Abendfokus uses digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to support certain aspects of our editorial workflow, but no story, analysis or headline is published without final approval by a named human editor. This policy explains how we deploy these tools, what we guarantee and what we will never allow. It forms part of our wider commitment to trustworthy journalism, alongside our Editorial Policy, Fact‑Checking Policy and Our Team page.
How do we use artificial intelligence in our journalism?
AI‑assisted tools may support research, drafting, formatting, translation, metadata generation, headline suggestions, summaries and transcription. These tools are never the author of a piece.
When a reporter or editor uses an AI tool for background research or to generate a draft outline, all output is treated as raw material that must be verified, rewritten and fact‑checked by a human. For example, an AI might help summarise a long parliamentary report, but a journalist from our team – such as Niklas Werner, Politikredaktör – will read the original source, check the summary for accuracy and incorporate it into a story only after editorial review. The same applies to translations: we may use machine translation for initial drafts, but a human editor fluent in both languages always reviews the final text. Any use of AI is logged internally for transparency.
Who guarantees that content meets editorial standards?
Every article is written by a named staff member, reviewed by an editor and fact‑checked before publication. No piece is ever published on the basis of an AI output alone.
Our Chefredaktör, Thomas Bergmann, holds ultimate responsibility for editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections. The fact‑checking team, led by Lisa Otto (Ansvarig för faktagranskning), independently verifies claims, sources and data in every story that requires it. Maria Braun, Redaktionschef, oversees the daily newsroom, reviews headlines and commissions pieces. This human chain of accountability ensures that no machine output bypasses the editorial judgement of experienced journalists. For more detail on how our editors work, see Our Team.
What is strictly prohibited when using AI tools?
AI must never fabricate quotes, sources, interviews, bylines, author experience or expert profiles. Any content that appears to originate from a person must be genuine and attributable.
We also prohibit the use of AI to generate entire articles, opinion pieces or analyses without substantial human rewriting and verification. Automated tools may not be used to create press releases, sponsored content or affiliate copy that is presented as original journalism. Our Advertising & Affiliate Disclosure and Sponsored Content Policy set out how commercial material is labelled; AI is never allowed to blur the line between advertising and editorial. Additionally, AI may not be used to generate corrections or responses to complaints – those are handled personally by the relevant editor or the fact‑checking team.
What you can expect from us
You can expect that every story on Abendfokus has been read, checked and approved by a human editor. Our use of AI is transparently disclosed in this policy and never hidden from readers.
We commit to clearly labelling any content that has been produced with substantial AI assistance – for example, if an interview transcript is processed by a tool to produce a written summary, we will note that. However, in most cases AI is used only for low‑visibility tasks such as formatting or metadata, and no label is needed. Our editorial mission is to help readers understand complex issues without spin or oversimplification; that mission is carried out by journalists, not algorithms. If you see a piece you believe may not meet these standards, please contact our fact‑checking desk directly at factcheck@abendfokus.de.
How are readers informed about AI‑assisted content?
We disclose the use of AI in our workflow through this policy and through occasional editor’s notes on individual stories when the tool’s role is significant enough to be relevant to the reader.
For example, if we publish a data‑driven analysis that relied on an AI tool to sort and summarise thousands of public records, we will include a short note at the bottom of the article explaining the method. This ensures that readers understand how the information was gathered and what level of human oversight was applied. We follow the same principle for any piece where AI has been used in a way that might affect the interpretation of the content. Our Editorial Policy contains further guidelines on transparency and disclosure.
Questions or concerns?
If you have a question about how we use AI, or if you believe a piece may have been published without proper human oversight, please get in touch. The best point of contact is our fact‑checking team at factcheck@abendfokus.de (Lisa Otto, Ansvarig för faktagranskning). For general editorial concerns, you can write to Chefredaktör Thomas Bergmann at anders.lindqvist@abendfokus.de or use the tip‑off form at Tip Us. We treat every report seriously and will respond within two working days. You may also consult our Complaints Procedure for formal steps.