Poynter: When it comes to using AI in journalism, put audience and ethics first; Poynter Institute, September 12, 2024

  Poynter Institute; Poynter: When it comes to using AI in journalism, put audience and ethics first

"Download a PDF of the full report, “Poynter Summit on AI, Ethics & Journalism: Putting audience and ethics first.”

Rapidly advancing generative artificial intelligence technology and journalism have converged during the biggest election year in history. As more newsrooms experiment with AI, the need for ethical guidelines and audience feedback have surfaced as key challenges.

The Poynter Institute brought together more than 40 newsroom leaders, technologists, editors and journalists during its Summit on AI, Ethics & Journalism to tackle both topics. For two days in June 2024, representatives from the Associated Press, the Washington Post, Gannett, the Invisible Institute, Hearst, McClatchy, Axios and Adams along with OpenAI, the Online News Association, the American Press Institute, Northwestern University and others, debated the use of generative AI and its place within the evolving ethics of journalism

The goals: Update Poynter’s AI ethics guide for newsrooms with insight from journalists, editors, product managers and technologists actually using the tools. And outline principles for ethical AI product development that can be used by a publisher or newsroom to put readers first.

Data from focus groups convened through a Poynter and University of Minnesota partnership underscored discussion, while a hackathon tested attendees to devise AI tools based on audience trust and journalistic ethics.""

The Leadership Storytelling Secrets That Keep Audiences Riveted; Forbes, April 2, 2022

Esther Choy, Forbes; The Leadership Storytelling Secrets That Keep Audiences Riveted

"Authentic persuasion requires leaders to have relevant and compelling stories on hand. Stories not only create stronger bonds with your audience, they also make information more memorable.

To create stories quickly, stories should follow a basic story structure. We call it the “IRS” model:

• I - Intriguing beginning
• R - Riveting middle
• S - Satisfying end"

Mastering Marketing; Library Journal, March 9, 2017

Laurie Russo, Library Journal; 

Mastering Marketing 

"Levy explained that traditional PR is dependent on traditional media. A company, or an institution like a library, makes a story pitch to a magazine or newspaper, but, ultimately, the publication’s editors decide whether a story will run. Social media has changed this dynamic, enabling companies to engage with their customers directly. But maintaining engagement requires quality content.

“If you can build your own audience on social media, that’s great,” she said. “But in order to get your audience to consume your content and want to share it, it has to be of substance, it has to be meaningful, it has to [have] editorial quality.” Libraries need to define which demographic is their top marketing priority and what content would be most relevant to that audience, Levy said, and then can use a “story brief” worksheet and outline to create effective content. She also shared techniques for presenting content to customers and amplifying a brand message across channels, emphasizing the importance of including details in stories to make them memorable, and encouraging attendees not to be afraid of showing some personality on a library’s social media accounts. Having a unique voice provides “an opportunity to amplify your brand across channels. When you have a bifurcated and very disparate sense of media—there’s no longer one local paper that people read: there’s online papers, there’s social media, there’s a mom’s Facebook group—there are all kinds of places for you to reach your patrons. If you can come up with a distinctive voice and be bold enough to put a twist on your library, you can make a mark in the community and have your community think about your library in a refreshing way.”"