Small newsrooms face a paradox: they arguably need AI efficiency gains more than large outlets (to compete with fewer staff), but they have less capacity to evaluate, implement, and maintain new tools. The framework below cuts through the vendor noise to focus on the three questions that actually matter.
The Three Questions That Matter
1. Does it solve a real problem in our workflow? Map your editorial workflow and identify the three biggest time sinks. Evaluate only tools that address at least one of them. Reject any tool, however impressive, that doesn't map to a workflow pain point. 2. Can we use it without a developer? Small newsrooms cannot maintain custom integrations. Require that any tool be usable by a non-technical journalist within 30 minutes of first login. 3. What does it cost per story? Calculate the cost per story (monthly subscription divided by monthly story output). Tools that cost more than $0.50 per story require strong ROI justification.
The Minimum Viable AI Stack
For a newsroom of 2–10 journalists: Research: Perplexity Pro ($20/month per user). Fact-checking: Omniscient AI Free tier (or $35/month Pro). Writing assistance: ChatGPT Plus ($20/month per user). SEO and metadata: RankMath Pro (WordPress) or similar free-tier SEO plugin. Total: $40–$75/month per journalist for a fully functional AI-assisted editorial workflow.