The content in every issue of News Machines is mine. I choose the topics and conduct the interviews. I read and supply the additional sources myself and check every figure at its source.
For drafting the text, I use Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, which works from my transcripts, notes, links and voice samples – and it does so under strict journalistic rules: Claude may only draw on material I supply or sources I approve. Every number, every quote and every claim must trace back to a reputable original source, and anything that can't be verified is flagged for additional checking or cut. I edit the result line by line. Every editorial judgment – and the responsibility that comes with it – is mine.
Every English issue is also copy-edited by my husband, Steve Saunders, a veteran technical writer, software developer, and former newspaper reporter and editor.
The German edition, News Maschinen, is rebuilt from the finished English text – unless the source material is German, in which case the German edition comes first. I speak both languages natively.
I usually create illustrations with Gemini and graphics with Claude Design; Claude helps with the prompts for both.
AI has made my text production more efficient, but the work hasn't shrunk: A typical newsletter issue takes days, not hours – for reporting, drafting, verifying and editing.