Newspaper chain’s executives tell journalists to accept AI or face ruin

Posted Wednesday, June 3, 2026 9:12 am

Mark Keierleber | SAN (Straight Arrow News)

The company behind some of the country’s largest local newspaper brands — including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee — is in trouble.

Revenue is down, pageviews have waned, and the company’s efforts to draw in new, repeat customers have failed. Can artificial intelligence save McClatchy Media?

During a contentious, off-the-record virtual town hall last month, company executives touted a flood of AI-generated content as a key to solving their business woes — and pleaded with skeptical journalists to get on board.

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Newspaper chain’s executives tell journalists to accept AI or face ruin

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