Thinking Hard
/A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. -William James
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
14 Articles about the Business of Running an AI
/3 ways to test your AI’s effectiveness – Legal Dive
OpenAI unveils ambitions to compete more directly with Big Tech – Washington Post
AI Revolution: Top Lessons from OpenAI, Anthropic, CharacterAI, & More – a16z (podcast)
The TIME100 Most Influential People in AI - TIME
Silicon Valley startups lean into AI boom – Axios
These Prisoners Are Training AI – Wired
AI technology behind ChatGPT was built in Iowa — with a lot of water – KBUR
Meta is Developing its Own LLM to Compete with OpenAI – Social Media Today
Microsoft, Google rebuild around AI with Windows and Bard updates – Axios
The New ChatGPT Can ‘See’ and ‘Talk.’ Here’s What It’s Like. – New York Times
The State of Large Language Models – Scientific American
OpenAI has quietly changed its ‘core values’ - Semafor
Google Brain cofounder says Big Tech companies are inflating fears about the risks of AI wiping out humanity because they want to dominate the market – Business Insider
New synthetic data techniques could change the way AI models are trained - Semafor
Why is my first choice so seriously lame?
/For some reason, we often expect our first choice to be the optimal choice. However, it’s actually quite normal for your first attempt to be incorrect or wrong. This is especially true of the major decisions that we make in life.
Think of the first person you dated. Would this person have been the best choice for your life partner? Go even further back and imagine the first person you had a crush on. Finding a great partner is complicated and expecting yourself to get it right on the first try is unreasonable. It’s rare that the first one would be the one.
What is the likelihood that your 22-year-old self could optimally choose the career that is best for you at 40 years old? Or 30 years old? Or even 25 years old? Consider how much you have learned about yourself since that time. There is a lot of change and growth that happens during life. There is no reason to believe that your life’s work should be easily determined when you graduate.
When it comes to complex issues like determining the values you want in a partner or selecting the path of your career, your first attempt will rarely lead to the optimal solution.
Let Us
/Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. - James Thurber
11 Free Media Webinars this Week: Disinformation, SEO, Storytelling, AI, Science & More
/Mon, Nov 6 - Getting it right: Pushing past resistance to better firearms violence reporting
What: This webinar will explore how four journalists have tried to be part of the solution and the changes they’ve observed. They’ll share tips for managing managers, taking small steps (and feeling okay about that) and the importance of working closely in the communities most affected by the violence.
Who: Kaitlin Washburn, a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times; Abené Clayton, a reporter for The Guardian; Christopher Norris is a two-time Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist and former managing editor for community and engagement at WHYY
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Association of Health Care Journalists
Mon, Nov 6 - The impact of vaccine misinformation
What: The grave consequences of widespread anti-vaccination misinformation.
Who: PolitiFact Deputy Editor Rebecca Catalanello and Dr. Céline Gounder, host of the “Epidemic” podcast, KFF senior fellow, CBS News medical contributor.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Poynter & PolitiFact
Mon, Nov 6 - How Russia’s disinformation campaigns can target your town
What: Learn how — and why — Russian propaganda is bypassing content bans and posing as local news with
Who: Peter Benzoni of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and PolitiFact Executive Director Aaron Sharockman.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Poynter & PolitiFact
Tue, Nov 7 - SEO Strategies for Nonprofits: Boosting Visibility and Traffic to Your Website
What: This webinar will get you up to speed on modern SEO tactics, why they're important, and how to build a strategy to keep your website's performance up to date. By the end of this webinar, you'll know How optimizing your site for SEO gains you new users; The basic SEO elements and how to manipulate them on your site; How to keep your site performing well on search engines in an efficient and effective manner.
Who: Julian Gerace, Tapp Network Digital Solutions Manager; Jason Spangler Tapp Network, Director Of Sales.
When: 12 noon
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
Tue, Nov 7 - Google News Lab — Trends and Advanced Search
What: This session will equip you with practical reporting tips with examples. In Advanced Search, we’ll share how using search modifiers and specialized search engines can unearth story ideas and sources. We'll also look at how Google Trends can lead to insights on local audiences and complement your storytelling.
When: 11 am, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Google News Labs
Wed, Nov 8 - Global Media Literacy Education with the Pulitzer Center
What: Learn more about the many types of misinformation and approaches to media literacy. Participants will reflect on what global media literacy looks like in the classroom by exploring thinking routines and resources that encourage students to make local-global connections and identify power structures and dominant narratives that shape media.
Who: This workshop will feature an alumnus of the Pulitzer Center's Teacher Fellowship program, who will share their experience teaching an original project-based unit that cultivates global media literacy, and their tips for other educators doing this work.
When: 4 pm, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Pulitzer Center Education
Wed, Nov 8 - "Once upon a Time": The Art and Architecture of Storytelling
What: This webinar will uncover the art and architecture of storytelling to reveal the power of persuasion. The session will answer these questions: How do we move from communicating to "inform" to communicating to "advocate" in sales and marketing presentations? What are the roles of trust and emotions in persuasion? Does speaking virtually change how we should persuade?
Who: Dr. Constance Staley Professor of Communication, University of Colorado
When:
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Training Magazine
Wed, Nov 8 - The threat of AI and the Israel-Hamas war
What: To help you better understand how malign actors are — or are not — using deepfakes to accelerate false narratives and intentionally mislead audiences.
Who: MediaWise Director Alex Mahadevan will lead a conversation with MediaWise Ambassador Hari Sreenivasan and Felix Simon, communication researcher and doctoral student at the Oxford Internet Institute.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Poynter & PolitiFact
Wed, Nov 8 - Science essentials for local reporters
What: Basic principles about how science works and ways it can be used to strengthen virtually any news story.
Who: Former longtime Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and Ph.D. neuroscientist Dr. Tori Espensen.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: New England Newspaper & Press Association
Thu, Nov 9 – Key YouTube Strategies for 2024
What: Results from a soon-to-be-released study of media agencies. You’ll find out: How advertisers are addressing brand suitability challenges on YouTube and balancing that with campaign performance goals. How brand and agency leaders predict their spending on YouTube and CTV will change in 2024. Platform changes that could have a big impact on how brands represent themselves on YouTube in 2024, including shifts in how they can advertise to diverse communities.
Who: Tamara Alesi CEO, Mediaplus North America; Jessica Goon CMO, Tate's Bake Shop; Matt Duffy CMO, Pixability.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Pixability
Fri, Nov 10 - Public Funding of Local News
What: Four states now provide funding for local news through state appropriations: New Jersey, Washington, New Mexico and California. In this program, we hear from local news leaders in those states and the national organization Rebuild Local News.
Who: Ayinde Merrill (New Jersey Civic Information Consortium), Steve Waldman (Rebuild Local News) and Christa Scharfenberg (UC Berkeley). This session will be moderated by Meg Little Reilly (CCN).
When: 12 noon, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The University of Vermont
The Right Track
/Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers (born Nov. 4, 1879)
11 Recent Articles about Data Privacy & Security
/AI trains on your Gmail and Instagram, and you can’t do much about it - The Washington Post
Why deleting something from the internet is 'almost impossible' - CNN
How To Scan Your iPhone For Malware - SlashGear
RIP, Passwords. Here’s What’s Coming Next – New York Times
The metaverse brings a new breed of threats to challenge privacy and security gatekeepers – CSO
Companies are hoarding personal data about you. Here’s how to get them to delete it. - The Washington Post
Tech firms seek private data to train AI - Axios
Is ChatGPT becoming a serious security risk for your business? – Tech Radar
We don’t know exactly how things are working and how the inputs are kept, managed, monitored, or surveilled over time – MIT Tech Review
What Biden’s AI executive order means for data privacy – Semafor
When someone vents anger
/Don’t react when someone vents anger. Pretend you are watching from a distance.
Start before You’re Ready
/A side effect of doing challenging work is that you’re pulled by excitement and pushed by confusion at the same time.
You’re bound to feel uncertain, unprepared, and unqualified. But let me assure you of this: what you have right now is enough. You can plan, delay, and revise all you want, but trust me, what you have now is enough to start. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to start a business, lose weight, write a book, or achieve any number of goals… who you are, what you have, and what you know right now is good enough to get going.
We all start in the same place: no money, no resources, no contacts, no experience. The difference is that some people — the winners — choose to start anyway.
Yesterday & Today
/Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today!
10 Data Science articles from October
/China continues remote-sensing buildup with new launch of Yaogan satellites
Bayes factors evaluate priors, cross validations evaluate posteriors
How the Pentagon sizes up China’s military strength in space
Convolutional Neural Networks: what are they, types and applications?
5 most common and important data structures that every data scientist should learn and master
The various industries where the demand is rising for data scientists
China plans to create lunar satellite network for deep space communications
NRO building new satellites to deliver ‘10 times more signals and images’
Slingshot Aerospace harnessing AI to track suspicious satellites
17 Quotes from Articles Comparing Generative AI to the Use of Calculators in Classrooms
/Is this moment more like the invention of the calculator, saving me from the tedium of long division, or more like the invention of the player piano, robbing us of what can be communicated only through human emotion? – The Atlantic
There's a natural progression. New tools like the calculator, like Grammarly and editing tools that came out a number of years ago that made all of our writing better, including mine, right? Those are things that are just going to keep on coming. And, we can't stop them from coming, but it's up to us to decide how to integrate them appropriately. – ABC News
As math professors once had to adjust their math teaching in the presence of calculators, writing instructors may need to adjust their teaching in the presence of AI tools. “It would be like micromanaging the use of calculators in in a math class,” Underwood said. “If you’re doing that, it’s a sign that you’re not you’re not taking the opportunity to teach them more advanced math that would actually help them.” – Inside Higher Ed
The question before us is how we can productively use ChatGPT to help our students become knowledge transformers? A writer, a teacher, and an education professor all suggest an analogy from the calculator and math to ChatGPT and writing. In the same way that calculators became an important tool for students in math classes, ChatGPT has potential to become an important tool for writers who want to hone their critical thinking skills along with their communication skills. – Brookings
Much as Google devalued the steel-trap memory, electronic calculators speeded up complex calculations, Wikipedia displaced the printed encyclopedia and online databases diminished the importance of a vast physical library, so, too, platforms like ChatGPT will profoundly alter the most prized skills. According to Chamorro-Premuzic, the skills that will be most in demand will be the ability to: Know what questions to ask. – Inside Higher Ed
It reminds him of what his mother, a high-school math teacher, went through when graphing calculators were introduced. The initial reaction was to ban them; the right answer, he says, was to embrace and use them to enhance learning. “It was a multiyear process with a lot of trying and testing and evaluating and assessing.” Similarly, he anticipates a variety of approaches on his campus. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Gibson, who has been teaching for 25 years, likened it to more familiar tech tools that enhance, not replace, learning and critical thinking. “I don’t know how to do it well yet, but I want AI chatbots to become like calculators for writing,” she says. Gibson’s view of ChatGPT as a teaching tool, not the perfect cheat, brings up a crucial point: ChatGPT is not intelligent in the way people are, despite its ability to spew humanlike text. It is a statistical machine that can sometimes regurgitate or create falsehoods and often needs guidance and further edits to get things right. – Wired
In the past, near-term prohibitions on slide rules, calculators, word processors, spellcheck, grammar check, internet search engines and digital texts have fared poorly. They focus on in-course tactics rather than on the shifting contexts of what students need to know and how they need to learn it. Reframing questions about AI writers will drive assignment designs and assessments that can minimize academic integrity concerns while promoting learning outcomes. – Inside Higher Ed
Judging from the reaction on TikTok, teachers on the app see ChatGPT as a tool to be treated the same way calculators and cell phones are used in class — as resources to help students succeed but not do the work for them. – Mashable
Professors wondered whether students would lean on the technology as a crutch. “Just as some feared that pocket calculators would cause schoolchildren to forget their multiplication tables, some professors worry that students will learn how to use graphical calculators without learning the concepts of mathematics,” The Chronicle reported in 1992. “[Students] know the information is a quick Google search away,” one professor wrote in a 2015 op-ed for The Chronicle encouraging professors to ban the use of calculators found on laptops and phones during exams. “What’s the point of memorizing it, they want to know.” Despite those fears, the use of calculators in math classrooms and the drum of keyboards in lecture halls are now commonplace. “The calculator changes the kinds of questions that you can ask students,” one professor told The Chronicle in 1992. “A lot of problems we used to assign were very artificial, so the numbers would come out nicely. Today we don’t need to worry about that so much. The problems aren’t harder, but they’re not as neat.” – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Every time a new technology is introduced, we find ourselves struggling with how it forces people to rethink the things they do. The best comparison, he said, is calculators, which, like ChatGPT, many found threatening to education. The worry, he explained, was about the possibility of calculators and statistical software eventually replacing mathematicians. – Grid
The New York City Department of Education has banned ChatGPT in its schools, as has the University of Sciences Po, in Paris, citing concerns it may foster rampant plagiarism and undermine learning. Other professors openly encourage use of chatbots, comparing them to educational tools like a calculator, and argue teachers should adapt curriculums to the software. “Do you want to go to war with your students over AI tools?” said Ian Linkletter, who serves as emerging technology and open-education librarian at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. “Or do you want to give them clear guidance on what is and isn’t okay, and teach them how to use the tools in an ethical manner?” “There are lots of years when the pocket calculator was used for all math ever, and you walked into a classroom and you weren’t allowed to use it,” he said. “It took probably a generational switch for us to realize that’s unrealistic.” Educators must grapple with the concept of “what does it mean to test knowledge.” In this new age, he said, it will be hard to get students to stop using AI to write first drafts of essays, and professors must tailor curriculums in favor of other assignments, such as projects or interactive work. “Pedagogy is going to be different,” he said. “And fighting [AI], I think it’s a losing battle.” – Washington Post
In an academic context, we should approach language models as engines for provisional reasoning — “calculators for words,” as British programmer Simon Willison calls them. Instead of assuming that the model already has an answer to every question in memory, this approach provides, in the prompt, any special assumptions or background knowledge the model will be expected to use. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Once calculators became prevalent, elementary schools pivoted to translating real-world problems into math formulations rather than training for arithmetic speed. Once online search became widely available, colleges taught students how to properly cite online sources. Some have explored banning AI in education. That would be hard to enforce; it’s also unhealthy, as students will need to function in an AI-infused workplace upon graduation. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Every generation of students comes of age with new technology. From the calculator and the personal laptop to smartphones to Zoom, each has been initially met with angst about the disruption to traditional teaching. We fear foundational knowledge will be replaced by robotic inputs and outputs, or that personal interactions unmediated by screens will be eliminated. And so the new technology can seem an obstacle to the parts of the educational experience we love the most — the look when a student first grasps a difficult concept, the spark from an original idea during a brainstorming session, the give-and-take of a classroom debate. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Practically speaking, I’m treating GPT like a calculator: Most of us used calculators in math class and still didn’t get perfect grades. After discovering my first ChatGPT essay, I decided that going forward, students can use generative A.I. on assignments, so long as they disclose how and why. I’m hoping this will lead to less banging my head against the kitchen table–and, at its best, be its own kind of lesson. – Slate
As academe adjusts to a world with ChatGPT, faculty will need to find fresh ways to assess students’ writing.The same was true when calculators first began to appear in math classrooms, and professors adapted the exams. “Academic integrity is about being honest about the way you did your work.” Spell checkers, David Rettinger, president emeritus at the International Center for Academic Integrity, pointed out, are a prime example of artificial intelligence that may have been controversial at first, but are now used routinely without a second thought to produce papers. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Just as calculators and the internet once upended teaching and learning, generative AI represents “a new, major disruption,” says Mike Prizament, senior product marketing manager at Adobe. “It’s also an opportunity to tackle the main challenges in higher education.” – EdTech
Go
/Go turn into love. -Bob Goff
8 Free Media Webinars in the next two weeks
/Mon, Oct 30 - Tips to Make Your Organization More Digitally Accessible
What: Participants will learn tips for designing websites, email marketing campaigns and physical spaces with accessibility in mind. We will also discuss what accessibility means, how to design for accessibility and tips for being more inclusive at your organization
Who: Marketing Branding Consultant Israel Serna
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Adelante Partners
Tue, Oct 31- Empowering news media with artificial intelligence
What: During this webinar, we will officially launch smartocto.ai and demonstrate how it works. Smartocto.ai provides 5 simple and effective ways of using AI in the newsroom: - Advanced headline testing - Automatic content classification (including user needs) - Smart story rewriting - Timing optimization.
Who: Erik Van Heeswijk, Smartocto CEO
When: 9 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Smartocto
Wed, Nov 1 - Building A Social Media Calendar & Strategy For Your Nonprofit with Nina Staer Nathan
What: Why auditing your social media is so important, a roadmap for how to do it and how to build a social media strategy and a social media calendar.
Who: Nina Staer Nathan who holds a certificate in Digital Marketing Management from the University of Toronto, and a Post-Graduate in Project Management & International Development from Humber College.
When: 1 pm, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Nonprofit Hub
Wed, Nov 1 - AI’s Impact on Inbound Marketing: Key Trends for 2024
What: Uncover the trends that will disrupt B2B marketing in 2024, and how to turn them into a competitive advantage. You’ll find out: How to use AI to deliver a personalized buying experience and build a stronger pipeline. Why one simple but important change to your website can double your sales meetings What a successful marketing strategy and impact will look like in 2024.
Who: Jessica Gilmartin CMO, Calendly; Brian Mitchell Head of Revenue Marketing ,Calendly; Julia Farina Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Calendly
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Calendly
Fri, Nov 3 - Design 101: How to create visuals when it’s not usually your job
What: Best practices, tools you have at your disposal, and exercises for creating visuals regardless of your hands-on design experience.
Who: Beth Francesco, the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s executive director
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Journalism Institute at the National Press Club
Mon, Nov 6 - Getting it right: Pushing past resistance to better firearms violence reporting
What: This webinar will explore how four journalists have tried to be part of the solution and the changes they’ve observed. They’ll share tips for managing managers, taking small steps (and feeling okay about that) and the importance of working closely in the communities most affected by the violence.
Who: Kaitlin Washburn, a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times; Abené Clayton, a reporter for The Guardian; Christopher Norris is a two-time Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist and former managing editor for community and engagement at WHYY
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Association of Health Care Journalists
Tue, Nov 7 - Google News Lab — Trends and Advanced Search
What: This session will equip you with practical reporting tips with examples. In Advanced Search, we’ll share how using search modifiers and specialized search engines can unearth story ideas and sources. We'll also look at how Google Trends can lead to insights on local audiences and complement your storytelling.
When: 11 am, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Google News Labs
Thu, Nov 9 – Key YouTube Strategies for 2024
What: Results from a soon-to-be-released study of media agencies. You’ll find out: How advertisers are addressing brand suitability challenges on YouTube and balancing that with campaign performance goals. How brand and agency leaders predict their spending on YouTube and CTV will change in 2024. Platform changes that could have a big impact on how brands represent themselves on YouTube in 2024, including shifts in how they can advertise to diverse communities.
Who: Tamara Alesi CEO, Mediaplus North America; Jessica Goon CMO, Tate's Bake Shop; Matt Duffy CMO, Pixability.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Pixability
12 Articles on Cheating with AI & AI Detectors
/The Trouble With AI Writing Detection – Inside Higher Ed
College application season is here. So is the struggle to find out if AI wrote students’ essays – Cal Matters
If using ChatGPT to write essays becomes widespread, those students who elect not to use it, who prefer to do the work themselves, may suffer a penalty for doing so. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Results of a new survey flip the early narrative on ChatGPT—that students would rush to use it to cheat on assignments and that teachers would scramble to keep up—on its head. Half of students, ages 12-18, said they have never used ChatGPT. – Ed Week
OpenAI debates when to release its AI-generated image detector – Tech Crunch
Universities Rethink Using AI Writing Detectors to Vet Students’ Work – Bloomberg
Identifying AI’s flaws motivates students and helps them build confidence, which can discourage cheating. Pointing out where it still really messes up is very powerful for empowering students to see their own strengths as human thinkers. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Students cheat out of desperation so one professor will give multi-level assignments that force students to submit papers at various stages to keep track of their progress. – Yahoo News
The AI Detection Arms Race Is On And college students are developing the weapons, quickly building tools that identify AI-generated text—and tools to evade detection. – Wired
Simply leaving it up to students to decide whether they’re going to do the work, without further comment or intervention or negative sanction from me, is a failure of pedagogy. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
AI detectors have low efficiency, and simple modifications can allow even the most robust detectors to be easily bypassed. – Science Direct
Suspicion, Cheating & Bans: AN Hits America's Schools (podcast) – New York Times
15 Webinars This Week about Journalism, AI, Social Media, The First Amendment & More
/Mon, Oct 23 - The Defamation Machine
What: If corporations can be human enough to be held liable for defamation, why can’t computers?
Who: Professor James Grimmelmann, Tessler Family Professor of Digital and Information Law, Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School.
When: 7 pm, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Mon, Oct 23 - Reporting While Blind
What: The event will begin with a screening of a nine-minute ESPN documentary on blind baseball writer Ed Lucas's life named 'The Visionary.' Afterward, there will be a 90-minute discussion.
Who: Allison Lucas, the widow of the blind baseball writer Ed Lucas, is the president of the Ed Lucas Foundation, which supports the blind and visually impaired. She’ll discuss her husband's career in a conversation with Nick Hirshon, associate professor of communication at the William Paterson University.
When: 2:15 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
Mon-Tue, Oct 23/24 - Social Media, Race, and Community Knowledge Practices An Interdisciplinary Conference
What: How are racialized communities using social media to construct knowledge? How are social media platforms facilitating
Who: Karlos K. Hill is Advisor to the President for Community Engagement and Regents’ Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma; Sherri Irvin is Presidential Research Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies and Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Oklahoma; Jeong-Nam Kim University of Oklahoma, Fellow at the Data Institute for Societal Challenges; Lawrence Ware is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the philosophy department at Oklahoma State University.
When: 10 am – 4:30 pm
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The University of Oklahoma
Tue, Oct 24 - The Rise of Generation Alpha: What Marketers Need to Know
What: You’ll find out the four influences having the biggest impact on Alpha’s state of childhood, who they will grow up to be and their life experiences along the way. The societal forces shaping what it means to be a parent today, and the relationship parents pursue with their kids. Tactical ways for brands to authentically connect with a new generation of kids
Who: Mary Kate Callen VP, Audience Impact & Intelligence Paramount; Margie Papa Sr. Director, Audience Impact & Intelligence Paramount; Alexander Cammy Manager, Audience Impact & Intelligence Paramount.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Paramount Advertising, Nickelodeon
Tue, Oct 24 - ChatGPT Prompts for Grant Writing, Fundraising, and Marketing
What: How ChatGPT can revolutionize your grant writing, fundraising, and marketing endeavors. From understanding the AI’s capabilities to crafting compelling grant applications, this webinar offers a comprehensive look at cutting-edge techniques.
Who: Lisa Quigley, Tapp Network, Director Of Account Strategy; Tareq Monuar, Web Developer
When: 12 pm, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
Tue, Oct 24 - Emerging Social Media Trends
What: You’ll walk away with: What are the biggest social marketing trends. What are the Small Business social media trends on the horizon. Tips and tricks to get started with some of these social networks, and marketing strategies and tactics.
Who: Ray Sidney-Smith, CEO, W3 Consulting
When: 10 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $35
Sponsor: Duquesne University
Wed, Oct 25 - Media Literacy and Mental Health
What: Join us for this discussion on the relationship between robust media literacy skills and student mental health, and how educators can prioritize student wellbeing and social-emotional learning when introducing media literacy resources. A panel of educators will share how they teach media literacy and current events in their classroom, how they prioritize mental health during their students’ learning journeys, and how it has impacted their students.
Who: Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellows Karen Sojourner, a high school teacher in Kansas City, Missouri; Lisa Holewa, an elementary school teacher and former journalist in San Mateo, California; and Michelle Dueñas Mowery, a high school teacher in Chicago, Illinois.
When: 7 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND)
Thu, Oct 26 - Trauma-informed journalism
What: From the rising prevalence of mass shootings to daily crime coverage, journalists frequently encounter and interview victims of trauma. Cherry will discuss her research project that produced educational materials for journalists on working with these victims in a trauma-informed way.
Who: Tamara Cherry spent 15 years as a crime reporter for the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and CTV News Toronto.
When: 12 pm, Mountain Time
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
Thu, Oct 26 – Journalism's Role in Architectural Communication
What: A thought-provoking online discussion on how journalism plays a pivotal role in shaping and communicating the stories behind architectural projects. Discover how the power of words and storytelling converges with the world of design and construction, influencing not only our understanding and appreciation of architecture but also demonstrating why attracting press and media coverage is vital for entrepreneurs and designers looking to showcase their work to the world.
Who: Peter Murray, Chairman of New London Architecture and the London Society; Rose Marshall, Associate Director at ING Media; Marisa Santamaria, Researcher, curator, journalist, professor; Jerónimo van Schendel is the Director of the Master in Business for Architecture and Design at IE School of Architecture and Design.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: IE University School of Architecture & Design
Thu, Oct 26 -Brand Journalism for PR Agencies
What: The nuances of brand journalism, and how to get it right for your clients. The session will cover: Why brand journalism is more than on-message corporate blogs. The secret of creating content with a journalistic style. How content marketing can help clients build their audiences.
Who: Natasha Netschay Davies Owner & Chief Strategist, Moonraker PR
When: 1 pm, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Agency Grind
Thu, Oct 26 - Key First Amendment cases before the Supreme Court
What: First Amendment cases before the Supreme Court this term, including cameras in the courts, the Trump trial in D.C., Justice Thomas and his quest to overturn Times v. Sullivan.
Who: Award-winning Supreme Court and legal journalist Chris Geidner, who is known as the Law Dork.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Journalists, East Tenn. Pro Chapter
Thu, Oct 26 - How To Cover Conservation Technology
What: Our panel will give reporters story tips and important guidance for their reporting.
Who: An expert panel of conservation technologists and Mongabay’s own conservation tech coverage specialist, Abhi Kidangoor.
When: 10 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Journalists
Thu, Oct 26 - The AI Advantage: How nonprofits can rise to the top using AI
What: In this session, we’ll explore the incredible ways AI is transforming nonprofit operations, covering everything from fundraising to donor engagement, program optimization to impact measurement. We’ll dive into ChatGPT and how it can benefit your fundraising teams, automation that can free up time in your day, and more AI programs that can enhance the great work done by your fundraising team. We’ll uncover how AI-driven analytics can provide valuable insights into your database, empowering you to make informed decisions and maximize your impact on the communities you serve.
Who: Nejeed Kassam is the CEO and founder of Keela – an impact technology company dedicated to empowering nonprofits with accessible, powerful software.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Charity Villiage
Fri, Oct 27 - Sustaining Your Long-Form Journalism Career Webinar
What: Learn how to sustain your career through fellowships, editor relationships, strategically choosing assignments, and finding a community. Current and former freelancers will share the reality of making a living while doing meaningful work.
Who: Jeaah Lee, Independent Journalist; Sarah Carr, Independent Journalist; Fernanda Santos, Editor & Leader Digital & Audio; Cerise Castle, Independent Journalist.
When: 11 am, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Institute for Independent Journalists
Fri, Oct 27 - National NewsLitCamp with Report for America
What: A free professional development experience focusing on essential new literacy topics.
Who: Tiana Woodard of The Boston Globe; Kim Kleman, executive director of Report for America; Middle school librarian Cathy Collins; Becca Savransky, an education reporter at the Idaho Statesman; DeMario Phipps-Smith, NLP’s senior manager of community learning; Tom Rosenstiel, professor at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and more.
When: 8 am – 5 pm, Central
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: News Literacy Project, Report for America
We ought to live
/We ought to live in such a way that our lives wouldn’t make sense if the gospel were not true. - Dorothy Day
Getting lost
/Don't get lost in the fabric of your personal drama.
Status quo Bias
/Should you stay or should you go? Status quo bias is our tendency to, when presented with a choice, prefer the current scenario as opposed to making a change. You can account for this natural bias by reversing the situation and the direction of change.
Status quo bias stems from a variety of human tendencies. A natural fear of change, our preference for familiarity, and laziness, all contribute. It's not our friend, either: Status quo bias contributes to many poorly thought decisions (like our tendency to overspend on big purchases).
Consider this: would you take a $13,000 wage increase to relocate to another city? Most people would say no. Yet consider the opposite: If you were living in another city, would you take a $13,000 wage decrease to move back to this one?
You can apply this reversal heuristic to smaller decisions, too. For example, instead of wondering whether you should spend a dollar for a chocolate bar, you could ask yourself whether you'd be willing to receive a dollar for skipping a chocolate bar for the day.
This quick reversal is a simpler version of the Reversal Test, a mental tool philosophers use to account for status quo bias.
Herbert Lui writing in LifeHacker
11 articles about AI & legal issues
/Google promises to take the legal heat in users’ AI copyright lawsuits – The Verge
A.I. May Not Get a Chance to Kill Us if This Kills It First – Slate
Getty Images CEO Craig Peters has a plan to defend photography from AI – The Verge
Artists Are Losing the War Against AI – The Atlantic
Some of the resistance among publishers to works generated by A.I. comes from its legal standing: Machine-written text can’t be copyrighted – New York Times
Some argue that authors whose copyrighted works are used to train AI systems have an ownership claim while others say those who use AI as a tool are the legal authors – Inside Higher Ed
Microsoft Says It Will Protect Customers from AI Copyright Lawsuits - Bloomberg
Thomson Reuters AI copyright dispute must go to trial, judge says -Reuters
Getty made an AI generator that only trained on its licensed images – The Verge
The Authors whose Pirated books are Powering Generative AI – The Atlantic
Inside the Legal Tussle Between Authors and AI: “We’ve Got to Attack This From All Directions” – Vanity Fair
Can My AI Program Sue? Supreme Court’s ADA Decision May Have the Answer – Security Boulevard