What’s the secret to working smarter, not harder, in journalism and PR with AI tools?

Find out how the right tools can transform your writing, research, and visual content creation.

AI tools are revolutionizing journalism, PR, and content creation, but choosing the best ones can feel overwhelming.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting, this episode will help you navigate free vs. paid tools while protecting your data and maintaining your professionalism.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1. The best free AI tools for writing, research, and visuals—and when to consider premium upgrades.
2. How to protect sensitive data while using AI tools for your projects.
3. Time-saving tips for integrating tools like ChatGPT, Canva, and Otter AI into your workflow.

Don’t miss out—play this episode now to discover how AI can help you streamline your work and achieve better results!

In today's episode ...

We’re joined by Adam Harder, co-founder of the innovative platform InPress. InPress is changing how journalists and audiences connect through facts, not filtered algorithms. InPress uses AI to create genuine, story-driven social connections based on factual journalism, aiming to build community and media literacy in the digital age.

This episode is packed with insights for journalists seeking ethical ways to leverage AI, build engagement, and avoid echo chambers. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or hesitant about AI, Adam’s tips and real-world applications offer practical, no-nonsense guidance on using AI to stay relevant without losing your integrity.

Tune in to Discover These Top 5 Actionable Takeaways:

1. Use AI to Foster Genuine Connections Through News

   • Discover how InPress uses AI to match users based on news preferences instead of personal data. This unique approach turns news into a community builder, giving journalists a new way to connect with their audience through meaningful stories, not echo chambers.
   
   

2. Leverage Data for Media Literacy and Engagement

   • Learn how AI-driven platforms like InPress can analyze user emotions and reactions to news, providing journalists with feedback on audience interests without bias. This data can help journalists create content that resonates while promoting media literacy.
   
   

3. Balance the News Feed for a Broader Perspective

   • Adam explains InPress’s strategy of presenting a balanced feed, like a digital newspaper, to prevent echo chambers. This approach allows audiences to see diverse perspectives, offering journalists a blueprint for presenting fair, fact-driven news in a fragmented media landscape.
   
   

4. Integrate AI without a Tech Background

   • Adam’s journey shows that you don’t need to be a developer to innovate with AI. He shares resources like Y Combinator’s co-founder matching tool and his process for using design tools like Figma to bring his vision to life—offering hope and a path forward for non-tech-savvy journalists.
   
   

5. Try These AI Tools to Boost Productivity

   • From ChatGPT to Claude, Adam shares simple, powerful AI tools that any journalist can start using to save time, brainstorm ideas, and streamline workflows—no coding required. This episode covers harnessing these tools to stay efficient and adaptable in a rapidly changing industry.
   
   

Why Listen?
If you’re a journalist or media pro looking for ways to stay relevant in the digital age, this episode is your guide to using AI ethically and effectively.

Here’s the list with hyperlinks for each resource Adam mentioned:

1. Ad Fontes Media's Media Bias Chart: A tool to assess the reliability and bias of various news sources.

2. Y Combinator's Co-Founder Matching Platform: A service to connect with potential co-founders for your projects.

3. Poynter's Guide on Media Bias Charts: An insightful article discussing the reliability and use of media bias charts.

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Jose Moreno and Andrew Lawrence, co-founders of Neulight, explore how AI can drive meaningful change in education, touching on themes that resonate deeply with journalism and media.

Tune in to hear insights on:

• Data Privacy & Ethics: Understand how Neulight prioritizes student privacy and ethical AI in their product, Intelliteer, respecting frameworks like HIPAA and FERPA.

• Efficiency Without Compromise: Learn how Neulight leverages general knowledge models to make valuable recommendations with minimal data, avoiding the extensive data requirements of traditional tech solutions.

• Addressing Bias and Representation: Jose and Andrew discuss the challenges of AI bias, sharing examples like how some AI-generated images of Vice President Kamala Harris fail to represent her accurately due to limited training data. They explore how ensuring diverse representation within AI models helps counter these biases.

• AI’s Potential in Education and Beyond: Jose and Andrew discuss how their method of personalized student support could inspire solutions for journalism and other industries.

