I'm delighted to announce that ClearDraft is partnering with News UK.
For my co-founder David Burgess and me, it feels like a homecoming of sorts. I've spent 35 years on both sides of the clearance desk, as a journalist filing copy for The Times, the Guardian and the Financial Times, and as the media lawyer deciding what could run. David has worked in-house at the Independent, the Evening Standard, Hearst and Netflix. Now we're bringing what we've built back into the kind of newsroom where we learned our trade.
What I saw from my career at the legal desk
Anyone who has worked on a newspaper legal desk will know the feeling. It's late, a big story is waiting, and there's still a pile of routine copy to get through first.
Every story needs a careful read, and with so many landing on a lawyer's desk each day, clearance inevitably takes time. Journalists wait for sign-off, editors wait for journalists, and deadlines draw ever closer.
The problem has never been a lack of skill. Legal teams are reviewing more content than ever, across more platforms, and often with fewer people. Something has to give. Too often, it's the time lawyers can give to the stories that most need them.
We built ClearDraft for newsrooms like News UK, drawing on decades of clearing copy on deadline ourselves.
Our partnership will allow News to train an AI product for newsroom lawyers to manage increased publication flow in a multimedia newsroom.
Angus McBride, GC of News UK, said:
“Investing in ClearDraft is a natural step for News UK as we continue to lead the way in responsible, fearless journalism and in harnessing new technology. ClearDraft will empower our journalists to break important stories faster and with greater confidence, while our legal teams can focus on the most complex and sensitive cases. It’s a win for journalism and a win for our readers.”
What ClearDraft Flags
ClearDraft reviews written copy for the three risks that keep newsroom lawyers busiest:
- Defamation. Statements that could damage the reputation of a person or company, such as an allegation of wrongdoing about someone named in a story. ClearDraft flags the passage and suggests which defences, such as truth, honest opinion or public interest, might apply.
- Privacy. Details that could intrude on someone's private life, such as health information or family matters.
- Contempt of court. Reporting that could prejudice active legal proceedings, such as mentioning a defendant's previous convictions or breaching a court's reporting restrictions.
ClearDraft flags each issue in minutes and explains why it may be a problem. Then, either ClearDraft's media lawyers or the newspaper's in-house lawyers, review the flags, advise the reporter, and the story moves on.
Routine copy moves faster too, because lawyers start with a clear view of where the potential issues lie, rather than reading every line cold. For a step-by-step look at the workflow, see our newsroom how-to guide, “Beyond the Legal Bottleneck”.
Where the AI stops and the lawyer takes over
I understand why many media lawyers are wary of AI. I was too. When David first rang me with the idea of using AI for clearance, my first question was: "Really? Do you think it'll work?"
That question shaped everything we built. ClearDraft follows a set review process rather than generating answers from scratch. It checks each draft against a legal reference library that we keep updated with new case law, regulatory decisions and court restrictions. It explains its reasoning for every flag and suggests which defences might apply.
Then a media lawyer reviews each issue and decides what happens next. ClearDraft AI offers suggestions, not legal advice. The legal advice comes from lawyers, just as it always has.
Why this matters for newsrooms
When clearance can't keep up, investigations are often the first stories to stall, because they need the most careful review. They're also the stories that hold powerful people and institutions to account.
I've always believed that a free press is vital to a healthy democracy, and that freedom of expression is more under threat now than at any time in my career. Faster, more reliable clearance is one practical way to help journalists publish difficult stories with confidence.
Find Out More
This partnership is an exciting step for us. If you lead a legal team facing the same pressures, I'd be very pleased to hear from you.
In the meantime, you can learn more by:
- Reading the full press release.
- Downloading our guide, Beyond the Legal Bottleneck.
- Booking a demo to learn more about how ClearDraft works.
