Ask Axios: What is actual local news in Des Moines?
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Hi! Welcome to our Ask Axios series, where we try to answer any questions you have about the Des Moines metro.
Q: "I KNOW that Axios Des Moines is legit local media reporting, because Jason and Linh have their names on it, and have a long history of journalism in Des Moines."
- "But what about others who describe themselves as local media? What got me thinking about this was an email I was surprised to get Sunday (I don’t recall signing up for it) from Daily Des Moines. Who is Daily Des Moines? Are they REALLY hyper-local?" — Phil Kreznor
A: Welcome to a new game we like to play in 2026, called "Is it AI?"
State of play: Daily Des Moines is one of several AI-generated news sites and newsletters that have popped up in our market, promising to bring hyper-local content to readers.
- But quickly, it's easy to see that no one around here (or anyone at all) is curating or editing the content.
- For example: This article promises to share info about candidates running for Des Moines City Council and Polk County Supervisors, but no candidates' names are mentioned, and for some reason, former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is the main picture.
- To give credit, Daily Des Moines does not claim to be human-made, unlike some other sites, and it shares where it has scraped info from the internet.
What they're saying: "When I grew up, you had three stations, a newspaper, maybe cable news as well. And now, you just have to have a whole new level of discernment, and it's just hard," Amy McCoy, a journalism professor at Drake, tells Axios.
How it works: AI-generated "news sites" are proliferating because it's an easy way for people to earn passive income through ads and page views, even if the content isn't good, she says.
- Bots scrape information from just about everywhere, including genuine news articles, to form their own regularly updated sites.
- Problem is, they're sharing unimportant information for our lives, like minor arrest info from police blotters, McCoy says.
What we're watching: Full bylines, a real phone number or email address and a correction policy help discern genuine news sites from AI content, she says.
Reality check: AI isn't all bad, McCoy says. It's helped journalists start their own Substacks, sift through data, and conduct in-depth research, giving them more time for real conversations.
- But there's no replacement for human, editorial judgment. That also requires people being willing to pay for it, she says.
The bottom line: We're in need of more media literacy, but that can be difficult to get to adults.
- Luckily, we have Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
- "They've grown up in this very digital and AI space, so I think if we continue to invest in them, the message starts to go out among the generations."