Audiences

AsAmNews pilots WhatsApp election service built on trusted local reporting

Wednesday, 28 October 2026 10:00PM UTC

Readers can text or WhatsApp election questions to AsAmNews and receive answers drawn from its own reporting and selected partner outlets, with human oversight.

AsAmNews has launched a pilot service that lets readers text or WhatsApp election questions to 347-252-9070, in an attempt to make its reporting easier to reach during a busy campaign season. The newsroom says the answers are drawn from its own coverage and from reporting by selected partner outlets serving communities of colour, rather than from the open web.

The initiative is being presented as an addition to, not a substitute for, regular reporting. AsAmNews says the aim is to give readers another way into its election coverage while preserving editorial judgement and human oversight. The newsroom also says it expects some questions to go unanswered and is inviting feedback on what the experiment does well, where it falls short and how it might be improved.

Behind the service is a retrieval-augmented generation system built by Meedan, the non-profit technology organisation that works on journalism, digital literacy and access to reliable information. Meedan’s own materials describe a wider set of tools, including Suwali, an AI chatbot designed to help newsrooms and civil society groups answer questions using their own trusted content. The organisation says its approach is built around transparency and public-interest use rather than replacing journalists with automated output.

AsAmNews is partnering on the project with URL Media, Documented, The Electorate, The Oklahoma Eagle, Native News Online, India Currents and Epicenter NYC. The newsroom says every response is attributed to the outlet from which it was sourced, and stresses that the service is not intended to compete with consumer AI products such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude. Instead, it is being framed as another point of contact between voters and verified reporting at a moment when many newsrooms are trying to meet audiences where they already communicate.

Source Reference Map

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Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://asamnews.com/2026/10/27/asamnews-ai-election-information-service/ - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://asamnews.com/2026/10/27/asamnews-ai-election-information-service/ - AsAmNews has launched an experiment to enhance voter engagement by allowing readers to text or WhatsApp their election questions to 347-252-9070. The responses are based on AsAmNews's own reporting and that of trusted partner newsrooms, ensuring accuracy and reliability. This initiative aims to provide voters with direct access to trustworthy information, complementing existing coverage and not replacing it. The technology behind this service is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) model developed by Meedan, a global non-profit focused on strengthening journalism and digital literacy. The platform answers questions solely from the connected partner reporting, not from the open web, and attributes every answer to the originating outlet. This service is not intended to compete with other AI tools like ChatGPT but to offer voters another touchpoint to engage with trusted reporting. Feedback from users is encouraged to refine the service and improve its effectiveness in bringing democracy closer to the voters.
https://meedan.org/about-us - Meedan is a non-profit technology organisation dedicated to strengthening journalism, digital literacy, and access to accurate information worldwide. Founded in 2005, Meedan develops open-source software platforms for fact-checking and content annotation, and collaborates with public health professionals to provide expertise and summaries of complex public health concepts for journalists and media outlets. The organisation also focuses on improving digital literacy, community-building, and political engagement skills for citizen journalists, activists, and human rights defenders through training, programming, and research. Meedan's mission is to create a more equitable internet by enabling information equity and media literacy across different communities.
https://meedan.org/our-tools - Meedan offers a suite of open-source tools designed to support independent media and civil society organisations in their efforts to deliver critical information and engage with communities. One of their key tools is Suwali, an AI-powered chatbot that assists newsrooms and civil society groups in bridging the gap between static reporting and active community engagement. Suwali enables organisations to answer questions using their own trusted content, analyse topics and trends from their audience, and turn community insights into published responses. Another tool, Check, is a collaborative fact-checking and media annotation platform used by hundreds of organisations worldwide during elections, natural disasters, and other pivotal moments. Check allows users to create tiplines for fact-checking on encrypted platforms, supporting various media formats and integrating with multiple messaging channels.
https://meedan.org/post/building-an-ai-powered-tool-that-serves-the-public-interest - Meedan is developing an AI-powered tool aimed at serving the public interest by assisting newsrooms and civil society organisations in delivering critical information and engaging with communities. This initiative responds to the rise of generative AI and its impact on information dissemination. Meedan's approach focuses on using AI responsibly and transparently, ensuring that the technology supports, rather than replaces, human journalists and their work. The tool is designed to help organisations bridge the gap between static reporting and active community engagement, providing a means to answer questions using trusted content and analyse audience topics and trends. Meedan's mission is to create a more equitable internet by enabling information equity and media literacy across different communities.
https://meedan.org/post/innovating-climate-journalism-meedan-and-solutions-journalism-networks-ai-powered-solution - Meedan, in collaboration with the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), is developing an AI-powered tool to enhance climate journalism. This tool leverages generative large language models to rapidly evaluate and classify news stories based on SJN's criteria for rigorous solutions journalism. Initially focusing on climate solutions stories, the tool is designed to be adaptable for other issue areas. By systematically identifying reporting on climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience efforts, the tool aims to accelerate global learning and inform social innovation in response to climate change. Meedan's development process emphasizes open-source practices and transparent evaluation processes to ensure the tool's effectiveness and reliability.
https://meedan.org/about-us/our-story - Meedan's journey began in 2003 with the launch of the People's Opinions Project, aiming to share and translate diverse viewpoints globally. Officially established as a non-profit in 2006, Meedan developed news.meedan.net to connect Arabic- and English-language media consumers. During the Arab Spring, Meedan supported social media-based journalism and translation efforts, including Speak2Tweet to publicise Egyptian voice messages during internet outages. In 2012, Meedan developed Checkdesk to monitor social media content during the Egyptian presidential election, partnering with local newsrooms. Over the years, Meedan has expanded its initiatives to support fact-checking, media verification, and digital literacy, collaborating with various organisations worldwide to strengthen journalism and access to accurate information.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 10

Notes: The article was published on October 27, 2026, and there are no indications of recycled or outdated content. The initiative described is recent and relevant to the current election season.

Quotes check

Score: 10

Notes: The article does not contain direct quotes, but the information aligns with Meedan's previously announced initiatives, such as the launch of the Suwali chatbot in April 2026. ([meedan.org](https://meedan.org/post/introducing-suwali-to-the-world?utm_source=openai))

Source reliability

Score: 8

Notes: AsAmNews is a reputable news outlet serving Asian American communities. However, it is a niche publication, which may limit its reach and audience. The article references Meedan, a non-profit technology organization known for developing tools to strengthen journalism and digital literacy. ([meedan.org](https://meedan.org/post/introducing-suwali-to-the-world?utm_source=openai))

Plausibility check

Score: 9

Notes: The initiative described is plausible and aligns with current trends in media and technology. Meedan's Suwali chatbot has been piloted with other newsrooms, and the collaboration with multiple ethnic news outlets is consistent with their mission to serve diverse communities. ([meedan.org](https://meedan.org/post/suwalis-pilot-partners-share-their-thoughts?utm_source=openai))

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The article is recent, original, and provides plausible information from reliable sources. While the lack of external verification sources is noted, the content aligns with known initiatives and current trends in media and technology.

AsAmNews
elections
WhatsApp
AI in journalism
Meedan