• Moving from Big Tech to Startups: Gain insight into the mindset shift required to leave stable roles at companies like Microsoft and Netflix to tackle new challenges in the AI startup world.

"I have to have this irrational optimism…there’s a lot of self-doubt that comes with building something brand new, but you have to believe it’s going to work." — Jose Moreno

"Without even providing data, you can start talking with our assistants and have conversations about how to implement MTSS at your school." — Andrew Lawrence

"The secret for a lot of big tech companies is that they personalize by collecting tons of data, but we’re bringing a general knowledge model to make high-value recommendations with far less data." — Jose Moreno

"Don't be scared of AI. I think change is always scary, but

Show Notes: AI and Journalism with Branislava Lovre

Host: Yumi Wilson
Guest: Branislava Lovre, journalist, AI ethicist, and co-founder of Impactful
Episode Summary:
In this episode of AI and Journalism, I talk to Branislava Lovre, a seasoned journalist and AI ethicist with over two decades of experience. We explore the ethical implications of AI in journalism, focusing on accountability, transparency, and bias. Branislava shares her journey in founding Impactful and her mission to make AI accessible while maintaining journalistic integrity. Together, we discuss how AI is changing newsrooms and what we need to do to ensure AI is used ethically and responsibly in the future of journalism.

3 Highlights:

1. Accountability in AI-generated content: Branislava highlights the importance of transparency in AI-generated news stories and stresses the need for clear policies and ethical guidelines to ensure accountability.
2. Bias in AI Algorithms: We explore how AI can perpetuate biases in data and discuss real-world examples of bias affecting news reporting. We also offer tips on how journalists can mitigate these issues.
3. The Future of Newsrooms: Branislava paints a picture of future newsrooms, showing how AI can enhance efficiency but must be balanced with human judgment, ethics, and transparency

3 Best Quotes:

1. "If news outlets use AI to generate content, they must disclose that to their audience. It's a matter of trust and credibility." — Branislava Lovre
2. "Just because we can use AI doesn’t mean we should. We must ask ourselves if it’s improving journalism or undermining trust." — Branislava Lovre
3. "The core mission of journalism won’t change, but AI will revolutionize how we achieve it, making news more interactive and accessible." — Branislava Lovre

Great Resources Mentioned:

• Impactful — Branislava’s media startup focusing on AI ethics and transparency.
• AI in Newsrooms — A guide on how AI is currently being used in journalism.
• SPJ Code of Ethics — The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, a great resource for journalists.

How to Reach Branislava:

• LinkedIn: Branislava Lovre
• Impactful Website: impactful .com

How to Reach Me (Yumi Wilson):

• Website: yumiwilson .me
• LinkedIn: Yumi Wilson

Support My Work: Love the podcast? Support me on Patreon to help fund more episodes! Check out exclusive content and early access perks: Patreon .com /YumiWilson

Call to Action: If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes, and follow me on LinkedIn for more updates! Stay tuned for more insights on AI in journalism, and make sure to visit

In this episode of the AI and Journalism podcast, host Yumi Wilson interviews Pete Paschal, the founder of Media Co Pilot. Pete shares his extensive experience as a tech journalist, having worked at influential publications like Mashable and PC Mag. He discusses how his time at these organizations shaped his understanding of technology's role in society, particularly as it relates to AI. Pete explains how his work at CoinDesk, where he explored the use of AI in media, led him to launch Media Co Pilot, a platform dedicated to understanding AI's impact on the industry. He emphasizes the importance of using AI as an assistive technology for journalists, rather than a replacement for human judgment and creativity. The conversation covers a range of topics, including the ethical considerations around AI's use in media, the potential impact of antitrust cases on the industry, and predictions for the future of journalism in the age of artificial intelligence. Pete also provides recommendations for specific AI tools that can be beneficial for journalists, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Opus Clip.

Moments:

1. 0:06:26 Pete discusses his experience at CoinDesk and how it shaped his understanding of AI's impact on media. He describes how the company explored the use of AI, particularly in the wake of the FTX scandal, and developed internal guidelines and use cases for the technology.

