I’m so excited to further push my research into AI & journalism with the announcement of my podcast pilot! Bot Beat tracks the stories of journalists harnessing AI in their reporting. As your host, I’ll bring you quick chats with reporters, editors, and coders. We’ll keep you updated on possibilities & pitfalls for AI in journalism – keying you in on how these emerging tools could affect your work.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
In the podcast’s pilot episodes, I chat with an incredible line-up of journalists experimenting with and reporting on AI:
In episode 1 of Bot Beat, “Counting Craters with The New York Times’ Ishaan Jhaveri,” we chat about how the Visual Investigations team deployed AI tools to analyze Israel’s use of 2,000lb bombs in Gaza. The groundbreaking reporting was honored just last week with the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting, as part of a winning package of New York Times reporting on the conflict. If you’re interested in visualizing the methodologies used, watch the full video report after our episode.
In episode 2 of Bot Beat, “Spotting Fake Reporters with Futurism’s Maggie Harrison,” we catch up about a crushing phenomenon she discovered, involving Sports Illustrated and AdVon. Her original reporting about fake reporters unveiled quite the scandal. Yet, she kept digging – and her impressive follow-up feature even further uncovered the depth of AdVon’s misleading influence.
In episode 3 of Bot Beat, “Building Watchdog Tools with Nieman Fellow Jaemark Tordecilla,” we chat about a tool he built, and how AI can help supercharge investigative journalism in the developing world. As the former editor of GMA News, the largest news website in the Philippines, Jaemark had a breadth of experience on using new technologies to innovate newsroom processes – leading him to dive into AI experimentation in his first months at Harvard this fall. If you like the episode, be sure to read his thorough explainer on the technical details of his tool, published for the Reuters Institute.
I hope you’ll tune in! And please, let me know what you think the urgent questions are, especially in a field that is moving so fast. Comments and ideas can go to botbeatpod@gmail.com.
For journalists out there using AI – you want to talk to me about it? Reach out to me at botbeatpod@gmail.com.
A big thank-you to Jeb Sharp, my mentor, editor, and now friend, who I developed this show alongside. This show was initially conceived in a directed study with Jeb at Northeastern University, as part of my now-completed Master of Science in Media Advocacy – though it quickly grew beyond academics, into a big passion project. I also want to thank the Northeastern Production Studios team, and especially Maxine Philavong. Thank you for your endless patience with me as we plugged and unplugged to workshop audio issues in the studio!
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
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