Gannett, publisher of USA Today and more than 220 other titles, has rolled out DeeperDive, a generative AI answer engine designed to reshape how readers interact with its journalism.
Unveiled by CEO Mike Reed at the WIRED AI Power Summit in New York, DeeperDive replaces the search bar on USA Today’s homepage with a conversational tool. It prompts readers with suggested questions — such as “How does Trump’s Fed policy affect the economy?” — and generates concise answers based solely on Gannett’s reporting. Each response is linked to related stories, with citations at sentence level for transparency.
Reed stressed that DeeperDive excludes opinion content to prioritise accuracy. He described the tool as a way to retain audiences as services like Google’s AI Overview increasingly summarise news without sending users to publisher sites. Gannett has also signed licensing deals with AI companies including Amazon and Perplexity and moved to block scraping of its content.
The engine was developed with Taboola, which fine-tuned open-source models using data from its global publisher network. A beta test launched in June with a portion of USA Today’s 195 million monthly visitors delivered what Gannett said was strong performance and user engagement, leading to a full rollout.
Looking ahead, Reed said Gannett is exploring “agentic tools” to help readers with purchasing decisions, positioning DeeperDive not only as an editorial service but also as a potential driver of new revenue.
The launch makes Gannett the first major U.S. publisher to embed an AI answer engine at scale, underlining how news organisations are beginning to use generative AI not as an external threat but as an integrated product to support journalism and strengthen their business models.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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 narrative is based on a press release from Gannett, dated June 11, 2025, announcing the launch of DeeperDive, an AI-powered answer engine developed by Taboola, on USA TODAY’s website. ([gannett.com](https://www.gannett.com/pr/gannett-deploys-innovative-deeperdive-ai-technology-to-drive-digital-transformation/?utm_source=openai)) This press release is the earliest known publication date of the content. The report has been republished across various reputable outlets, including GlobeNewswire and Nasdaq, indicating its originality and freshness. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/15/3150238/31297/en/USA-TODAY-Deploys-Taboola-s-DeeperDive-AI-Answer-Engine-for-All-Audiences.html?utm_source=openai)) There are no indications of recycled news or discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes. The narrative includes updated data, such as the full rollout of DeeperDive on September 15, 2025, which justifies a higher freshness score. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/15/3150238/31297/en/USA-TODAY-Deploys-Taboola-s-DeeperDive-AI-Answer-Engine-for-All-Audiences.html?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The direct quotes from Mike Reed, Gannett’s CEO, and Adam Singolda, Taboola’s CEO, are consistent across multiple reputable sources, indicating they are original and not reused. No variations in wording or discrepancies have been found. The absence of earlier matches for these quotes suggests they are exclusive to this report.
Source reliability
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative originates from a press release issued by Gannett Co., Inc., a reputable organisation. The report has been covered by multiple reputable outlets, including GlobeNewswire, Nasdaq, and MediaPost, further confirming its reliability. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/15/3150238/31297/en/USA-TODAY-Deploys-Taboola-s-DeeperDive-AI-Answer-Engine-for-All-Audiences.html?utm_source=openai))
Plausability check
Score:
10
Notes:
The claims about DeeperDive’s capabilities and its integration with USA TODAY are consistent with information from multiple reputable sources. The narrative provides specific details, such as the beta launch in June 2025 and the full rollout on September 15, 2025, which are corroborated by other reputable outlets. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/15/3150238/31297/en/USA-TODAY-Deploys-Taboola-s-DeeperDive-AI-Answer-Engine-for-All-Audiences.html?utm_source=openai)) The language and tone are consistent with typical corporate communications, and there are no signs of excessive or off-topic detail.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is based on a press release from Gannett, dated June 11, 2025, announcing the launch of DeeperDive, an AI-powered answer engine developed by Taboola, on USA TODAY’s website. ([gannett.com](https://www.gannett.com/pr/gannett-deploys-innovative-deeperdive-ai-technology-to-drive-digital-transformation/?utm_source=openai)) The report has been republished across various reputable outlets, including GlobeNewswire and Nasdaq, indicating its originality and freshness. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/15/3150238/31297/en/USA-TODAY-Deploys-Taboola-s-DeeperDive-AI-Answer-Engine-for-All-Audiences.html?utm_source=openai)) The direct quotes from Mike Reed, Gannett’s CEO, and Adam Singolda, Taboola’s CEO, are consistent across multiple reputable sources, indicating they are original and not reused. The claims about DeeperDive’s capabilities and its integration with USA TODAY are consistent with information from multiple reputable sources. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/15/3150238/31297/en/USA-TODAY-Deploys-Taboola-s-DeeperDive-AI-Answer-Engine-for-All-Audiences.html?utm_source=openai)) The language and tone are consistent with typical corporate communications, and there are no signs of excessive or off-topic detail. Given the corroboration from multiple reputable sources and the absence of any significant credibility risks, the overall assessment is a PASS with high confidence.