Why we use AI tools
AI tools can help a small publication organize a large set of public records, compare notes, shape an outline, prepare an early draft, edit for clarity, and catch inconsistencies. We use them for that assistance, and we tell readers when they were part of an article's production.
AI is never one of our sources
An AI response is not evidence. A factual claim suggested by a tool still needs an attributable external source, just as it would if it came from an editor's memory. For local rules and other consequential information, we expect the reader to be able to follow our citations back to the responsible authority or record.
What AI cannot stand in for
AI cannot conduct a site visit, inspect a property, take a project photograph, give a professional opinion, or provide firsthand experience. Quotes must come from preserved written answers, recordings, transcripts, or another documented source. Prices, projects, calculations, and observations must be real and traceable; a missing detail is never filled in because it makes the draft read more smoothly.
Local value matters more than output
Each local story needs its own question, evidence, useful contribution and reason to exist. Changing place names or repeating a generic checklist does not meet that standard. Publishing nothing is preferable to publishing a weak article; we do not require daily article counts.
A September 2026 audit found excessive repetition in part of our older coverage. We are reviewing that work and rewriting or consolidating weak pages. This is an ongoing correction effort, not a claim that every historical article has already passed a new factual review.
Every article states its method
AI-assisted drafts are labeled in local previews and are not published. Published articles state the assistance used and the owner's publication authorization. Authorization is not, by itself, proof of an independent human fact-check. Source checks, calculations, contributions and limits belong in the article's own method and source notes. We do not invent a reviewer or imply a human checked every claim merely because a batch was approved.
The publication remains responsible
A tool does not take responsibility for what appears under our name; the publication does. AI-assisted work is held to the same sourcing, independence, correction, and update standards as any other article. If an error reaches the site, we correct it openly regardless of how it entered the draft.