20 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism, & Media

(And one weekend event on free speech)

Mon, June 8 - Work Smarter with AI Agents - Build them with Octonous

What: This session will explore Octonous, Mozilla.ai's agent platform, and learn how to build AI agents tailored to your team's workflows. ​No technical skills required. Just bring your curiosity.

Who: Caroline Bohu, Solutions Engineer at Mozilla.ai.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Mozilla.ai

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Mon, June 8 - Why Your Website Matters More Than Ever

What: Walk away knowing: Where your website is silently losing donors and what to fix first; What today's funders and supporters actually expect when they land on your site; The practical steps to turn your website into your hardest-working team member; How to make meaningful improvements without a massive budget or a full rebuild.

Who: David Pisarek, CEO of Wow Digital.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Techsoup, Canada

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Tue, June 9 - Santa Marta and the Future of Climate Journalism

What: A discussion about the recent Santa Marta conference focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels — and the future of climate journalism.

Who: Keisuke Katori, Senior Staff Writer, Asahi Shimbun; Saorla McCabe, Advisor on Communication and Information Strategy and Policy, UNESCO; Phil Newell, Communications Co-Chair, Climate Action Against Disinformation; Elena González, Local Television Engagement Manager, Covering Climate Now; Kyle Pope, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives & Co-Founder, Covering Climate Now.

When: 9:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: CCNow & UNESCO

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Tue, June 9 - The Future of Learning Isn’t Content, It’s AI, Simulation, Coaching and Judgment

What: How learning teams can help employees develop judgment, operational fluency, and the human skills AI can’t replace. As AI becomes increasingly capable of prediction and information generation, the real differentiator will be a workforce that knows how to interpret, apply, question, and act on AI-driven insights.

Who: Karl Kapp, Director, Institute for Interactive Technologies, Bloomsburg University.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: ELB Learning

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Tue, June 9 - 'Investigating the Ocean' Webinar Series: 'How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT'

What: This session dives into vessel tracking and maritime monitoring using open-source intelligence. Journalists will learn how ships move, how to follow them in real time, and how to detect suspicious behavior such as illegal fishing, transshipment, or AIS manipulation. The session will also introduce satellite imagery and remote sensing tools to monitor ocean activity beyond what vessels report themselves.

Who: Fernanda Buffa, Pulitzer Center; Davide Mancini ORN Fellow; Federico Acosta Rainis, Pulitzer Center.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Tue, June 9 - Trauma-informed Reporting: A Mental Health Reporting Project

What: Master trauma-informed reporting to cover mental health with accuracy, empathy and impact.

Who: Lisa Armstrong, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Poynter

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Tue, June 9 - Social Media Boot Camp, Part 1

What: We’ll teach you practical tips and tools for extending your cause and mission via social media. We cover the basics of using social media for your nonprofit organization and give you handy tips for the most useful social media platforms for nonprofits.

Who: Kiersten Hill, Director of Nonprofit Solutions.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Tue, June 9 - Let's talk AI-powered conversion propensity models

What: Lessons learned from the panelists’ work and an open the discussion about what's worked and how they've experimented in this space.

Who: Chicago Public Media's Ellery Jones, Aditi Mukund, and Mark Chonofsky.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Tue, June 9 - Rise of independent journalists: Q&A with creators Levi Ismail and Chelsea Cox

Who: Levi Ismail, Creator and NewsChannel5 journalist; Chelsea Cox, Content creator journalist.

When: 4 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University & and Trusting News

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Wed, June 10 - LinkedIn for Small Business

What: In this session, you’ll learn how to optimize your profile to attract ideal clients, create content that gets seen without spending hours online, and turn connections into real business conversations. Whether you’re launching your first business or scaling an established one, you’ll walk away with a practical 30-day action plan to make LinkedIn work for your business goals.

Who: Karen Seymour, Founder and CEO of KJS Digital Marketing.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Temple University

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Wed, June 10 - The Future of Medical Writing: Applying AI Through a Human-Centric Lens + Demo

What: This session provides a practical view of how organizations can move from experimentation to scalable impact—while keeping medical writers central to the process.

Who: Melissa Morine, Senior Staff AI Staff Engineer, Weave Bio; Nancy Smith, RAC SVP, Medical Writing Services, Syner-G.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to members

Sponsor: American Medical Writers Association

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Wed, June 10 - Encouraging Self-directed Learning in Your Online Learning Environment

What: This webinar to help you define self-directed learning, identify barriers within your online learning environment, and make changes so that learners can drive their professional growth.

Who: Jeremy Tuttle, Director of Learning Design at Niche Academy.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Niche Academy

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Wed, June 10 - AI Has a Black Problem

What: We'll look into how AI sees race, why it matters more than most people realize and what it looks like to navigate a world that's increasingly being built by machines trained on our blind spots. We'll talk about who's at the table when these technologies are created, who's missing, and why that gap has real consequences for our communities. 

When: 7 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Luna

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Thu, June 11 - Ask Me Anything: 2026-2027 AI Accountability Network Fellowships

What: Learn more about joining the fifth (2026-2027) cohort of our Al Accountability Fellowships.

Who: Joanna S. Kao, Pulitzer Center; Si Err Yap, AI Fellow; Maria Karienova, Pulitzer Center.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Thu, June 11 - You Are the Experience: What Your Audience Actually Responds To

What: You’ll experience firsthand what truly captures attention, builds connection, and invites participation. Through a series of intentional moments, we’ll explore five specific experiences that consistently spark audience response and how to bring them to life using the tools available to you.

Who: Kassy LaBorie speaker, author, Virtual training pioneer.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Aha Slides

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Thu, June 11 - The KPI Reset: Measuring What Actually Matters 

What: This session focuses on how publishers can move beyond surface-level metrics and build KPI frameworks tied directly to financial outcomes. 

Who: Reilly Kneedler, an AlignSimple data and audience analytics expert.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $35

Sponsor: Online Media Campus

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Thu, June 11 - Public Sector Social Media: How to balance Creativity and Constraint

What: Whether you're a seasoned social media pro or you're just dipping your toes into the digital waters, you'll walk away with actionable tips, new friends in social . . . and maybe even a giveaway prize!

Who: Jake MacDonald, Hey Orca!

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Hey Orca

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Thu, June 11 - Social Media Boot Camp, Part 2

What: Now it’s time to use social media to stand out from the crowd. You’ll learn a few advanced social media tips and tricks, elevate your social media presence through micro strategies and activate your advocates.

Who: Kiersten Hill, Director of Nonprofit Solutions.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Fri, June 12 - Codex for Faculty and Researchers

What: Explore how faculty and researchers can use Codex to move from a research question or teaching need to a working prototype faster. This session will show practical workflows in higher education. We’ll focus on realistic academic use cases, including how to give Codex clear context, review its work, and keep humans in control of research quality and reproducibility.

