This page explains how Civic Affairs uses digital tools and artificial intelligence to support our journalism — and, just as importantly, what we will never allow those tools to do. If you have questions about any article, our editors are happy to answer them. You can reach the Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, Diane Forbes, directly at diane.forbes@civicaffairs.uk.
How do digital tools support your reporting?
Digital tools, including AI, help our team work more efficiently and accurately. They may assist with research, editing, formatting, translation, metadata, headline options, summaries and transcription support. For example, an AI tool might help a reporter transcribe a council meeting recording, suggest alternative headlines for a story about local government funding, or format a data table for clarity. These tools never replace the judgment, experience or editorial oversight of our human journalists.
All such tools are used under the supervision of our editorial team. The Editor-in-Chief, William Ashby, and the Managing Editor, Sarah Mills, ensure that any digital assistance aligns with our editorial standards and does not compromise the integrity of our work. The publication’s Editorial Policy and Fact-Checking Policy apply to all content, regardless of how it was prepared.
What is the human guarantee?
Every piece of editorial content published by Civic Affairs — every news story, analysis, explainer, opinion piece and public-interest article — is reviewed by a human editor before publication. No article goes live without a named editor having read it, checked its sources, and confirmed it meets our standards. This is a non-negotiable rule.
Our team includes Diane Forbes as Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, who oversees source verification and corrections. Kieran Doherty, our Public Affairs & Governance Editor, reviews all institutional and policy reporting. Lucy Hartley and Oscar Friel, our correspondents, are responsible for the accuracy of their own beats. The human chain of accountability is clear and direct.
What is strictly prohibited?
AI must never fabricate quotes, sources, interviews, bylines, author experience, expert profiles, false staff or credentials, or false first-hand experience. Any claim that an AI tool suggests must be independently verified by a human journalist before it can be included. AI-generated images are labelled where relevant, and we do not publish mass-produced, low-value content designed to manipulate search rankings or mislead readers.
These prohibitions are enforced by the editorial team and reviewed regularly. If you believe any content on our site may violate these rules, please contact our Complaints Procedure or email corrections@civicaffairs.uk directly.
How this works in practice
Consider a recent article about changes to council tax bands in England. Our reporter, Kieran Doherty, used a transcription tool to convert a recorded public meeting into text. He then drafted the article, and an AI tool suggested a headline and a summary paragraph. Kieran checked every quote against the original recording, verified the policy details with official government sources, and rewrote the headline to be more precise. The Managing Editor, Sarah Mills, reviewed the final version before publication. The article carried the disclosure: “This article was prepared with the support of digital editing tools and reviewed by a human editor before publication.” That is our standard practice.
Who is responsible for this policy?
Civic Affairs is operated by Sliema Media Limited, a company registered in Malta (company number C 84217). The Editor-in-Chief, William Ashby, has ultimate responsibility for editorial policy, including this AI & Automation Policy. The Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, Diane Forbes, oversees its day-to-day application. Our full team is listed on the Our Team page, and our ownership and funding model is detailed on the Ownership & Funding page.
If you have questions about how a specific article was produced, or about this policy generally, please contact William Ashby at william.ashby@civicaffairs.uk or Diane Forbes at diane.forbes@civicaffairs.uk. You can also use our general contact form at Contact.
In short
Digital tools help us work better, but every article you read on Civic Affairs has been checked by a human editor who takes responsibility for its accuracy and fairness. We will never use AI to invent facts, sources or people, and we will always tell you when digital tools have supported our work.