Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
Intent Continuity – When an AI agent carries an old requirement into a new task without the user having to repeat it, and dropping that rule if something newer overrides it. This is particularly important when using coding agents for long-running projects where rules can be forgotten. It is not important when running single-session tasks that carry no history or when the rules never change.
What: A practical look at how generative AI is reshaping crisis communications, and how communicators can use the technology to strengthen their approach to risk and response.
Who: Sequencr AI Founder and CEO, Matt Collette; PRCA APAC Chair, Jeremy Seow.
When: 1 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Telum Media
What: This webinar brings experienced journalists and a technologist from across different continents who have all faced or investigated this growing threat to press freedom.
Who: Maxence Peigné, a French journalist based in London; Tamara Yesmin Toma, an OSINT investigator and digital rights researcher from Bangladesh; Jose Luis Peñarredonda, an award-winning journalist and digital researcher at the Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodístic; Raya Sharbain, an independent security trainer and researcher; Maxime Koami Domegni, GIJN’s Francophone Africa Editor.
When: 9 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Global Investigative Journalism Network
What: Attendees will learn a framework for articulating how they understand their own research or to use with patrons conducting qualitative work. This framework can be used to inform decision-making around technology for data analysis, including the use of AI.
Who: Jess Hagman is the Social Sciences Research Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: The Science and Technology Libraries Section & Social Science Libraries Section
What: Explore new Pew-Knight Initiative research on how Americans view press freedom, the challenges facing a free press and what can be done to protect it.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Poynter
What: Best practices for reporter boot camps, in-person visits, and science communications training programs.
Who: David Cameron, Broad Institute; Jill Rosen, Johns Hopkins University; Emily Caldwell, Ohio State University.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Newswise
What: In this session, you’ll learn: Why the engagement trap is quietly derailing creator ROI; A practical framework for evaluating creator partnerships before you commit spend; How to match strategy to goal, so you’re not applying an awareness playbook to a conversion objective.
Who: Nicole Jones EVP, head of media growth and strategy, Kantar NA; Gazmend Alushi, President, Measurement & Analytics Whalar.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Kantar
What: Come learn how four collaboratives work with student journalists and newsrooms and ways they contribute.
Who: Heather May, Great Salt Lake Collaborative; Kathy Lefler, Wichita Journalism Collaborative; Ray Schmitt, Penn State Student Media; Manny Garcia, South Florida Collaborative Journalism Initiative.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Eventbrite
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Center for Cooperative Media
What: This session is designed to help nonprofit leaders gain a clear, honest picture of where they stand with AI and what a realistic path forward looks like. Tapp Network will introduce the AI Maturity Ladder, a practical framework that maps four stages of AI adoption from manual operations to fully automated workflows.
Who: Zach Paton & Joe DiGiovanni, Tapp Network.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
What: Leave this webinar knowing how to maximize your presence on ChatGPT & other LLMs. You’ll hear from the experts on how to gauge where your time should go on the GEO side and where your budget should go on the paid side.
Who: Abhilash Edathil, Head of SMB Monetization, OpenAI; Ashish Jacob, GEO Search Manager, Go Fish Digital; Patrick Algrim, VP of GEO, Go Fish Digital.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Search Engine Journal
What: The Safeguarding Democracy Project is built upon the premise that tackling issues of the U.S. election integrity must be collaborative: across ideologies, across scholarly disciplines, and as a bridge between theory and practice.
Who: David Folkenflik, NPR; David Kaye, University of California Irvine; Carrie Levine, Votebeat; Shannon Mcgregor, University of North Carolina); Richard L. Hasen, Director, Safeguarding Democracy Project, UCLA.
When: 3:15 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: Institute for Technology, Law & Policy, UCLA Law.
What: This virtual panel brings together experienced safety and security experts to offer practical tips on what journalists need to know to stay safe in the field and online this fall.
Who: Christopher Jones, Journalist Safety Advisor, Committee to Protect Journalists Dr. Martin Shelton, Deputy Director of Digital Security, Freedom of the Press Foundation Ofc. Chuck McPhilamy, Public Information Officer, Marietta Police Department Moderated by: Katja Ridderbusch, SPJ National Programming Committee
When: 6:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
What: This session traces how performance creative got here, where the strongest teams are taking it now, and what’s next. You’ll also see how Superside connects intelligence, creative, and results in a loop that turns performance data into real business outcomes.
Who: Robert Larson, head of AI Solutions; Billy Jones, General Manager, Superside.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Superside
What: Learn how you and your patrons can become "private investigators" by uncovering meaningful information in newspaper archives.
Who: Monika Z. Leal, research analyst, NewsBank.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: NewsBank
What: Learn how to use Codex for practical agentic coding workflows. We’ll cover how to scope tasks, provide effective context, steer work as it progresses, and review changes before they’re applied. This introductory session is designed for builders getting started with Codex or looking to build stronger day-to-day habits. You’ll leave with a repeatable foundation for using Codex effectively in real codebases.
Who: Sean Lubbers, Technical Success, OpenAI; Palash Sushil Matey, AI Deployment Manager. OpenAI; Lisa Preissler, AI Deployment Manager, OpenAI.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenAI Academy
Who: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, award-winning freelance writer, editor, and speaker.
When: 6 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
What: How United Daily News Group uses first-party and zero-party data, audience insights, and AI-powered solutions to improve advertising effectiveness and strengthen partnerships with advertisers.
Who: Anson Mok, Head of Data Development, United Daily News Group, Taiwan; Ana Moya, Lead, WAN-IFRA Data Science Expert Group.
When: 10, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: World Association of News Publishers
What: A practical, no-jargon look at how AI can support your organization's work. You'll learn: Why embracing AI matters for nonprofits today; Real examples of AI in action at mission-driven organizations; Simple, everyday ways to start using AI in your daily work; How to move past the hype and confusion to practical application.
Who: Wayne Elsey, founder, CEO of Elsey Enterprises.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
What: You’ll learn how to use AI tools to uncover what your customers actually want, where they hang out, and what language they use to describe their problems. Walk away with a clearer customer profile and a research process you can repeat anytime.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Widener University
What: You'll learn: Where to find campaign finance data; How to track spending by campaigns and outside groups; What makes a compelling campaign finance story.
Who: Kelly Garrity, The Boston Glober.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: New England First Amendment Coalition
What: Practical ways to build collaboration inside the newsroom and across media organizations, universities and community partners, with tools for setting expectations, sharing workflows and keeping momentum after launch.
Who: Marian Chia-Ming Liu, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Online News Association
What: What you'll learn: Why AI is designed to support fundraisers, not replace them; How human oversight, governance, and accountability remain essential; What responsible AI means for donor engagement and relationship-building; How nonprofit leaders can separate common misconceptions from practical realities.
Who: Timothy Hammond, Principal User Experience Designer, Blackbaud; Amelia Helm, Marketing, Blackbaud.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Blackbaud
What: The latest research, explore competing predictions about the future of schools, and the promise and the potential pitfalls of widespread AI adoption. Most importantly, we will share strategies for helping district and school leaders build a clear vision for AI and guide educators through meaningful, responsible implementation.
Who: Aryan Bhadouria, CEO and Co-Founder, Teachshare; Jennifer Kilmore, Experienced Educator, Director of Professional Learning, Vista Higher Learning.
When: 4 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Vista
What: A discussion of how the Springfield News-Sun covers Springfield’s Haitian community and how national immigration policy changes have affected the town.
Who: Jessica Orozco, staff writer for the News-Sun; Josh Sweigert, editor for investigations for the News-Sun.
When: 6 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
What: Join this panel of accomplished editors and independent journalists to learn how they’ve built unique and rewarding careers following food–and how you too can become a contributor to the Guardian, COYOTE, the Food Section, Ravenous, and others.
Who: Cynthia Greenlee, deputy editor for special projects, The Guardian; Jaya Saxena, worker-owner, Ravenous; Soleil Ho, worker-owner, COYOTE Media Collective; Hanna Raskin, founder, the Food Section.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $30, free to members
Sponsor: The Institute for Independent Journalists
What: This session focuses on public records and ICE — what requesters have learned, what continues to evolve, and how reporters and advocates are using FOIA to illuminate the agency's operations and footprint. We'll dig into the lessons learned from filing public records requests with ICE, hear from those with firsthand experience, and pass the mic to community members who have been doing this work on the ground. The discussion will cover practical approaches, from local requests to larger datasets, and how those materials can support accountability reporting at the community level.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Sunlight Research
What: Please bring your puzzling and perplexing copyright questions.
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Association of Southeastern Research Libraries
The very same situations that inflame the hostile imagination in some people, making them villains, can also instill the heroic imagination in other people, prompting them to perform heroic deeds. -Philip Zimbardo
The way we live is what we believe. The rest is just religious talk.
The expected arrival in a few months of open Chinese models that rival the power of the best currently offered by Anthropic and OpenAI will create significant new security vulnerabilities. The Pentagon’s top cyberdefense officer said last week that it has seen a ‘tenfold’ increase in security vulnerabilities as AI has emerged as a powerful tool for attackers. -Washington Post
Former TikTok execs built an app that uses AI to teach you how to pose for a photo – Tech Crunch
A.I. Slopware Is Everywhere Now. Nobody Is Using It. – New York Times
The Case for Saving Every AI Chat – Wall Street Journal
It’s All Fun and Games Until You Give AI Your Credit Card – The Atlantic
A framework for working smarter with AI tools – Four Modes
On teaching AI how you work - Karl Koch
OpenAI introduces "Ultrafast," a new mode it says makes ChatGPT's latest, most powerful model work 14 times faster – Tech Crunch
Americans turning to AI for financial advice but confidence low, poll shows – Semafor
College AI use spikes – Axios
Chinese AI firm DeepSeek releases new coding model that costs a fraction of leading frontier systems – Axios
How I Built an AI Agent That Makes Videos While I Sleep - Hackernoon
When His Church Goes Dark, They Talk to His Digital Twin - New York Times
How to Research Technical Topics With AI - 0xkato
This font uses an optical illusion to hide from AI – PopSci
AI Does not Replace your expertise it multiples its impact – Mexico Business News
There will come a point in the race, when you alone will need to decide. You will need to make a choice. Do you really want it? You will need to decide. - Rolf Arands, a runner
Virtue is never a waste of time. If it was a waste, then it never was a virtue.
How Chinese AI Firms Tried to Clone U.S. AI Models – Wall Street Journal
Here’s what Nvidia’s $13 billion Hugging Face deal means for the world of AI – Market Watch
China Wants to Shape What the World’s A.I. Knows – New York Times
OpenAI debuts GPT-6 Astra - Axios
How Big Tech Blinded Itself to the Grassroots AI Revolt – Wall Street Journal
The AI Backlash Gets Professional – The Atlantic
Microsoft Is Leaving Investors Flying Blind on Its AI Businesses – Wall Street Journal
By Opening a Model, a Chinese A.I. Lab May Test the World’s Cybersecurity – New York Times
Nobody knows who built AI coding model Ox Alpha or where the code goes – Silicon Angle
Startup Founders Are Working Harder Than Ever to Keep Up With Their AI Agents – Wall Street Journal
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility – 404 Media
The ‘Country Hicks’ Who Refused $26 Million from an AI Data Center – Wall Street Journal
Cargo Thefts Have Turned Violent in Pursuit of AI Hardware – Wired
Open AI launches ChatGPT designed for younger users – NPR
Behind the Curtain: The new existential threat to AI – Axios
Meta released an open-source version of its most powerful A.I. model. – New York Times
French newspapers appeal to antitrust regulator over Google's AI summaries – France24
Anthropic says it will watermark text generated by its AI models – Tech Crunch
China Wants to Shape What the World’s A.I. Knows – New York Times
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. -Annie Dillard, 1945 - 2026
This world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel. -Horace Walpole
There's usually an inverse proportion between how much something is on your mind and how much it's getting done.
Develop a ‘Document State of Mind’
How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust
How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust (International Edition)
How to Balance Newsgathering with Privacy Interests
How to Protect Yourself Online
Research for the Newsroom: Practical tools for adding depth to breaking and enterprise stories
Shut out: How Pulitzer winners worked with reluctant sources to tell powerful stories
Covering Vulnerable Sources: A Mental Health Reporting Project Webinar
How to Cover Marginalized Communities
The Science Reporting Navigator
Trauma-informed Reporting: A Mental Health Reporting Project Webinar
The Unlikely Political Bedfellows on A.I. Regulation – New York Times
Washington's AI paralysis – Axios
Obama Urges Democrats to Move A.I. Oversight to the Center of Their Agenda – New York Times
How Chinese AI Firms Tried to Clone U.S. AI Models – Wall Street Journal
As AI fears grow, lawmakers are racing to turn alarm into action - Washington Post
Voters Are Asking A.I. About Elections. The Answers Can Vary by User. – New York Times
Bernie Sanders floats ban on superintelligent AI – Axios
US government sides with OpenAI on issue of training LLMs on copyrighted material - TechCrunch
Trump and AI investors wage campaign to save data centers – Axios
A.I. Is Everywhere in China. See For Yourself. – New York Times
The Brains Who Powered China’s Surprising AI Leap – Wall Street Journal
AI advocacy group launches data center push in battleground states – Axios
What Really Happens If China Wins the AI Race? – The Atlantic
The US is building barriers around drones and robots, but China has scale to get around them – Tech Crunch
The administration’s biodefense team has dwindled amid growing concern over AI-enabled pathogens – Washington Post
The rise of physical AI: can robots save US manufacturing? – Financial Times
China Wants to Shape What the World’s A.I. Knows – New York Times
AI deepfakes are already in full force this election season – Fast Company
A.I. Is Now a Major Election Issue – The New Yorker
Trump’s AI protectionism has come for robotics – MIT
AI Companion Robots Are Closing the Human Connection in Modern Homes – Spectrum
It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them. -Agatha Christie (born Sept 15, 1890)
Facial Recognition - This AI technology uses statistical measurements of a person’s face to identify them against a digital database of other faces. For instance, Clearview AI was trained on billions of images. These AI-powered systems unlock phones, verify passports, and scan crowds at events for malicious actors. Agencies like the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other law enforcement agencies use it. Apple calls its facial recognition security feature on the iPhone Face ID. It is beneficial in some unexpected ways, such as helping wildlife managers maintain and control animal populations. However, the technology continues to have a serious problem with false positives and a history of unintended harms as well as intentional misuse based on racial and gender bias.
A new report claims a swarm of AI agents, developed by OpenAI, hijacked a German website and started using it as their own message board, shared tips on how to avoid being detected and made 15,000 edits to it. When editors started deleting pages, the AI agents shared code designed to retrieve them. -BBC
There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. -Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers)
What: We will present the latest draft of an accessible online resource designed to inform, be supported by research, and serve as a catalyst for critical discussions in the classroom and beyond, inviting participants to provide feedback on how it can be strengthened and applied in their learning environments.
Who: Scott Spicer, Media Outreach Librarian for the University of Minnesota Libraries.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Media Education Lab
What: Where is the line between acceptable and unacceptable AI use?
Who: Author Stephen P. Johnson; journalist Nicholas Thompson.
When: 7 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Media Education Lab
What: Designed for experienced journalists navigating the line between correlation and causation in high-stakes reporting.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: National Press Club Journalism Institute
What: We will show you exactly what to do with the AI visibility data you’ve been collecting. You’ll leave knowing what’s actually useful to measure, how to interpret the data to prioritize next steps, and the specific tactics to improve how your brand shows up in AI answers.
Who: Constance Tan, Product Marketer at Ahrefs; Loren Baker Founder, Search Engine Journal.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Search Engine Journal
What: We'll share where the excitement's real for design, where the stress is actually coming from, and what it means for the next few years of the profession.
Who: Merritt Robinson, Head of Design for Bain; Mat Hunter, CEO Design Council; Olof Schybergson, Fjord founder; Shelley Evenson, ex Accenture/Fjord head of design learning.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: luma
What: We’ll make the case that the smartest first move isn’t chasing agents; it’s setting up well-configured AI assistants. Assistants are practical, low-risk, and available today. They’re also the training ground for everything agentic AI is about to ask of your organization: clean data, clear guardrails, and a communications strategy that protects donor trust.
Who: Stephen Jackson, Chief of Staff and Strategic Communications, TechSoup.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: CharityEngine, Nonprofit Tech for Good & Tech Soup
What: This session will explore how modern data security programs connect classification with access, exposure, ownership, and business context across cloud, SaaS, and AI environments. You’ll learn how to discover and classify sensitive data at scale, understand the risks introduced by AI, and move from static findings to prioritized, actionable risk that can be remediated before it becomes an incident.
Who: Chad Knipschild, Product Marketing Manager for Data Security at Wiz and a former Naval. intelligence officer
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechTarget
What: This webinar is designed for reporters interested in getting started on reporting on artificial intelligence, even with minimal or no knowledge of AI. We will dissect what makes a good AI accountability story, from quick turnaround stories to more ambitious investigations.
Who: Marché Arends
When: 9 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Pulitzer Center
What: We will explore AI for student learning and teacher efficiency, experience time‑saving workflows, explore the free IBM SkillsBuild, where each educator will leave having started their AI certification, and gain practical, classroom‑ready strategies for implementation tomorrow.
Who: Niki Kelly, Former Educator, Current Senior Partner Engagement Manager, Discovery Education.
When: 4 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Discovery Education & IBM
What: A deep dive on coming up with strong, more original, and attention-getting story ideas.
Who: Tim Herrera, author and former editor of The New York Times's Smarter Living; Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Business Insider.
When: 4 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $25
Sponsor: Freelancing With Tim
What: We'll discuss the recent free speech victory of a student paper against the federal government over its deportation policy targeting speech, and its impact on press freedom.
Who: Conor Fitzpatrick, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression; Esha Bhandari, ACLU; former immigration judge Marium Uddin.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
Fact-Check It: Digital Tools to Verify Everything Online
How to Spot Misinformation Online
Is This Legit? Digital Media Literacy 101
Interviewing Traumatized Sources
Conducting Interviews that Matter $25.00
How to Interview Hostile Sources
Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style and More $10.
Dignity and Precision in Language
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