Fahy, Rozic Introduce Legislation to Protect Journalists and the Public from Artificial Intelligence Jeopardizing News Reporting
ALBANY, NY (FEBRUARY 2, 2026)—Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D—NYC) introduced the New York Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements in News Act (The NY FAIR News Act), legislation that establishes clear, meaningful protections for both journalists, media professionals and the broader public to ensure that the integrity of the news and its workforce are safeguarded against artificial intelligence.
The bill, S.8451/A.8962-A, requires clear disclaimers when artificial intelligence is used in any published news content. The law mandates that news organizations operating in New York fully disclose to journalists and media professionals how and when AI is used in the workplace and that all news stories, articles, audio, visuals or images created by AI must first reviewed by a human employee with editorial control before publication. Further, the bill establishes safeguards to protect journalist sources and confidential materials from being accessed by an artificial intelligence system.
The NY FAIR News Act has been endorsed by a broad coalition of unions representing workers throughout New York’s news media sector including the New York State AFL-CIO, Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the NewsGuild of New York.
“Perhaps one of the industries at most risk from the use of artificial intelligence is journalism and as a result, the public’s trust and confidence in accurate news reporting,” said Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany). “More than 76% of Americans are concerned about AI stealing or reproducing journalism and local news stories, as AI continues to reshape our daily lives and careers across industries. To protect the public’s trust in reporting and the news they read everyday and the journalists who do the work, I’m proud to introduce the NY FAIR News Act with Assemblymember Rozic, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the State Senate to enact common sense guidelines that protect New Yorkers from the unintended consequences of AI.”
“At the center of the news industry, New York has a strong interest in preserving journalism and protecting the workers who produce it,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D—NYC). “The NY FAIR News Act promotes journalistic integrity and ensures total AI-disclosure to journalists, workers, and the public alike.”
New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said, “As AI technology continues to evolve rapidly, we must put in place stronger safeguards to protect workers and ensure oversight and transparency when it is used. The NY FAIR News Act will uphold journalists’ credibility, safeguard the integrity of news reporting, and strengthen public trust. These common-sense guardrails are essential for a healthy democracy.”
“Artificial Intelligence presents a clear and demonstrable threat to the integrity of the news,” said Tom Fontana, President of the Writers Guild of America East. “The NY FAIR News Act recognizes that AI may be used in newsrooms, but rather than let this nascent technology run wild, especially in a critical election year, the bill mandates cooperation between news media companies and the highly skilled human workers they employee to uphold journalistic standards and workplace protections.”
“SAG-AFTRA supports the implementation of smart guardrails around the use of AI. The NY FAIR News Act will maintain the integrity of journalism, and help ensure that AI technology is a tool that serves the people who report the news to the public, not one that replaces or exploits them. This is a meaningful, enforceable protection for both journalists and consumers of news media,” said Rebecca Damon, Chief Labor Policy Officer and New York Local Executive Director for the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
“The DGA strongly supports the passage of the New York FAIR News Act because it puts media professionals at the center of the conversation about how AI will be used in newsrooms. By requiring transparency, oversight, and consent before AI is trained or deployed in news operations, the bill establishes clear guardrails that protect workers’ rights and their professional judgment,” said Neil Dudich, Eastern Executive Director / Associate National Executive Director of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). “Those protections are essential to maintaining the integrity of news and the trust of the public at a critical time for the newsgathering profession. When the professionals who work in news are protected, the quality and credibility of journalism are protected as well.”
Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York, said, “Journalists follow ethical and professional standards to hold power to account and document the fullness of human expression. We want our readers to trust in the work we do. Media company executives, on the other hand, believe they can escape accountability by bypassing these same standards and avoiding transparency when it comes to artificial intelligence. That’s precisely why the unethical and secretive use of generative AI in media is such a threat to journalism, and by extension, our nation’s democratic processes. This legislation is vital to safeguard the public’s right to know what is being done in their name and is necessary to protect and expand the public’s trust, built by media workers across the country and in our union, in human-powered journalism.”