Artificial Intelligence Policy

Whittier 360 News Network treats artificial intelligence as a communications, research-assistance, and production tool, similar in principle to a word processor, transcription program, camera, editing software, or publishing platform.

AI may assist with how information is organized, reviewed, summarized, written, edited, or presented, but it does not replace human responsibility, editorial judgment, source verification, or accountability for the final published work.

How Whittier 360 Uses AI

Whittier 360 may use AI tools to help:

• review and organize large amounts of public information

• speed up analysis of documents, meeting materials, public records, and data

• collate notes, timelines, source material, and related data points

• compare rough outlines against available information

• identify unclear wording or missing context

• help neutralize language in original drafts

• improve readability, structure, grammar, and presentation

• assist with transcription review, summaries, captions, headlines, and production workflow

AI is used to make the editorial process more efficient. It is not treated as a source of fact.

Human Editorial Responsibility

All published work remains the responsibility of Whittier 360 News Network.

The facts in Whittier 360 reporting come from public records, official documents, public meetings, candidate statements, public comments, direct observation, interviews, and other verifiable sources.

AI may help organize or communicate that information, but human editorial judgment determines what is published.

Accuracy and Verification

AI tools can make errors, omit context, misunderstand source material, or generate inaccurate wording. For that reason, AI output is reviewed before publication.

Important factual claims should be checked against source material when possible. When information is uncertain, incomplete, developing, or disputed, Whittier 360 will make reasonable efforts to make that clear to readers.

Neutrality and Language Review

Whittier 360 may use AI to review drafts for loaded wording, unclear phrasing, unnecessary bias, or language that could unintentionally push readers toward a particular conclusion.

The goal is not to remove analysis or context. The goal is to make reporting clearer, more accurate, and more fair.

Whittier 360 explains records, statements, timelines, and competing claims so readers can reach their own conclusions.

Election Coverage

Whittier 360 News Network is committed to unbiased election coverage.

AI may assist with organizing candidate statements, public records, campaign materials, meeting transcripts, election data, and questions for follow-up. However, AI does not decide which candidates to favor, which candidates to criticize, or what conclusions readers should reach.

Election coverage remains subject to Whittier 360’s standards on fairness, attribution, candidate response, public records, corrections, and separation between news, analysis, and opinion.

AI Images and Visual Media

AI-generated images used by Whittier 360 are decorative, illustrative, or promotional only.

AI images are not representations of fact and should not be understood as actual photographs of real events, real scenes, or real people unless clearly identified and sourced as such.

When an image is AI-generated or AI-assisted in a way that could affect reader understanding, Whittier 360 will make reasonable efforts to label or describe it as an illustration.

Corrections

If AI-assisted work contributes to an error, omission, unclear wording, or missing context, Whittier 360 will review credible correction requests and update the record when appropriate.

Readers, public officials, candidates, and community members may contact Whittier 360 to request corrections, provide documentation, or offer additional context.

Our Standard

AI is a tool. It is not the reporter, editor, source, witness, or decision-maker.

Whittier 360 News Network remains responsible for the reporting it publishes.