Who: Gaurav Kaila, AI Deployment Manager, OpenAI.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Open AI Academy

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Fri, June 12 - AI & the Creation: Friends or Foes?

What: A moderated discussion and theological responses to the ways in which AI can contribute to planetary flourishing and the ways in which AI contributes to environmental concerns.

Who: Greg Cootsona, Executive Director of AI and Faith; Jim Stump, the Vice President at BioLogos; Sharon Talbot, marketing strategist; Leslie Herrmann, a scholar-advocate; Braden Molhoek, the Director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

When: 5:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom (hybrid)

Cost: Free

Sponsors: The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union & New College Berkeley.

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Sat, June 13 - Free Press Workshop 2026

What: Learn how to assert your right to press freedom and use the law to improve your reporting. This event is open to current undergraduate and graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities, with a special focus on those involved in journalism. Attendees will hear from experts in the field about the importance of student journalism and how to protect a free and open press.

When: 9 am – 5:30 pm

Where: In person (WHYY, Philadelphia)

Cost: Free

Sponsor: FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)

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31 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism & Media

Mon, April 27 - Scrollytelling and Visual Journalism: A Professional Approach

What: We will explore how immersive narratives and interactive design are reshaping modern journalism. This session will examine how compelling scrollytelling experiences are conceived, designed, and produced through real-world examples. A special focus will be placed on ethical decision-making in visual storytelling, including responsible data sourcing, fair and accurate representation, visual manipulation boundaries, AI-assisted production, and transparency within newsroom workflows. The webinar will also highlight the highly collaborative nature of visual journalism, emphasizing the dynamic partnership between reporters, designers, and developers. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how interdisciplinary teamwork strengthens storytelling, enhances credibility, and brings complex stories to life in visually engaging ways.

Who: Visuals Editor of the Guardian (UK) Ashley Kirk.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

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Mon, April 27 - The Future of AI and Implications for Higher Education and the World of Work

What: This webinar will discuss the current and evolving AI landscape and offer forward-looking perspectives from panelists tracking developments closely. A wide range of topics will be explored, including agentic AI, the value of the degree, ongoing shifts in how work is performed, and the changing role of higher education now and in the future. The webinar will also detail the varied responses colleges and universities have adopted thus far and outline practical paths forward for institutions as they contemplate and implement next steps throughout 2026 and beyond.

Who: Bryan Alexander, Senior Scholar in the Learning Design and Technology Program, Georgetown University; Dustin Bruzenak, Chief Executive Officer Modern Logic; Michelle Kassorla, Associate Professor of English Georgia State University–Perimeter College; Bethany Miller, Associate Provost and Chief Data Officer, Macalester College; C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation, AAC&U; Caleb Keith, Assistant Vice President for Digital Initiatives, AAC&U.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Association of Colleges and Universities

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Mon, April 27 - Mission Brief: The AI Trends Analysts Are Tracking in 2026

What: In this session, we'll set the scene for what's really at stake when enterprises adopt AI without a security strategy. Drawing on the latest analyst insights and real-world risk patterns, this session delivers the executive-level brief every CISO and security leader needs to confidently own the AI security conversation in their organization.

Who: Joe Tustin, Cyera’s Technical Data and AI Evangelist; Christy Hart Smith, Director of Global Analyst Relations; Rick Holland, Data Security and AI Governance Officer.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechTarget

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Mon, April 27 - AI Has Joined the Faculty

What: This discussion will explore: How faculty members are using AI in teaching and course design; Where AI can save time and where caution is warranted; What transparency and shared expectations should look like; How colleges can approach policy, governance, and trust.

Who: Beth McMurtrie, Senior Writer The Chronicle of Higher Education; Flower Darby, Associate Director, Teaching for Learning Center, University of Missouri; Chris Hakala, Executive Director, Center for Excellence on Teaching, Learning and Scholarship Springfield College; Susan Purrington, Harold F. Wiley Generative AI Teaching and Learning Fellow, Connecticut College; Evan Silberman, Senior University Dean of Academic Innovation Office of Academic Affairs, CUNY.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Chronicle of Higher Ed

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Mon, April 27 - How to Stay Productive in the Digital Age

What: We discuss easy‑to‑apply tips to help supervisors use digital tools more intentionally. You’ll learn tactics you can apply right away to improve communication, run more effective meetings, and keep your team aligned — without adding new tools or processes.

When: 4 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

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Tue, April 28 - Academic Integrity in Higher Education

What: This webinar is designed to help faculty and administrators respond to current and emerging academic integrity challenges, drawing on insights from experts in academic integrity administration, writing pedagogy, and faculty practice across multiple institutional contexts. Practical pedagogical strategies, effective classroom approaches, and up-to-date perspectives regarding AI detection will be among the topics explored in this action-oriented webinar.

Who: José Antonio Bowen, Senior Scholar AAC&U; Antonio Byrd, Associate Professor of English, University of Missouri–Kansas City; Anna Mills, Modern Language Association Task Force on AI in Research and Teaching, College of Marin; Susan Ray, Associate Professor of English, Delaware County Community College; Camilla Roberts, Director of the Honor and Integrity System, Kansas State University; C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation, AAC&U.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Association of Colleges and Universities

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Tue, April 28 - Poynter Beat Academy: ICE Impact on Children and Families

What: Learn how to cover ICE enforcement and its impact on children and families. Gain more practical strategies for reporting on immigration with accuracy and care. Identify strong story angles on education, health care and housing impacts.

Who: Jon Greenberg, Poynter Faculty; Zain Lakhani, Director of Migrant Rights and Justice; Julie Sugarman, Associate Director for K-12 Education, Research at MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy; Lidia Terrazas, Gulf State Reporter, Univision.

When: 11:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Poynter

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Tue, April 28 - Beyond the Headlines: Navigating Today’s Information Landscape

What: Learn how today’s info landscape shapes visibility for nonprofits.

Who: Rosemary Ostmann founded boutique firm RoseComm; Lara Cohn is an account director at RoseComm.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: NonProfit Help Desk

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Tue, April 28 - How journalism collaboratives can write strong grant proposals

What: Move past the intimidation and learn how to write strong and successful grant proposals for your journalism collaborative Whether you’re going after your first grant or your 50th, it can be intimidating to sit down and write that proposal. Learn best practices for writing them and how collaboratives can adapt a proposal to meet their needs and a funders’ needs. You'll also learn how to navigate the changing funding landscape and what it means for local journalism.

Who: Founder of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative Sarah Lee. She specializes in nonprofit strategy with expertise in journalism collaboratives and sustainable funding models.  

