We created this policy to be straightforward about how Medienconnect uses digital tools — including artificial intelligence — in our journalism. You will not find any hidden automation or unedited machine-written articles here. Every piece of content you read on medienconnect.de is produced under human editorial control, and this page explains exactly what that means.
How does Medienconnect use AI and automation?
Medienconnect uses AI-assisted tools only to support journalists in research, drafting, formatting, translation, metadata generation, headline options, summaries and transcription. No machine-generated content is published without a human editor reviewing and approving it. The final editorial decision always rests with a named member of our team.
For example, a reporter might use a large language model to help summarise a lengthy parliamentary committee report. That summary is then checked against the original source, rewritten where necessary, and integrated into a new article only after the reporter and editor have verified every factual claim. Tools also help us format articles consistently for different devices or suggest alternative headlines — but a human chooses the final version.
What human oversight is guaranteed?
Every article published on Medienconnect is drafted by a named writer, reviewed by an editor, and fact-checked before publication. Our Chefredaktör, Alexander Seidel, is ultimately responsible for editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections. No piece of editorial content — whether written from scratch or created with AI assistance — reaches you without explicit human approval.
Our fact-checking team, led by Julia Franke, verifies sources and corrects any errors before and after publication. The full editorial team, including Redaktionschef Laura Busch and section editors Daniel Hoffmann, Sandra Schmitt and Matthias Möller, maintains oversight of every article in their respective areas. You can meet them on our team page and read our detailed editorial policy.
What is strictly prohibited?
We have clear rules that no automated tool may ever:
- Fabricate quotes, sources, interviews or bylines.
- Invent author experience or expert profiles.
- Produce complete articles without human review.
- Replace editorial judgement in any coverage of sensitive topics or breaking news.
- Generate synthetic images or video that could mislead readers without a prominent disclosure.
Any use of AI must be transparent to our editorial team and accountable to our fact-checking process. Violations of these prohibitions are treated as serious editorial failures and may lead to immediate removal of the content and a public correction. You can see how we handle corrections on our corrections policy page and learn more about source verification on our fact-checking policy.
How this works in practice
Imagine a reporter is covering a new Swedish economic policy proposal. They gather official documents, interview experts and record the conversation. Later, they use a transcription tool to turn the audio into text, which saves time. The reporter then drafts the article using their own notes and analysis. An AI tool suggests a few alternative headlines. The editor reviews the draft, checks the facts with the fact-checker, and selects the headline that best reflects the story. No part of that process bypasses human judgement. The final article carries the reporter’s byline and a clear credit line where relevant. That is how we work every day.
Who oversees our use of AI and automation?
Final editorial responsibility lies with Chefredaktör Alexander Seidel, but the entire team — including our Redaktionschef, section editors and fact-checking lead — shares accountability for how tools are used. Medienconnect is owned and operated by Medienconnec Media Ltd., a private company registered in Gibraltar (company number C 92009, Malta Business Registry) with a registered office at Office 9, Business Centre, Valletta, 0000. Our commercial funding — from display advertising, affiliate links, sponsored content and licensing — never determines editorial conclusions. For more on how we are funded, see our ownership and funding page. If you have questions about this policy, please contact us at our contact page.
In short
AI and automation are tools that help our journalists work more efficiently, but they never replace human editorial judgement. Every article you read on Medienconnect is written, reviewed and fact-checked by real people who take responsibility for what we publish.