Stuff’s AI tool wins at International News Media Association awards

An AI tool, built by Stuff’s Joanna Norris, has won the Best Use of AI prize at the International News Media Association awards.

Judges said the tool was “good for democracy, journalism and media users”. It also beat out media groups from Sweden, the United States and India. 

Bespoke tool

Norris, who is managing director Stuff-Masthead Publishing, built the bespoke tool to search through and surface important community stories from the thousands of local body documents published by councils each year. 

Named ‘Democracy AI’, the tool, which was trialled first at the Waikato Times last year, is used by Stuff news editors and reporters to search and summarise critical local information from the many, lengthy local body documents which are available, but often seen only by a few.

The stories are then edited and published with human checks and oversight, surfacing stories which would likely otherwise go unreported. 

Judges said Democracy AI, which harnesses freely available AI tools, was a “blueprint for many publishers” and “an inspired use of the latest technologies to reach readers in remote areas”.

“It not just helps reporters to do a better job . . . but also focus on topics and issues that are at the heart of any community.” 

Stuff also won INMA’s overall Best in Asia Pacific, in a competition which attracted 839 entries from 286 media organisations in 49 countries. 

Sought after prize

Stuff owner and publisher Sinead Boucher said the AI prize was highly sought after, as media organisations seek to harness the technology to improve credible and trusted journalism by assisting the work of real reporters. 

“As our editors have said, using Democracy AI as a tool enables their reporters to spend more time out in the field talking to real people, while ensuring local communities are kept informed on things that really impact their daily lives,” she says.

“Stuff is always looking to leverage the best in new technology while keeping excellent journalism at the heart of what we deliver.” 

Waikato Times Editor Jonathan MacKenzie, who was first to use the tool, says it has been a gamechanger for reporting on the 11 local authorities in his area: 

“It’s like having an army of worker bees happily going about their toil allowing our reporters to focus on more complex and meaningful stories that provide context for readers in their everyday lives. Far better for my staffto be out talking to people and digging stuffup than stuck behind a desk reading a council agenda,” he says. 

“In my experience the best journalism is done, when there’s more time for prospecting in the field and that’s what this new tool affords us.”