digital platforms compared to broadcast and radio, although all traditional local news outlets are facing audience erosion. Among individuals who consume local news from newspapers at least monthly, 47% access it via the newspaper's website, app, or email. In contrast, for those who get local news from television at least monthly, 62% watch the broadcast, with only 15% engaging with the TV station's digital platforms. The findings underscore a critical challenge for local news organizations as they consider integrating AI technologies, suggesting a need for careful consideration of public perception and trust.