2. 0:14:48 Pete explains how the definition of journalism may not change, but the skills and expectations around it will. He emphasizes the importance of journalists developing AI skills and using the technology as a tool to enhance their work, rather than as a replacement for human judgment and creativity.

3. 0:30:32 Pete predicts how Google's antitrust battles could impact the media industry. He suggests that the potential split of the company could lead to a more balanced power dynamic between media companies and tech giants, potentially increasing the value of media content and the democratization of AI technology.

Best Quotes:

1. "AI can't do that. What AI is really good at, though, is what I would declassify as aggregation."

2. "Just because an AI can do something in most cases, it doesn't necessarily mean it should in all cases."

3. "The age of aggregation can start to be more and more offloaded to machines, and then reporters are then tasked with and challenged to go out and do real reporting."

Resources Mentioned:

• Semaphore/) - A platform that helps reporters find information on their beats across the world.

• Yes, CEO/) - An app that creates AI-generated headlines and descriptions for articles.

• Perplexity/) - An AI-powered search engine that shares revenue with publishers.

• Legitimate/) - A platform that provides verified profiles for journalists and AI tools for their work.

• Otter/) - A transcription tool with AI features.

• Rolly/) - A database of expert sources for journalists.

Host: Yumi Wilson

Guest: José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, Editor-in-Chief of El Toque and ICFJ Knight Fellow

Summary:

In this episode of AI and Journalism, I sit down with José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, the editor-in-chief of El Toque, an independent digital media outlet based in Cuba. José, an ICFJ Knight Fellow, shares fascinating insights into how his team leverages artificial intelligence to navigate the complex landscape of Cuban media and society.

We explore El Toque's groundbreaking work in using AI and data journalism to illuminate critical issues in Cuba, from tracking the black market exchange rate to documenting the stories of Cuban migrants. José discusses the challenges of operating as an independent media outlet in Cuba, including government pressure and the need for innovative approaches to gathering and presenting information.

Throughout our conversation, José emphasizes the importance of using technology for reporting and as a tool for social impact, citizen empowerment and preserving human dignity. His stories highlight how AI and journalism can work together to create meaningful change despite significant obstacles.

Highlights:

• El Toque innovatively uses AI to track Cuba's black market exchange rate, transforming social media data into real-time financial insights for Cuban citizens.
• The personal and professional challenges faced by El Toque's team include government attempts to discredit their work and concerns for personal safety.
• Insight into El Toque's award-winning transmedia project that engaged the public and sparked debate about Cuba's constitutional reform.
• José's role as an ICFJ Knight Fellow and his focus on creating sustainable models for media operating in exile.

Best Quotes:

On Empowering Cuban Citizens Through Legal Education:

"We need to challenge that narrative. We need to start to say that people, look, you need to understand the laws. To change the law, you need to first understand the law, and you need to know your rights, or you need to know that you don't have rights."

On the Human Aspect of Data Journalism:

"Those numbers are people, and they had history and panic. So we create, like a memorial of the Cuba migrants that die in the fruit to reach the US."

On Using Technology as a Memorial and Tool for Finding the Disappeared:

"We want also to use this as a memorial to keep the memory of these people alive, also as a tool to help to find people disappear because it's happiness. Are people that haven't been found, so you're still looking for them."

Resources and Links:

• El Toque Website
• Follow El Toque on Twitter: @eltoquecom
• ICFJ Knight Fellowships

Learn More About José Nieves and El Toque:

• Follow José on Twitter: @jnieves90
• El Toque's Facebook Page

To Learn More About Me...

David Byrne brings over 16 years of experience in digital advertising at giants like Google, Spotify, and TikTok. Now, as the driving force behind TrustRaise, he's pioneering efforts to create a trustworthy and sustainable digital ads ecosystem. TrustRaise empowers businesses to build accountability and mitigate risks while safeguarding their brands in the ever-evolving digital space.

In this episode, David explores critical issues like privacy invasion and identity theft, particularly as AI companies use publicly sourced data for training. We also explore the concept of digital twins and discuss how journalists can reclaim ownership of their content and digital identities.

The conversation highlights the importance of making AI tools accessible and affordable for journalists worldwide, focusing on platforms like Legitimate, which supports remote journalists. We also discuss the role of trust in media, the efforts of organizations like ZEFR in combating misinformation, and the challenges of funding quality journalism in an era of declining ad revenue.

David shares his unique approach to overcoming public speaking fears and a humorous story about a name mix-up at a hotel. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the intersection of AI, trust, and journalism. Don't forget to subscribe for more episodes and updates on upcoming webinars!

01:53 - Introduction to David Byrne
We kick off the episode by introducing David Byrne, detailing his extensive background in digital advertising at major companies like Google, Spotify, and TikTok. Now the founder of TrustRaise, David focuses on building trust and safety in digital advertising. The conversation begins with his career transition and what led him to start TrustRaise.

05:10 - The Mission of TrustRaise
David delves into TrustRaise's core mission, explaining how the company is dedicated to creating a trustworthy and sustainable digital ads ecosystem. He discusses the tools and strategies they use to help businesses mitigate risks and safeguard their brands. This section also covers how TrustRaise is positioning itself as an industry leader in addressing brand safety challenges.

09:15 - Collaborating with Journalism Organizations
David shares how TrustRaise collaborates with various journalism organizations to enhance brand safety and credibility. He discusses the challenges journalists face in the digital age and how TrustRaise supports them in maintaining their integrity while leveraging digital advertising.

13:59 - Empowering Journalists and Building Online Credibility
The conversation shifts to how TrustRaise empowers journalists, particularly those in remote or underrepresented areas, by providing tools and resources to enhance their online credibility. David emphasizes the need for accessible and affordable AI tools to help journalists protect their digital identities.

17:49 - Digital Twins and AI's Impact on Digital Identity
David introduces the concept of digital twins—AI-generated replicas of individuals' online presence—and discusses the implications for privacy and identity. He expresses concerns...

Highlights:

1. Harnessing AI to Enhance Local Journalism
   [00:02:19] Paris Brown shares how the Baltimore Times uses AI for tasks like transcription, spell-check, and digital content management, enabling the team to focus on community engagement and in-depth reporting.

2. The 'Petals of Resilience' Project: A Case Study in AI Innovation
   [00:07:23] An exploration of how AI, VR, and AR bring the history of Black bicyclists in Baltimore to life, creating immersive experiences that engage diverse audiences.

3. Navigating Ethical Challenges in AI
   [00:05:02] The conversation covers ethical considerations of AI in journalism, including transparency, responsible use, and maintaining traditional journalistic standards.

4. Forming Strategic Partnerships to Drive AI Initiatives
   [00:22:59] Paris discusses how collaborations with tech companies enable the Baltimore Times to experiment with AI-driven projects like Zing Frog AI, enhancing their content and community impact.

5. Future-Proofing Journalism Through Technology
   [00:31:12] Paris outlines strategies for engaging younger audiences, creating new revenue streams, and sustaining local news through innovative technologies.

6. Advice for Journalists Entering the Digital Age
   [00:34:21] Paris offers practical advice on leveraging technology, maintaining integrity, and using social influence positively.

1. "AI is a tool that can help us be more efficient, but it can't replace the human element that makes local journalism so vital."

   • Paris Brown [00:05:30]
   
   

2. "Small newsrooms have the agility to experiment and innovate without the red tape of larger organizations."

   • Paris Brown [00:02:42]
   
   

3. "We’re not just using AI to tell stories; we’re using it to create experiences that connect with our community in new and meaningful ways."

   • Paris Brown [00:07:50]
   
   

• Petals of Resilience Project
• Google News Initiative
• Knight Foundation's AI and Journalism Report

• Twitter: @ParisBrown
• LinkedIn: Paris Brown
• Email: parisbrown@baltimoretimes.com

• Website: yumiwilson.me
• Twitter: @YumiWilson
• LinkedIn: Yumi Wilson
• Patreon: Support the AI in Journalism Podcast

Follow Yumi: