About OU Daily

Independence

We've been OU and Norman's independent student voice since 1916. No content is influenced by the university, advertisers or anyone outside our staff. Read our charter →

Accuracy

Every name, number and fact must be correct. Errors are corrected with a note atop stories. Submit a correction →

Professionalism

We hold ourselves to professional media standards while recognizing our student-run newsroom is a place to learn.

Fairness & inclusivity

We represent all views with context, never distort facts and welcome all. Our reporting is unequivocal that issues like racism, sexism and homophobia are wrong.

Transparency

We don't alter images beyond light editing or crops. We don’t use AI in published work without disclosure. Anonymity, which we rarely grant, requires editor approval.

Conflicts of interest

Our journalists won't make public political stances, cover organizations they're part of or root for teams they cover.

Core rule

Any potential AI use must be discussed with leadership early in the process, and any published use must be disclosed to audiences.

OU Daily upholds its core values of accuracy, accountability and transparency while believing the ethical use of artificial intelligence can — in carefully monitored ways — improve our work. We do not see AI as a replacement for any staffers, and we are committed to the human-driven gathering, writing, production and dissemination of our work both for the integrity of how we serve audiences and the learning of our staff. Upholding media standards, having rigorous internal discussion and exercising external transparency are essential to earning continued community trust. This policy will evolve as AI develops.

Organization-wide standards

• Tools: When possible, tools used should be licensed by Student Media or OU, or operate in closed systems, to limit exposure in data breaches and to limit our work from fueling large-language models that may erode our business model’s foundations.
• Interviews: Tools like Otter may be used for transcriptions.
• Outlining: Tools like ChatGPT may be used for distilling interviews, research and documents into digestible overviews for preliminary story framing.
• Editing: Tools like Grammarly may be used for grammar and spell checks.
• Data visualization: Tools like Flourish may be used to create interactive graphics after staffers gather, vet and enter the data.
• Headlines, SEO: Tools like YESEO may be used upon review of an editor.
• Verification: Any result from AI sources must be vetted independently from the tool.
• Transparency: Any use of AI in content presented to audiences will be made clear.

Newsroom standards

We will not: Use generative AI to replace traditional reporting; to substantially alter photos, videos and audio, including through AI; or to publish reporting, writing, graphics or designs generated by AI.

We permit: Tools to inspire designers in their creation of original content.

Advertising/marketing standards

We will not: Use generative AI to replace traditional information gathering.

We permit: Clients’ use of AI design, graphics and illustrations with mandatory disclosure by clients and review by student leadership.

We require: Approved AI images/photos must be labeled (e.g. "Photo generated by DALL-E").

Automations

The OU Daily is working to automate tasks using artificial intelligence that can effectively monitor large datasets and websites pertaining to the university and Norman in the interest of accountability. Outputs from projects using artificial intelligence may vary in margin of error as artificial intelligence makes mistakes. Editors will verify all outputs independently before pursuing potential reporting.

2022

Won Oklahoma SPJ's First Amendment Award

2021

Reporting prompted OU 3-day sports media blackout

1995

Nationally honored for coverage of OKC bombing

1956

Libel suit — later dismissed — filed against editor and adviser

1926

Only college paper with full AP voting and membership rights

1916

Began as University Oklahoman's successor

2026

Francisco Gutierrez — Minnesota Star Tribune

2024

Hannah Allam — The Washington Post

2022

Hannah Allam — The Washington Post

2018

David Fallis — The Washington Post

Dana Branham — Cincinnati Enquirer

2017

Ryan Chittum — International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

2016

Hailey Branson-Potts & Mark Potts — The Los Angeles Times

David Fallis — The Washington Post

2001

Seth Prince — The Oregonian

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