Student Journalists Sound the Alarm: AI Is Reshaping Their Craft — Not Necessarily for the Better

For almost four years now, generative artificial intelligence has been part of the daily routine for American students, transforming the way they write, research, and complete assignments. Few have felt this shift as sharply as the young people working on school and college publications, according to a recent report from The 74.

High school and college journalism has always served as a training ground for future reporters, teaching students to fact-check, conduct interviews, and follow strict ethical standards. With the arrival of tools like ChatGPT, this educational process has been put to the test, and the relationship between students and their faculty advisers has shifted significantly.

A Generation Learning Journalism in a New Context

According to The 74, young journalists have noticed that generative AI has redefined not only how an article gets written, but also the trust between colleagues inside their newsrooms. Some students admit that the temptation to use AI to quickly churn out a piece of text is strong, especially under deadline pressure — but that raises serious questions about authenticity and originality.

Faculty advisers, meanwhile, face their own dilemma: how to integrate these technologies as useful tools without undermining the learning process through which students develop their own voice and the critical skills specific to journalism. Many have introduced explicit discussions about the ethics of AI use, asking students to be transparent when they turn to such tools for research or editing.

The Impact on Quality and Trust in School Media

A key concern highlighted in the report is young journalists' fear that AI could erode the quality of their work, standardizing style and reducing the diversity of voices within school newsrooms. Fact-checking also remains a challenge, since AI tools can produce content that sounds plausible but is factually incorrect.

This reality shows that journalism training in schools needs to evolve quickly, incorporating solid media and digital literacy education so that students use AI as a helpful tool — not as a substitute for critical thinking and hands-on reporting.