The Journalist’s Toolbox

Focusing on the “how” and “why” of digital reporting, this interactive

textbook equips readers with all the skills they need to succeed in today’s
multimedia reporting landscape.
The Journalist’s Toolbox is an extension of the [Link] website,
which provides links to tools, organized by beats and topics, as well as social
channels, a newsletter, and more than 95 training videos relevant to journalists.
This handbook offers a deep dive into these digital resources, explaining how
they can be manipulated to build multimedia stories online and in broadcast.
It covers all the basics of data journalism, fact-checking, using social media,
editing and ethics, as well as video, photo, and audio production and
storytelling. The book considers digital journalism from a global perspective,
including examples and interviews with journalists from around the world.
Packed full of hands-on exercises and insider tips, The Journalist’s Toolbox is
an essential companion for students of online/digital journalism, multimedia
storytelling and advanced reporting. This book will also make an ideal reference
for practicing journalists looking to hone their craft.
This book is supported by training videos, interactive charts and a pop-up
glossary of key terms which are available as part of an interactive e-book+ or
online for those using the print book.

Mike Reilley teaches data and digital journalism at the University of Illinois at
Chicago, USA. A former reporter at the Los Angeles Times and web producer
at the Chicago Tribune and [Link], Mike is an early adopter of
web and data technologies in journalism. He’s taught full-time for 20 years at
Northwestern, Arizona State, DePaul and UIC.

Mike founded the digital resources site [Link] in 1996 and

currently operates a new AI-focused site, [Link]. He also consults
with newsrooms on digital tools and has trained thousands of journalists around
the world on Google News Initiative tools. He is co-author of the Routledge
textbook Data + Journalism with investigative reporter Samantha Sunne.

Mike and his students cover Chicago urban issues through data reporting on
[Link]. Mike speaks at dozens of journalism conferences and
has a large following on his @itsmikereilley Twitter account.
The Journalist’s Toolbox
A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI

Mike Reilley
Designed cover image: Illustration by Billy O’Keefe
First published 2024
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2024 Mike Reilley
The right of Mike Reilley to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-1-032-46021-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-46020-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-43178-7 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-46022-2 (eBook+)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787
Typeset in Galliard
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Access the Support Material: [Link]/9781032460208
To all of my mentors, especially Neil Chase, the late
Daryl Blue and the late Steve Buttry.
And to my mother-in-law, Angela, maker of
all things pasta . . .
– Mike
Contents

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction 1

1 Reporting, Writing and Editing 13

2 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 44

3 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 65

4 Social Media 81

5 Data Journalism 114

6 Mobile Journalism 141

7 Multimedia: Podcasting | Audio | Photo Editing 169

8 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 187

9 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 206

10 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 233

11 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and

Data Visualization Exercises 255

Index277
Acknowledgments

There are many people who helped with the writing and publishing of this
book. Being an author can be challenging, but a great support team and
cooperation from many professional journalists made it much easier. I’m
grateful for my publisher, Routledge, and the fantastic team of Lizzie Cox and
Hannah McKeating, who helped me navigate this process once again. Their
patience, sound advice and quick responses helped make it a smooth one.
I also need to thank the many professional journalists and college professors
who contributed interviews and exercises: Victor Hernandez, chief content
officer at WBUR in Boston; USC professor Amara Aguilar; CUNY profes-
sor and Wonder Tools newsletter author Jeremy Caplan; Cincinnati Enquirer
reporter Patti Gallagher Newberry; University of Nebraska journalism profes-
sor Chris Graves; Samantha Sunne; and Tom Johnson of the Guardian US. All
are masters of their craft and offer innovative examples of how to use digital
tools to create incredible storytelling.
When I needed help on shooting and editing content for mobile, I went
to two of the best in the business: Robb Montgomery of the Smart Film
School and author of Mobile Journalism and Rob Layton, Assistant Profes-
sor of Mobile Journalism at Bond University on Australia’s Gold Coast.
They’re both doing innovative visual storytelling using apps on phones
and tablets.
Mackenzie Warren, former director of digital strategy at Gannett, lends
his expertise on the big picture: how digital tools figure into the storytell-
ing process and to properly implement them. Warren now oversees the local
news accelerator at his alma mater, Northwestern University’s Medill School
of Journalism, and offers insight on how to implement these tools at the
local level.
No journalism book would be complete without exploring the broadening
horizons of data storytelling. CBS 2 Chicago’s Elliott Ramos, the BBC’s John
Walton and Andy Boyle, a data contributor for the Chicago Sun-Times, pro-
vide tips and examples for practical applications. I’ll contribute several exer-
cises from my newsroom trainings so you’ll have work samples to show by the
time you finish the chapter.
 Acknowledgments ix

You may have noticed the wonderful book cover and illustrations, the
handiwork of longtime friend and collaborator Billy O’Keefe, who also helped
me design the Journalist’s Toolbox websites.
Another key player in the development of this book has been Zizi
­Papacharissi, the communication department chair at the University of Illinois-­
Chicago. Her guidance helped me not only with this textbook but also my first
book, Data + Journalism, which I coauthored with Sunne.
Introduction

The Journalist’s Toolbox and the Dawn of the Internet Era

There were no start-up incubators or “a-ha” moments when I founded Jour-
nalist’s Toolbox more than a quarter of a century ago.
It just sort of . . . happened. And over time, it evolved into the AI tools and
training hub it is today.
It started in 1996, when Professor Neil Chase invited me to teach some
“new media” labs at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
I was only a year removed from graduate school at Medill and needed the
money, so I took him up on the offer.
I didn’t have much time on my hands. I was one of the founding editors
at [Link] back then, and we hard-coded web pages as content
management systems were only a twinkle in some developer’s eye. So, on
Tuesday evenings, I would trek to Evanston and teach print and broadcast
students how to build web pages, code and edit photos in Photoshop.
Later that year, I started teaching newswriting and reporting courses part-
time at Medill. Classroom management tools such as Blackboard and Desire-
2Learn didn’t exist in the 1990s, so I hard-coded a website that hosted my
course syllabi and other class materials. I posted it on the open web so anyone
could learn from them, not just my students.
One page on that site was named “Toolbox,” a list of 10 links to crime
databases, [Link], Congressional Quarterly and a few other sites
and databases that students could use for reporting news stories. I taught the
intrepid sophomores how to analyze crime data in spreadsheets to write sto-
ries, track how their home-state senators were voting in Washington and, more
importantly, how to use OpenSecrets to find what special interest groups were
making campaign contributions to the senators. It combined public records
and database reporting with the newest technology available at the time.
Over the next four years, that page of links grew to several hundred tools
as students returned from internships and shared resources they picked up in
newsrooms. I started searching for more resources in Yahoo and an upstart
search engine at the time called Google.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-1
2 Introduction

Figure 0.1 Intro

Source: Illustration by Billy O’Keefe

By the time I left Medill for a [Link] fellowship in 2000, the

single “Toolbox” page had grown to several pages with a few thousand links.
I moved the pages over to a free Yahoo GeoCities server – a place where many
people launched their first websites – and continued to update it. I added a
header graphic and called it “The Journalist’s Toolbox.”
At the Post, I noticed the site would appear on reporters’ screens from
time to time. Search engines were indexing it, and reporters, editors and news
librarians were bookmarking it after stumbling across the site in broad web
searches.
“Do more,” the reporters told me. “This saves us time.” That’s because the
site was doing something an algorithm could not: It was built by someone
who thought like a journalist. I had spent nearly a decade as a reporter, copy
editor and web producer at the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and
the Post. I knew how to research stories. I knew how to find things online.
The site started to come together.
By 2002, the Toolbox was attracting several thousand visitors per month.
I bought the [Link] and. com web addresses. I emailed the
links to hundreds of journalists around the world and asked them to share
it with their staff. By the end of the year, I contacted several journalism
 Introduction 3

organizations to see if they wanted to buy the site. Back then, there were no
start-up incubators or funding, and it was difficult to charge people to use the
site because secure credit card software was in its infancy, making it hard to
set up a paywall.
The American Press Institute (API) bought the site from me and agreed to
pay me monthly to update the site. After five years, API sold the site – and my
services as editor – to the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
So what started as an experiment for a rookie college journalism professor
has blossomed over the next two decades into an international brand. