How veteran editor Rick Hirsch sees AI helping journalists do more with less, while protecting the trust that investigative reporting depends on.
This episode is sponsored by: Adobe Acrobat
What happens when artificial intelligence meets one of journalism's most important missions: holding power accountable?
In this episode of The Media Copilot podcast, host Pete Pachal speaks with Rick Hirsch, director of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability at the University of Florida and former Managing Editor of the Miami Herald. After more than four decades in journalism, Hirsch has witnessed nearly every major transformation in the media industry, from the rise of the internet and social media to today's AI revolution.
Their conversation explores how AI is changing investigative and accountability journalism, not as a replacement for reporters, but as a powerful tool for uncovering stories, analyzing massive datasets, and helping newsrooms stretch increasingly limited resources.
"I think that's what motivates most people who do this work. We have the ability to highlight wrongs and give people the information to try to right them." — Rick Hirsch
Hirsch shares insights from a recent survey of journalists, discusses emerging AI-driven accountability tools being used by organizations like CalMatters, and explains why local government reporting may be one of the areas where AI can make the biggest positive impact.
At the same time, the conversation tackles difficult questions about trust, misinformation, newsroom economics, audience fragmentation, and whether journalism can sustain itself in an AI-mediated information ecosystem.
Why this matters
While much of the AI conversation in media focuses on content generation, traffic disruption, and business models, accountability journalism presents a different challenge.
Investigative reporting relies on verification, judgment, sourcing, and public trust. AI can accelerate research and surface patterns that humans might miss, but it cannot replace the reporting instincts, ethical decision-making, and community engagement that make journalism valuable.
As local newsrooms continue to shrink and public trust remains under pressure, the future of accountability reporting may depend on how effectively journalists learn to use AI without sacrificing the standards that define their work.
Sponsor:
The new Adobe productivity agent orchestrates tools and models to generate images, text and rich content like presentations, podcasts and social posts, while also powering conversational PDF editing in Acrobat.
With new PDF Spaces capabilities, users can combine files, links and notes into interactive, shareable spaces for research, collaboration and content creation. VICE News, Kid Cudi and celebrity event planner Mindy Weiss are already using these tools to build trust and deeper engagement with their audiences.
Link: Do that with Acrobat: AI-Powered PDF workspaces | Adobe Acrobat
Key takeaways
AI is a reporting assistant, not a replacement
For accountability journalism, AI's greatest value lies in helping reporters process information faster, identify patterns, and uncover potential leads. Human verification and editorial judgment remain essential.
Local journalism may benefit the most
As newsroom resources continue to decline, AI tools can help journalists monitor government meetings, legislative activity, and public records that would otherwise go uncovered.
Trust remains journalism's biggest challenge
Technology alone cannot solve declining public trust. Transparency, documentation, and showing audiences how reporting is done may become even more important in the AI era.
The business model remains uncertain
The industry continues to grapple with how journalism will be funded as AI increasingly becomes an intermediary between audiences and information.
Accountability reporting still matters
Despite economic pressures and technological disruption, journalists remain motivated by the ability to expose wrongdoing, inform communities, and create meaningful change through their reporting.
About the 👤 Guest
Rick Hirsch is Director of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability at the University of Florida and former Managing Editor of the Miami Herald, where he spent more than four decades as a reporter, editor, and newsroom leader.
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-hirsch-miami/
University of Florida Profile https://www.jou.ufl.edu/staff/rick-hirsch/
Collier Prize for State Government Accountability https://www.collierprize.org/
About the show: To explore more conversations like this and see what’s new, visit the Media Copilot website at mediacopilot.ai. You’ll find new episodes, expanded resources, and tools designed for journalists, communicators, and media leaders navigating the fast-changing world of AI. It’s the home base for everything Media Copilot and it’s just getting started.
Enjoyed this episode?
Subscribe to The Media Copilot on Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. On YouTube? Tap the Like button and Subscribe to the YouTube channel. For more AI tools and resources built for media professionals, visit mediacopilot.ai.
Produced by Pete Pachal and Executive Producer Michele Musso
Edited by the Musso Media Team
Music: “Favorite” by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under CC BY 4.0
All rights reserved. © AnyWho Media 2026
