El Vocero Innovation and AI Manager Giovanny Vega-De Lleguas is targeting structural coverage gaps. He showed that in a single month 77% of municipalities were covered by five articles or fewer, and 12 of the Puerto Rican archipelago’s 78 municipalities received zero coverage.

“What if the biggest stories are not the ones we publish but the ones we never see?” he asked.

His solution — one of the capstone projects from the City University of New York’s Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership programme — is an AI-powered municipal intelligence system that flags blind spots. A colour-coded map lets editors instantly visualise where coverage gaps exist.

“When a municipality falls in the red category, a network of AI agents launches an investigation that begins by analysing historical coverage patterns and audience behaviour. The agents then examine municipal contracts, legislative activity, public records, and community input that has been submitted through WhatsApp and Telegram to the newsroom, identifying stories that could help close the coverage gap,” Vega said.

Also interesting: To avoid providing only the official point of view, the system applies a penalty to information that appears only in government sources.

Editors receive an e-mail with a summary of the issue, along with supporting documents, links to relevant sources, and suggested reporting angles. “The final decision always remains human. Editors determine whether to assign the story, request additional reporting, or dismiss the recommendation,” he said.

Community chatbots, which citizens can use to ask questions and read content, feed into this system. “It isn’t just a (content) distribution tool — it’s a listening tool,” he said

“Its most important function is what happens when it cannot answer a question. The chatbot treats that absence as a potential editorial signal,” Vega said. It logs the request in the system, transforming information needs into a reporting opportunity. 

El Vocero has used this system to build a more complex, structured civic listening network. 

“As you can see, the goal is not to produce more journalism. It is to provide journalism that better reflects the people, places, and realities of Puerto Rico.”

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Banner photo: Adobe stock image by Sebra.

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