AI Policy
Last updated: November 2026
In the Cove is a small, independent newsroom. We use some AI tools to save time on routine work so we can spend more of it on local reporting. This policy explains what we use, what we don’t, and how you’ll know.
Our principle: people first
Every story we publish is the responsibility of our editor and reporters. A person reviews and approves everything before it goes live. AI never decides what we cover, how we frame it or whether it is newsworthy.
What we mean by AI
Generative AI is software that creates text, images, audio or video based on the data it was trained on. We treat it as a tool, the same way we treat a spell checker or a camera. It does not replace human judgement.
How we use AI
- Transcribing interviews and council meetings
- Summarising long documents such as council agendas, development applications and reports
- Compiling local guides from our own published stories and listings and from information supplied by local businesses and advertisers
- Checking spelling, grammar, tone and headlines
- Formatting events, dates and locations
- Drafting social media captions and newsletter blurbs
- Writing image descriptions (alt text) and transcripts for accessibility
- Helping analyse data for data-led stories
An editor checks every fact, name, date and quote against the original source before anything is published. We never quote AI as a source.
Story ideas always come from our team. Our news articles, features, interviews, investigations and opinion pieces are written by our reporters.
How you’ll know
Where AI has helped compile a guide, we say so at the end of the item. For example:
AI note: This guide was compiled with the help of AI from In the Cove’s own reporting and information supplied by local businesses. It was checked and edited by our editor.
We don’t add a note when AI has only helped with research, spelling, grammar, transcription or social media captions.
What we never do
- Create quotes, sources or events that don’t exist
- Use AI to create images, video or audio
- Alter photos, video or recordings in a way that misleads
- Put readers’ or sources’ private information, unpublished tips or confidential documents into public AI tools
- Use AI to replace a photograph as evidence of what happened
- Let AI make editorial decisions
Images and video
Every image we publish is a real photo or video. We may use AI tools for light edits such as fixing lighting, cropping or removing noise. We never use AI to create an image or to change what a photo shows.
Privacy and copyright
Our use of AI follows our Privacy Policy and our obligations under copyright and defamation law. We choose tools that let us switch off training on our data where that option exists.
Tools we use
We use a small number of established AI tools for writing support, research, transcription and design. We choose tools with strong privacy settings and review them regularly.
Contributors
Reporters, contributors and volunteers must tell the editor when they have used AI in their work. The same rules apply to everyone who writes for In the Cove.
Mistakes and feedback
If you think something we published doesn’t meet this policy, tell us at [email protected]. AI-related errors are handled under our Complaints Policy and corrected the same way as any other error.
Review
AI changes fast. We review this policy at least every six months and publish each update here.
In the Cove is a member of the Local & Independent News Association (LINA) and the Australian Press Council.