The challenge
High volumes of abusive anonymous comments and slow manual review put Proto Thema’s discussion section under pressure. The newsroom needed to keep conversation open without letting the review queue dictate the reader experience.
Learning the newsroom’s standards
The AI learned from months of accepted and rejected comments together with editorial guidelines. The team began cautiously, reviewing decisions and adjusting confidence thresholds. Context—including the topic, headline and surrounding conversation—helped distinguish harmful language from legitimate participation.
Participation at a new scale
Media Copilot’s March 2026 report describes automation of 80–90% of comments and an 80% reduction in manual review time. Monthly comments tripled to around 250,000, while readers spent longer on the site.
Expanding the collaboration
Following the success of the collaboration, Proto Thema brought more of its sister brands onto the solution, including New Money and Mononews.
Read the interview
The report follows the newsroom’s move from delayed review to a more active discussion space. A companion article explains how models shaped around each publisher’s decisions can support human oversight and community insight.