David Carson has been a staff photojournalist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since 2000 and covered events from New York City during 9/11, presidential debates and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His photos are featured in the staff’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography and received a regional Emmy award in 2008. Most recently, he was a 2024-2025 John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University, studying the impacts, both good and bad, of artificial intelligence on photojournalism and potential solutions for increasing public trust.

In this episode, Carson talks about the trajectory of his career to the present, analyzing AI’s increased presence and threat to journalistic integrity. From detection tools to ethical considerations, he explains how the power of AI can and should be harnessed for good.

Find The Lead podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at the link in bio.

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Guest: David Carson, staff photojournalist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2024-2025 John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University Host: Caroline Newbern

Freelance photojournalist Valerie Plesch, based in Washington, D.C., has documented a range of topics, including politics, refugee resettlement and immigration, through her photos. Valerie also serves as vice president of Women Photojournalists of Washington, whose mission is to educate the public about the role of women-identifying visual journalists and cultivate their professional success.

In this episode, Valerie talks about the changes faced within photojournalism in an ever-evolving digital age. She encourages journalists and photojournalists to never lose their curiosity and to continue learning from each story they go out to cover.

Find The Lead podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at the link in bio.

bit.ly/m/coxinstitute

Guest: Valerie Plesch, freelance photojournalist Host: McKenna Edwards

As editor in chief of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Leroy Chapman Jr. sits at the top of the newsroom, overseeing every aspect of life in Georgia. Chapman began his political journalism career in his home state, South Carolina, before moving to Atlanta and working his way through several different roles at the AJC.

In this episode, Chapman discusses the future of the AJC, particularly their digital future as the publication ceased producing printed newspapers in December of 2025. Leroy talks about meeting his audience where they are at and sees the future of journalism as increasingly more digital. He urges young, aspiring journalists to be adaptable, flexible and knowledgeable of this ever-changing field.

Find The Lead podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at the link in bio.

bit.ly/m/coxinstitute

Guest: Leroy Chapman Jr., Editor in Chief at the AJC Host: Sophia Eppley