Monday 9th October: An optimistic perspective on AI and journalism

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On this week’s episode, Esther and Chris were joined by Jacqui Merrington, who has her own Substack The Happy Journalist focused on showcasing how new tech can be used positively in journalism. Most recently she led one of the first generative AI experiments at Reach as well as devising and leading a project aimed at developing new business models for their smallest local sites using AI, interactive content formats and newsletters.

Jacqui takes us through the reasons she’s optimistic about journalists using AI, how newsrooms can go about implementing it sustainably, and what best (and worst) practice looks like in 2023.

“We’re used to disruption,” she says. “We can be early adopters. And I think if journalists feel that AI is a tool that can empower them, and they’ve got a place in the world to help others navigate the change that AI brings to the world, then I think that puts us in quite a good place.”

Chris Stone, executive producer of audio and video at the New Statesman, shares advice frequently and freely on how to make audio and video work. In this piece from Mx3, he talks about how over the last three months he has ‘taken a risk’ and shaken up the New Statesman’s award-winning podcast strategy. His big move was consolidating three podcast feeds into one and launching a regular listeners’ questions episode.

Our Chris has been writing for Podpod about the ups and downs of podcast programmatic advertising. He says investment in the tech that allows for dynamic insertion of audio ads has made programmatic a significant part of the media mix. However, the need for more education about podcast advertising in general means there are obstacles to overcome.

Another newsletter, another print launch 🤣. This time it's the first new print newspaper in France for 10 years. La Tribune Dimanche is a new Sunday paper mixing news, regional reporting, culture and lifestyle content. It enters a market where France’s only standalone Sunday paper, Le Journal du Dimanche, has been radically overhauled following a takeover by the conservative Catholic billionaire Vincent Bolloré. Fingers cross for Lat Tribune.

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