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Center for Cooperative Media

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Tue, April 28 - Current AI Issues in PR Practice

What: This webinar focuses on the contemporary AI issues facing public relations practice, including ethics. Specific attention is given to how AI impacts online reputation management, using AI to create intellectual property, and ethical concerns over AI use and privacy. The presentation will also discuss future issues of AI and its impact on PR and communication practice.

Who: Cayce Myers, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Virginia Tech, School of Communication; Cayce Myers, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Virginia Tech, School of Communication.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Florida Public Relations Association

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Tue, April 28 - AI Impact Hour for Nonprofits

What: In this session, you’ll learn how to: Streamline communication and content creation; Organize information and reduce repetitive tasks; Support fundraising and outreach with beginner-friendly tools.

Who: Aretha Simons, TechSoup

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

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Tue, April 28 - How AI Is Redefining Brand Strategy

What: In this panel, brand and marketing leaders explore a critical question: How do you protect the soul of your brand when AI is reshaping every touchpoint? Drawing on real examples, we’ll examine where human judgment still matters most, how brand strategy must evolve when machines read data instead of stories, and why clarity, empathy, and distinctiveness (not volume) are becoming the defining advantages in an AI‑mediated market.

Who: Joanna Berliner, Head of Creative, Wayfair North America; Ben Hall, Empathy Lab North America.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: AdWeek

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Tue, April 28 - Teaching Critical-Thinking Skills in the Age of AI

What: This forum will explore moving toward a pedagogy that foregrounds the teaching of thinking skills.

Who: Ian Wilhelm, Deputy Managing Editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education; Michelle Miller, Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, Executive Director, Institute for Advancing Applications in Artificial Intelligence, Northern Arizona University; Annette Vee, Associate Professor of English, Faculty Liaison for AI Enablement, Pitt Digital University of Pittsburgh.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Chronicle of Higher Ed

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Tue, April 28 - Blurred Lines: Should journalists be defined and regulated?

What: The panel will examine how to identify reporters and ethical journalism in a sea of digital content creators, activists masquerading as reporters and misinformation.

Who: Panelists include Olivia Hicks, The Minnesota Star Tribune sports reporter; Liz Kelly Nelson, founder of Project C; Aaron Parnas, digital news creator and “Newsfluencer”; Erik Ugland, Marquette University associate professor; SPJ Ethics Committee Chair Dan Axelrod.

When: 7 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

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Wed, April 29 - AI for Social – Scripts, captions and making it sound like you 

What: This session explores how AI can support social storytelling without flattening your voice. You’ll look at practical ways to turn reporting into platform-ready scripts and captions, while learning how to spot when AI output is generic, off-brand or just wrong. The focus is on speed, judgement and staying editorially in control. 

Who: Tristan Werkmeister, Social Media Reporter at Reuters.

When: 7:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Member: £15, Nonmembers: £25 

Sponsor: Women in Journalism

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Wed, April 29 - ChatGPT for Work 102: Leveraging AI to do your best work

What: Learn how to conduct deep research for report writing, organize your work with Projects, and build custom GPTs to automate tasks.

Who: Juliann Igo, GTM, OpenAI.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: OpenAI Academy

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Wed, April 29 - Spotify’s Adoption of Agentic-First Development

What: We’ll explore what agentic-first development looks like at scale, what changed, what broke, and which platform principles made it work.

Who: TNS host Jennifer Riggins; Spotify’s Stefan Särne and Sanjana Seetharam.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The New Stack

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Wed, April 29 - Faculty Perspectives on AI

What: This webinar will begin with a review of the findings of findings from a national survey capturing faculty perspectives on AI and then move into insights from those who collaborate most closely with faculty across departments and disciplines in higher education. Building on the findings and panelist insights, the webinar will surface persistent and emerging AI-related challenges faced by faculty, highlight the evolving needs of instructors and students, and outline actionable steps institutions can take to support effective and ethical integration of AI in service of student learning and student success. It will also emphasize how the wide range of faculty perspectives can serve as catalysts for meaningful institutional progress.

Who: Julaine Fowlin, Assistant Professor and Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Medical University of South Carolina; Chris Hakala, Executive Director of the Center for Excellence Training and Professor of Psychology, Springfield College; Amanda Irvin, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Columbia University; Lee Rainie, Director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center, Elon University; Melinda Rhodes-DiSalvo, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Ohio University; C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation, AAC&U; Hannah Schneider, Director of Digital Education Programs, AAC&U.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Association of Colleges and Universities

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Wed, April 29 - Inside NotebookLM 

What: Learn how to use NotebookLM to analyze sources, generate insights, and streamline your research workflow.​ NotebookLM is changing how journalists and researchers work with information. This session introduces what the tool can do, why it matters, and how it can help you move from raw documents to meaningful insight more quickly and effectively. ​​This session is a guided walkthrough designed to share practical examples, strategies, and ideas you can apply immediately, with time at the end for questions and discussion.

Who: Jeremy Caplan, Director of Teaching and Learning at CUNY's Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Sunlight Research Desk

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Wed, April 29 - Faculty Perspectives on AI

What: The webinar will surface persistent and emerging AI-related challenges faced by faculty, highlight the evolving needs of instructors and students, and outline actionable steps institutions can take to support effective and ethical integration of AI in service of student learning and student success. It will also emphasize how the wide range of faculty perspectives can serve as catalysts for meaningful institutional progress.

Who: Julaine Fowlin, Assistant Professor and Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Medical, University of South Carolina; Chris Hakala, Executive Director of the Center for Excellence Training and Professor of Psychology, Springfield College; Amanda Irvin, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Columbia University; Lee Rainie, Director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center, Elon University; Melinda Rhodes-DiSalvo, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Ohio University; C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation, AAC&U.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Association of Colleges and Universities

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Wed, April 29 - Readying Your Data for AI

What: A practical discussion on what it really takes to get federal data ready for secure, responsible AI. We’ll draw on lessons from across government and from Everpure’s work as an AI‑ready data and storage platform partner to show how agencies are building foundations that AI can trust.

Who: Austin Boone, Consulting Field Solutions Architect, Everpure.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

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Wed, April 29 - How to Make Social-First Videos That Reach New Audiences

What: Attendees will learn how to find and use trends, the basics of creating content on their phones, and gain access to exclusive tips and tricks for making concise, digestible videos for social media. By the end of this session, you will be better prepared to create your own short-form videos that engage and grow new audiences on social media.

Who: Rahim Jessani, Bottom Up Media; Meghan Murphy, Head of Programs, ONA.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Wed, April 29 - ChatGPT for Work 101: A guide to your AI superassistant 

What: In this session, we'll cover:  An overview of AI and ChatGPTs; Best practices for writing good prompts; Demos of content creation, data analysis, and image generation; How to discover use cases of ChatGPT at work.

Who: Juliann Igo, GTM, OpenAI.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: OpenAI Academy

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Wed, April 29 - Why Revise the SPJ Ethics Code Now, and What Should Be Improved?

What: The Ethics Committee will host “Why Revise the SPJ Ethics Code Now, and What Should Be Improved?” Committee members will discuss Code revision-related comments and suggestions emailed to ethics@spj.org and submitted via surveys for the public, journalists and those close to journalism.

Who: Stephen Adler, director of New York University’s Ethics and Journalism Initiative; Eric Deggans, NPR critic-at-large and Knight Chair in Journalism and Media Ethics, Washington and Lee University; Jackie Padilla, digital director, Scripps NewsChannel 5 Network - Chris Roberts, Ethics Committee vice-chair, associate professor and media ethics researcher, University of Alabama; Kevin Z. Smith, executive director, Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism, Ohio University; Lynn Walsh, assistant director, Trusting News.

When: 7 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Ethics

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Thu, April 30 - Q&A with V Spehar of Under the Desk News

What: What it means to build trust as an independent news creator. How do creators translate complex political and cultural developments into formats that work on platforms such as TikTok? How do they balance credibility, audience expectations and commercial opportunities? And what lessons can publishers take from the ways creator-led journalism connects with audiences and builds communities online?

Who: V Spehar, Under The Desk News; Pierre Caulliez, Founder, Yoof, WAN-IFRA Lead, News Creator Exchange.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: World Association of World Publishers

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Thu, April 30 - The Art of Editing: The Journey from First Draft to Final Draft

What: We'll teach you strategies for editing that will make it less daunting and review the most common grammatical issues.    

Who: Bestselling author Derek Taylor Kent

When: 1:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Author Learning Center

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Thu, April 30 - How Campuses Are Facilitating Change Regarding AI

What: This webinar highlights the plans, strategies, obstacles, innovations, and lessons learned as teams worked toward the AI goals they developed for their campuses. Attendees of this webinar will gain insights to the goals teams set, the approaches they used to pursue curricular and pedagogical reform, and the strategies they implemented for faculty development, AI policy formations, and campus-wide AI rollout. Participants will also learn about the future directions these colleges and universities are planning as they continue their AI journeys.

Who: Kiran Budhrani, Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation in the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; George (Guy) McHendry Jr., Timms Endowed Professor and Director of the Magis Core Curriculum, Creighton University; Desiah Melby, Communication Instructor Mid-State, Technical College; Berta Rios, Chief Academic Officer, Albizu University; David Slade, Provost Berry College; Michelle Schmidt, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Gettysburg College; Caleb J. Keith, Assistant Vice President for Digital Initiatives, AAC&U.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Association of Colleges and Universities

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Thu, April 30 - Turning the Page: Libraries Innovating in AI, Connectivity & Digital Equity

What: This session will highlight practical approaches to integrating emerging AI technologies, expanding access to reliable internet, including in highly rural and underserved areas, and building sustainable digital inclusion initiatives. Attendees will gain insight into how institutions are translating strategy into action, leveraging partnerships, funding, and innovative program design to meet the growing needs of their communities.

Who: Kieran Hixon, Rural and Small Library Senior Consultant, Colorado State Library; AJ Middleton, Senior Vice President of Impact, Human-I-T; Chris Jowaisas, Senior Research Scientist, University of Washington Information School; Alex Kelly Berman, Chief Program Officer, Cortico; Mark Colwell, Executive Director, Mission Telecom

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Mission Telecom and Library Journal

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Thu, April 30 - Steal my Workflow: Up your Video Journalism Game

What: Join us for a big picture conversation as our guest takes us through what he’s learned while overseeing video at some of today’s biggest social-first platforms — and now in creator-journalism. Jon will dig into producing across platforms, transitioning video workflow and formats from traditional legacy media to hosted for YouTube/Social platforms, hooks that work, posting strategies, workflow tips, and more.

Who: NewPress VP Jon Laurence.

When: 4 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Video Consortium

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Fri, May 1 - AI: Threats and Opportunities

What: A look at how artificial intelligence is being applied by FOIA requesters and agencies to improve the process, and the unintended consequences of the implementation of AI. ​

Who: Adam Marshall, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Carl Roller, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Brian Thompson, Relativity, formerly Environmental Protection Agency; Liz Wagenseller, Pennsylvania Office of Open Record.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Sunlight Research Desk

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Fri, May 1 - Managing Risk When Working with Orphaned Film and Video

What: Is there a way to manage risk when working with orphaned film elements? What is due diligence in law and in practice? Join a panel of experts to unpack these issues.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Open Copyright Education Advisory Network

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222 Movies about Journalism

2025

News Without A Newsroom - A documentary about journalism's uncertain future in the digital age.

Opus - Satire about the relationship between celebrity worship and journalism.

Words of War - Based on a true story of a journalist's brave crusade, fighting for an independent voice in Putin's Russia.

2024

Black Box Diaries - A Japanese journalist investigates her own rape leading to accusations against a prominent TV executive, triggering Japan’s #MeToo movement. Personal and compelling.

Civil War - In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Impulse - A journalist uncovers a cult and shadow government. Low production, poor acting, and not much in the way of journalism.

Lee - (Kate Winslet) A fashion model becomes an acclaimed war correspondent during World War II. Based on a true story. Conventional and melodramatic but well-acted.

Monolith - A disgraced Australian journalist starts a podcast and follows a conspiracy theory that leads to herself. A slow-burn sci-fi flick set in one location.

No Other Land - This film was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective and shows the relationship that develops between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist.

Players - A group of single Brooklyn reporters spend their evenings scheming for short-lived hookups until one of them falls for one of his targets. Predictable.

See the entire list

Podcasts about Journalism

The 404 Media Podcast —  A journalist-owned digital media company exploring the way technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world. 

The Digiday Podcast — A weekly show about subscriptions, commerce, the modern newsroom, content creation, audio, streaming, and more.  

Freelancing for Journalists - How to approach freelancing, covering topics ranging from how to get started and what to include in pitches, to how to negotiate rates. Each episode includes guests on different career paths, and who have a variety of perspectives.    

IRE Radio Podcast (Investigative Reporters and Editors) — Behind the story with award-winning reporters, editors and producers to hear how they broke some big stories.

It's All Journalism — The series talks to working journalists about how they do their jobs, the latest trends in journalism, and the changing state of digital media. (not being updated) 

Journalism History — A scholarly journal covering the history of mass media.    

The Journalism Salute — A spotlight on interesting and important journalists and journalism organizations. 

