Post
2346
First AI Journalism Lab cohort just wrapped - endless inspiration for newsrooms:
- Ludwig Siegele built an AI style checker for The Economist
- Rodney Gibbs created a tool helping small newsrooms analyze stories through user needs
- Monsur Hussain developed AI trend monitoring system for fact-checking WhatsApp claims
- David Cohn built a system for analyzing audience engagement
- Clare Spencer crafted video personas with AI
The insights on adoption during the discussion were fascinating - their approach really resonated with me. Instead of forcing AI tools onto teams, they emphasized getting skeptics involved early in testing and creating safe spaces for open discussion. Start small with enthusiastic participants, build a community of internal AI champions, and focus on solving specific problems rather than pushing for adoption.
As a coach, I also learned a lot. My 5 key takeaways:
- Newsrooms are bursting with AI x journalism innovation
- Internal alignment > technical challenges. Strong dev/PM relationships = magic
- Early prototyping + user involvement = better adoption. Set realistic expectations & embrace feedback
- Cross-newsroom collaboration supercharges innovation
- Great products can emerge in weeks with proper scoping
See the projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PMxMDfDI_0&
Kudos to Kyle Plantz, Nikita Roy, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY for making it happen!
- Ludwig Siegele built an AI style checker for The Economist
- Rodney Gibbs created a tool helping small newsrooms analyze stories through user needs
- Monsur Hussain developed AI trend monitoring system for fact-checking WhatsApp claims
- David Cohn built a system for analyzing audience engagement
- Clare Spencer crafted video personas with AI
The insights on adoption during the discussion were fascinating - their approach really resonated with me. Instead of forcing AI tools onto teams, they emphasized getting skeptics involved early in testing and creating safe spaces for open discussion. Start small with enthusiastic participants, build a community of internal AI champions, and focus on solving specific problems rather than pushing for adoption.
As a coach, I also learned a lot. My 5 key takeaways:
- Newsrooms are bursting with AI x journalism innovation
- Internal alignment > technical challenges. Strong dev/PM relationships = magic
- Early prototyping + user involvement = better adoption. Set realistic expectations & embrace feedback
- Cross-newsroom collaboration supercharges innovation
- Great products can emerge in weeks with proper scoping
See the projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PMxMDfDI_0&
Kudos to Kyle Plantz, Nikita Roy, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY for making it happen!