The Kicker — This Columbia Journalism Review podcast explores serious and challenging topics related to journalism and media. (not being updated) 

Longform Podcast (longform.org) — A weekly conversation with a non-fiction writer on how they tell stories. (not being updated)  

Media Voices — Major media industry news each week from three experienced freelance journalists. The focus is on the business side of media and its impact on journalists’ work.

On the Media — Produced by WNYC radio, this is a weekly investigation into how the media shapes our worldview.  

Reveal (The Center for Investigative Reporting) — A look at CIR’s investigative reporting, focusing on real-world impact—from civil and criminal investigations to new laws and policies, better-informed conversations and community-driven solutions. 

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism — A discussion of the Institute's research on trends in media. Based at the University of Oxford, this think tank offers research on the future of journalism.   

The Tip Off — A behind the scenes look at standout investigative reporting from the journalists themselves. (not being updated) 

WriteLane (Tampa Bay Times and Poynter) — Some episodes explore a piece of the writing process: finding ideas, interviewing, seeking structure. Others dive deep into a single story, breaking down the how and why. Some include interviews with other journalists. (not being updated) 

Examples of older podcasts about journalists doing journalism: 

I'm Not A Monster (BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE PBS) — “How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate? Over four years, journalist Josh Baker unravels a dangerous story where nothing is as it seems.”   

The Other Latif (Radiolab)  — “How did this nerdy suburban Muslim kid come to be imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay?” 

The Canary | Washington Post Investigates —  “Two women and a shared refusal to stay silent. A seven-part podcast hosted by investigative reporter Amy Brittain.”

White Lies (NPR) — “In 1965, Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.” 

The Line (Apple) — “Explore the impact of the forever wars on the U.S. Navy SEALs through the lens of the Eddie Gallagher case.”

The Lazarus Heist (BBC)  — “‘Almost a perfect crime.’ The hacking ring and an attempt to steal a billion dollars. Investigators blame North Korea. Pyongyang denies involvement. The story begins in Hollywood.” 

In the Dark (American Public Media) — “We investigate the case of Curtis Flowers, a Black man from Winona, Mississippi, who was tried six times for the same crime. Flowers spent more than 20 years fighting for his life while a white prosecutor spent that same time trying just as hard to execute him.”

A Journalist’s AI 'Go Bag'

"What should be in a journalist’s AI go bag? For starters, the one basic thing that should be in everyone’s bag, the AI prepper’s equivalent of a flashlight and bottled water: skill at using AI tools. It is not enough to use it as a slightly better Google; you need to keep abreast of the latest releases and spend time every week pushing both its capabilities and your own. Trying to make it do your job is table stakes. Try making it write a children’s book, or invent a new game, or solve cold fusion. As with any learning process, the outcome is less important than the effort, because the effort is how you learn not just what it can do, but what you could do with it." -Megan McArdle writing in The Washington Post

27 Recent Articles about AI & Journalism

We need to bridge the fault line emerging in debates about AI and the future of news – Reuters

What news audiences can teach journalists about artificial intelligence – Editor & Publisher 

How AI is steering the media toward a ‘close enough’ standard – Fast Company

The LA Times Has ‘Moved On’ From AI-Driven Bias Meter After KKK Snafu – The Wrap

The New York Times’ Zach Seward on embracing AI – Depth Perception 

Audiences are still skeptical about generative AI in the news – Poynter

Will A.I. Save the News? – New Yorker 

AI tools have fueled a rise in expert commentator—who are not real – Press Gazette  

Bloomberg Has a Rocky Start With A.I. News Summaries – New York Times  

Independent says readers ‘often prefer’ stories provided by new AI service to human-written versions of those articles– Press Gazette

How ProPublica Uses AI Responsibly in Its Investigations - ProPublica

AI search has a news citation problem - Digital Content – Digital Content Next 

Newsquest now employing 36 ‘AI-assisted reporters’ – Press Gazette

AOL’s AI Image Captions Terribly Describe Attempted Murder – 404 Media 

AI in the newsroom: What researchers learned from the AP and the BBC – Journalism Resources

What Journalists Should Know About Deepfake Detection in 2025 – Columbia Journalism Review

We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News. – Columbia Journalism Review

Gannett seeks AI sports editor amid union tensions, past controversies – Awful Announcing

Patch says it has expanded to nearly every town in the U.S. using AI – Axio  

LA Times to display AI-generated political rating on opinion pieces - The Guardian

Key Questions for Journalists to Consider Before Using Generative AI – The Open Notebook

Meet the journalists training AI models for Meta and OpenAI – Nieman Lab

How DeepSeek stacks up when citing news publishers - Nieman Lab 

The Dangerous A.I. Nonsense That Trump and Biden Fell For - New York Times  

How AI “expert sources” have duped journalists and four tips on how to avoid being the next victim – Dynamics of Writing  

Is this AI or a journalist? Research reveals stylistic differences in news articles – Tech Explore  

5 ways science journalists can leverage AI in their work - International Journalists' Network

AI-generated Ratings for Opinion Pieces

Some Los Angeles Times opinion pieces will now be published with an AI-generated rating of their political content, and an AI-generated list of alternative political views on that issue. The AI-generated tool “operates independently” from the paper’s human journalists, and “the AI content is not reviewed by journalists before it is published.” - The Guardian

4 Fake News Signals from Outside the Website

Here are some tips for determining if a story is likely reliable. An organization does not need to tick off all these qualifiers in order to be considered authentic and accurate, but the more you see red flags pop up, the more a healthy skepticism is in order.

69. YOUR COMMUNITY. There’s no substitute for knowing people who are well-informed and will let you know when you’ve posted something questionable. These are people you can ask when you have your doubts. Don’t know any experts or researchers, or information junkies from various fields who are critical and helpful? Make some new friends! Developing such a support system is critical for navigating effectively through life. Read some books written by experts. 

70. FACT-CHECKING SITES. Does a fact-checking site identify the assertion of the article as a hoax? Check one of the sites listed at the end of this article or type the article’s topic into a search engine and add “hoax” or “fake.”  

71. THE OTHER SIDE. Take time to check sites that do not agree with your politics. If you discover they are wrong and perhaps not addressing the best arguments of your side, it is a confirmation you are on the right side of an issue. Or maybe you will discover a weakness in your own reasoning you haven’t considered. Either way,  you'll know what other people are consuming, sharpening your thinking.

72. GOOGLING THE TOPIC. If you do a Google search for a topic, remember that reliable researchers do not write material answering questions like “Did the Holocaust exist?” Instead of decent sources, this type of search will bring up conspiracy theorists. Don’t be misled by a search that frames issues as secret plots and nefarious schemes.

 More ways to spot fake news

12 Fake News Signals from the Publisher

Here are some tips for determining if a story is likely reliable. An organization does not need to tick off all these qualifiers in order to be considered authentic and accurate, but the more you see red flags pop up, the more a healthy skepticism is in order.

57. REPUTATION. Is the writer’s reputation at stake if they are wrong? Does the organization risk losing reputation or losing finances if it becomes known for having promoted false news? 

58. RELIABILITY. Has the organization been reliable in the past? Have you read other information from the organization confirmed to be accurate?

59. AMATEURISH. Data collected by an amateur is more error-prone than data collected by a professional scientist. Does a quick web search confirm whether the people who collected and organized the data have a good track record of collecting and distributing data?  

60. RESPONSE TO CRITICS. Does the publisher respond publicly to its critics when there are reasonable questions? Does it acknowledge when the critics have a point? 

61. DATA SOURCES. Look closely at the sources of data the publisher uses: is this material provided by for-profit companies, partisan organizations, or advocacy groups? While the material may be accurate, data from groups with agendas require greater scrutiny than data from nonpartisan organizations. 

62. PAYING THE WRITERS. Content Farms (or Content Mills, if you like) pay very little in return for lots of writing. When news writers are focused on cranking out material to feed the beast, the quality of the work suffers. If you discover a site is considered a Content Farm by professionals or pays writers very little for their work, that’s a big red flag. 

63. DIVERSE VOICES. Does the news organization offer diverse perspectives in its articles? A professional outlet will make a concerted effort to give voice to various ethnicities and political persuasions. The more a newsroom focuses on a single viewpoint, the greater the likelihood it will leave out significant perspectives from its news converge.

64. FEEDBACK. Reputable news publishers want readers’ feedback on stories for accuracy and look for help in determining coverage priorities.  

65. AGREEMENT. Do you find yourself agreeing with everything your preferred news outlet says? If so, something is wrong. Find a commentator whose politics don’t match with your own—vary your media consumption to get a balance of perspectives. 

66. EASY STORIES. Suppose a news outlet overlooks stories worth telling in favor of the stories that can be easily told. In that case, it may not have the resources to dive into investigative reporting or may not have the goal of getting beyond the low-hanging fruit.

67. ANONYMOUS SOURCES. Legitimate news outlets will only reference unnamed sources that would endanger them physically or put them in legal jeopardy. Overreliance on anonymous sources should be a red flag to be skeptical of the information, even if it comes from an otherwise trustworthy site.   

68. FRAMEWORK. Some sites have a framework for all their stories (like the College Fix, which is focused on college campus outrage). Articles on these sites may leave out moderating information, so stories lean toward the framework.

 More ways to spot fake news

23 Fake News Signals from the Writing

Here are some tips for determining if a story is likely reliable. An organization does not need to tick off all these qualifiers in order to be considered authentic and accurate, but the more you see red flags pop up, the more a healthy skepticism is in order.

You’ll notice these are “tips” and not a checklist. Checklists can oversimply the nuances of discernment into black-and-white boxes.

1. ORIGINAL REPORTING. Does this article cite sources likely to know this information? Does the news organization have reporters attending news conferences in person, working in cities where the news is happening, and talking to key sources directly? Or does the organization have to rely on second-hand information from other sites?

2. LONE-WOLF REPORTING. Compare the information with other sites you trust. Are these sites reporting the same information? The site might have a scoop, but a lack of multiple independent accounts means it is more likely that the story is false. Sometimes lack of coverage is the result from writer and producer bias within a company or the result of the particular focus of the outlet (which may include not offending certain sponsors or other companies owned by the same parent company). Typically, you should expect more than one source reporting on an important topic or event. Plus, it’s always best to read multiple sources of information to get various viewpoints and media frames.

3. AP STYLE. Most legitimate news organizations will use the AP Stylebook as a writing guide (no Oxford comma, full name on the first reference and only last name thereafter, etc.). Some organizations have developed their own style guides (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.). Most news organizations use an in-house style guide (to deal with writing issues unique to the publication’s area of reporting).   

4. POOR GRAMMAR. When a writer makes obvious grammatical mistakes, they also may not have taken the time to ensure the article’s facts are accurate. 

5. ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS. Objective journalism avoids adjectives and adverbs. The more of them used in an article, the more you should question whether the writer’s goal is to inform you or to convince you of something.

6. BALANCE. Did the writer engage with anyone who disagreed with the gist of the article? Quality news organizations are looking for both sides—and sometimes, there are more sides than that. 

7. EXPERTS. Does the article quote not only more than one side in a dispute but experts as well? A he-said-she-said story without experts’ opinions in the field is weak reporting. When there’s only a single source for a news article, be hesitant to accept the information without further corroboration.

8. OBJECTIVE. Like the scientist aiming to discover the truth, having some bias does not mean a journalist cannot arrive at the truth through a tested and effective approach (as does the scientific method, despite the researcher’s bias). The complaint that “no one can really be objective” misses the point that it’s not the journalists themselves but the articles that need to be neutral. While bias websites can still post real news, carefully look at the specific evidence, they offer and see if reporting from other legit sites backs it up.

9. OPINION. Is the article part of an opinion section? Does the video feature a commentator? Commentary has a long history of having a part inside the pages of newspapers, but many readers confuse an editorial article with news reporting. The same can happen online or on TV news. There’s no need for an opinion piece to be neutral in its presentation. Just don’t confuse it with an unbiased news piece.           

10. GENERIC ENEMIES. Does the article focus on vague foes who are never specified? “The media,” “supporters of (insert name of politician),” “The right,” “The left,” “Washington,” etc. Good reporting doesn't make these kinds of generalizations.

11. DOXING. Doxing is making private information public in order to hurt a person or organization. If the writer suggests anything like doxing, run the other way.

12. EMBEDDED LINKS. Quality journalism values clarity over style. Links in the article to original source material show a commitment to transparency and allow readers to make up their own minds about its use. Sometimes bogus stories will cite official or official-sounding sources and even link back to them that do not back up the claims in the article. An article without links or quotes from identified sources should be suspect.

13. SPONSORED CONTENT. Some legit news organizations publish articles similar to what they usually publish as real news—only, in this case, an advertiser actually sponsors the material. The intention could be to provide legitimate information about a subject while at the same time promoting the advertiser's product. Sometimes referred to as native advertising, reputable publishers will identify the article as “sponsored content” or “paid partner content” in a prominent location. A precursor to sponsored content was advertorials—a combination of advertising and editorial opinion. These placements were ads disguised as editorial content. 

14. LOCAL REPORTING. If the story involved a particular locale, was local expertise included? Was the reporting conducted on the scene?

15. YOUR REACTION. Be sensitive to occasions when you become angry as you read an article. If you are outraged after reading something, the story may be written to manipulate your emotions. The more shocking and outrageous, the more work is necessary to confirm the information before passing it along.

16. PARTISAN APPEAL. If a story sounds big but appears only on hyperpartisan sites and seems designed for outrage, it could have significant flaws that stopped legitimate news outlets from covering it.

17. FIRSTHAND SOURCES. Use an article’s information to work back to original sources to verify what’s in the article. If the report references a lawsuit, it can often be found online through a Google search or third party like Scribd, CourtListener, or DocumentCloud. Or, if the article references something a company is doing, check that company’s website (or a government agency) to see if there is a news release about that topic or an announcement on a site like PR Newswire.    

18. MULTIPLE SOURCES. Use keywords from the article (unique terms such as someone’s name) that are likely to bring up the same topic from another source using Google News search. The information from each story can be compared. It is unusual for a single outlet to have exclusive information, especially after several days have passed since the article was posted. To avoid generic, unhelpful search results, use unique keywords in your search—like the name of an unfamous person who’s quoted in the story. 

19. TANTALIZING QUOTES. Search for a questionable quote by pasting the text (in quotation marks) into a search engine. If the exact phrasing doesn’t come up or if only a few small outlets have printed the outrageous quote (perhaps from a famous person or politician), then be skeptical about its authenticity. Look for the sentences before and after the quote that makes your blood boil. If the article fails to give them, that could be a warning sign. If the quote is taken out of context, the site (or writer) belongs on your naughty list.

20. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS. A social movement or political uproar can be manufactured artificially. Look for evidence that the people behind a petition or boycott are real people and the effort is organic. Social media posts shouldn’t come from obscure users or bots. There’s a difference between a few snarky tweets and an actual public outcry.

21. THE WRITERS CREDENTIALS. Does the writer possess specialized knowledge in an area, either advanced education or experience covering a particular beat? This is especially important for opinion pieces. A list of qualifications in a writer’s bio should inform the audience as to their expertise. If they are not knowledgeable about the topic, they rely on other sources. An article without quotes or information from experts raises red flags, especially if creators present themselves as experts when they’re actually enthusiasts. 

22. ODD WORDING. AI-created text lacks the ability to write in a way that sounds natural—for now. When word choices or sentence structures are odd, it could be the product of a computer. The same is true with repeatedly using the same words and phrases or writing that lacks emotion. These are signs of machine-generated text.

OpenAI’s GPT-2 Detector is a tool that help to identify whether text is likely AI generated. While AI writing tools are not useful for reliable scientific texts without strong human intervention, it is likely predatory journals will exploit the quick production of scientific articles to generate low-quality content.

23. IMPROBABLE PRECISION. It’s a red flag when someone claims, "I drove from Chicago to Miami in 1.5847 hours." That kind of precision is unlikely.

More about spotting fake news

What Fake News is NOT

Some people will mislabel rumors, hoaxes, and real news stories they don’t like as “fake news.” Another area of confusion is stories that result from mistaken or bad journalism.  

Sometimes well-respected news organizations get it wrong: sources can lie, documents can be faked, and reporters can mishear quotes. Sometimes new information changes the basic understanding of what is known publicly. You wouldn’t call this fake news since the motivation for posting the original (but mistaken) information wasn’t to deceive. What can make the situation worse: is the financial pressure of shifting away from legacy media (like newspapers) into the digital world, leaving the news industry scrambling to figure out how to support quality journalism financially. 

Between the pressure to meet social media engagement quotas and competition with other publications, writers often don’t get the necessary time to craft thoughtful and nuanced stories—or possess the power to reject an assignment over concerns about amplification.

Inaccurate details, such as reporting that four people are dead in a plane crash instead of six, can result from an honest mistake. The wrong number might have been heard or written down.

During breaking news, information will quickly shift as bits trickle into news organizations. It takes time to get a clear overall picture of what’s happening. Sometimes law enforcement officials or public relations professionals get the story wrong and send inaccurate information. At those times, news organizations are simply repeating mistakes. This is most likely to happen when only one source of information available whenever a story breaks.

Legitimate news sources will report the truth—as best they know it at the time. But as new information comes in, the story can shift. Just like with scientific research, this meandering pathway is just part of the process of getting to the truth.

It’s worth noting that the approach of legacy news organizations (The Washington Post, CNN) differs from new media outlets (BuzzFeed News, Politico). Traditional outlets aim at objectivity or neutral-voice reporting, where the focus is on being balanced, keeping the journalist’s opinions out of reports. More recently launched news sites are likely to focus on immediacy and transparency over neutrality and update readers whenever more information is known. Each approach presents different weaknesses for reporters to overcome. Of course, commentators may reference news information but are not acting as neutral reporters. Opinion pieces are often confused with basic news reporting. Pay attention whether you are reading a news report, an editorial, a guest blogger, a review, a disguised ad, or a comment.

The bottom line: be skeptical and bring a critical mind with you to everything you read. Keep in mind that “fake news” can be about something else besides the truth. As University of Southern California media scholar Mike Ananny has said, it is often “a struggle between [how] different people envision what kind of world that they want.”

Here are some tips for determining if a story is likely reliable. An organization does not need to tick off all these qualifiers in order to be considered authentic and accurate, but the more you see red flags pop up, the more a healthy skepticism is in order.

You’ll notice these are “tips” and not a checklist. Checklists can oversimply the nuances of discernment into black-and-white boxes.

More about spotting fake news

Four Kinds of News Sites

1-Quality news brands (like the BBC and The Washington Post) have earned their reputations over time as consistently reliable news sources (not perfect, but more trustworthy). Savvy readers don’t expect as much from 2-inconsistent outlets that sometimes show bias but are not “fake” (Huffington Post, Fox News). In these cases, some information may be misleading by the way an issue is framed. Then there are 3-satirical news sites (The Onion, Clickhole, and The Babylon Bee). The articles and videos are intentionally fake but intended to be funny or make a point. They aren’t designed to fool anyone. 4-Fake news sites deliberately fabricate stories. (RT News, The Globe) Packaged as legitimate journalism, these articles may mix some truth with outright lies to deceive readers or gain clicks. Fact-checkers distinguish between misinformation, where the sharer may not realize the information is fraudulent, and disinformation, where the creator/sharer knows the information is false. In each case, the motivation of the sharer can be different.

Google searches for “Fake News” since 2014

The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics encourages journalists to “seek truth and report” and “be accountable and transparent” while doing it. Looking for these qualities is an effective way to separate the fake and the real.

Where AI Might Take Journalism

Imagine having a written news story converted into a video by AI. The AI would not be taking away from the journalism but providing more options to access the information. Perhaps the story can be adjusted based on preferences. For instance, perhaps the reader doesn’t know much about economics and wants the material delivered in simple economic terms. Or the reader might want more detail in a story related to their field. AI would be used to adjust the complexity of the delivery. This may be the kind of journalism we are headed toward.

20 Recent Articles about AI & Journalism

Two journalists talk to the bots — who talk back — about the pros and pitfalls of AI  - Nieman Labs

What will be the impact of generative AI on journalism? – Reuters  

TikTok dominates media outlets as news source for Gen Z - Axios

Vice Media to Stop Publishing on Vice.com, Plans to Cut Hundreds of Jobs – Wall Street Journal

How OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool, Sora, could harm journalism and society - Poynter

Semafor reporters are going to curate the news with AI – The Verge

AI and Journalism Need Each Other – WSJ

How less, not more, data, could help journalism – Semafor

News Publishers See Google’s AI Search Tool as a Traffic-Destroying Nightmare - WSJ

AI may be news reporting’s future. So far, it’s been an embarrassment. - Washington Post 

Can news outlets build a ‘trustworthy’ AI chatbot? - The Verge  

How to report on AI in elections - International Journalists' Network -  International Center For Journalists

How Reuters, Newsquest and BBC experiment with generative AI – Journalism.co  

Google News Is Boosting Garbage AI-Generated Articles – 404 Media

Experts Warn Congress of Dangers AI Poses to Journalism - TIME

The New York Times is building a team to explore AI in the newsroom - The Verge

New York Times Sues Microsoft and OpenAI, Alleging Copyright Infringement – WSJ

I created an AI tool to help investigative journalists find stories in audit reports - Reuters

The AI Revolution in Journalism: A New Era of Enhanced Reporting - Hackernoon

How The Generative AI Boom Proves We Need Journalism - AdExchanger

AI is a big opportunity for the news media. Let’s not blow it. - Columbia Journalism Review

25 free (mostly one hour) Journalism courses

Free short online courses to strengthen your skills and add a line to your resume. Most of these Poynter courses are one-hour in length or less.

Journalism Fundamentals: Craft & Values - A five-hour, self-directed course that covers basics in five areas: newsgathering, interviewing, ethics, law and diversity. 

Telling Stories with Sound - Learn the fundamentals of audio reporting and editing in this self-directed course.  

How to Spot Misinformation Online - Learn simple digital literacy skills to outsmart algorithms, detect falsehoods and make decisions based on factual information

Understanding Title IX - This course is designed to help journalists understand the applications of Title IX.

Clear, Strong Writing for Broadcast Journalism - One-hour video tutorial  

Powerful Writing: Leverage Your Video and Sound

In this one-hour video tutorial, early-career journalists will learn how to seamlessly combine audio, video and copy in captivating news packages.  

Writing for the Ear - In this five-part course, you’ll learn everything you need to write more effective audio narratives.

Fact-Check It: Digital Tools to Verify Everything Online 

News Sense: The Building Blocks of News - What makes an idea or event a news story?

Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style and More - Finding and fixing the most common style, grammar and punctuation errors.

Avoiding Plagiarism and Fabrication - For authors, editors, educators, journalists, journalism students, news producers and news consumers. 

The Writer’s Workbench: 50 Tools You Can Use - Ethics of Journalism Build or refine your process for making ethical decisions.

Conducting Interviews that Matter  

Make Design More Inclusive: Defeat Unconscious Bias in Visuals 

Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and Other Publishers - Three important areas of media law that specifically relate to gathering information and publishing online: defamation, privacy and copyright.

Freedom of Information and Your Right to Know - How to use the Freedom of Information Act, Public Records Laws and Open Meetings Laws to uphold your right to know the government’s actions.

Journalism and Trauma - How traumatic stress affects victims and how to interview trauma victims with compassion and respect. 

How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust (International Edition) - What news audiences in various parts of the world don’t understand about how journalism works.

Is This Legit? Digital Media Literacy 101 - MediaWise’s Campus Correspondents explain the fact-checking tools and techniques that professionals use in their day-to-day work.

The On-Ramp to Media Literacy - Center for Media Literacy  

How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust

Dignity and Precision in Language

How to Avoid Being Sued: Defamation Law in the 21st Century

Conducting Interviews That Matter

11 Quotes Worth Reading about AI in the Newsroom from Recent Articles

The Associated Press today released guidance on how it uses generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and will update its AP Stylebook to reflect a new era for newsrooms. While AP staff may experiment with ChatGPT with caution, they do not use it to create publishable content,” according to the standards. “Any output from a generative AI tool should be treated as unvetted source material.” Poynter  

How Will Artificial Intelligence Change the News Business? Here are three theories of the case. NY  Mag

A multitude of leading newsrooms have recently injected code into their websites that blocks OpenAI’s web crawler, GPTBot, from scanning their platforms for content. The deep archives and intellectual property rights of these news organizations are immensely valuable — arguably crucial — to training A.I. models such as ChatGPT in efforts to provide users with accurate information. Meanwhile, the Associated Press went a different route, hammering out its own licensing deal with the A.I. developer, though it notably did not share key terms of the agreement. CNN

Wired magazine has a page dedicated to explaining how its journalists use AI tools (to suggest headlines or potential cuts to shorten a story, the policy states) and how they don’t (no AI-generated images instead of stock photos, according to the policy). Wired makes it clear to readers that these policies may change as the technology does. Poynter 

Ultimately, AI is a prism. Information goes into it and the bot can refract a spectrum of stories and simulated perspectives, but it may also distort those views, missing the nuances and human elements that give local news its heart and soul. Understanding and staying abreast of these technological developments is crucial, but so is maintaining a healthy skepticism. Joe Amditis on Medium

Lede AI (was developed) to help newsrooms cover sports games they would have otherwise missed. Lede AI draws from a national database of sports results submitted by fans to generate short articles that are automatically published after a game ends. the AI-written summaries sometimes missed “factual nuances” in stories, and the AI-generated text could be “corny” and repetitive. Poynter 

OpenAI, the parent company to ChatGPT, will fund a new journalism ethics initiative at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with a $395,000 grant. Axios

Several news organizations, writers and photographers groups are pushing to be involved in creating standards for the use of artificial intelligence, particularly as it concerns intellectual property rights and the potential spread of misinformation. Associated Press

The 'Irish Times' mistakenly publishes fake article written by AI. The person behind the deception, whose identity remains unknown, had used an artificial intelligence (AI) program to create the text and images of the writer.  Le Monde

A new, completely AI-driven website called the LocalLens wants to be a kind of metal detector for local news — claiming to surface stories that might otherwise remain buried. Joe Amditis writing on Medium

The New York Times has decided not to join a group of media companies attempting to jointly negotiate with the major tech companies over use of their content to power artificial intelligence. Semafor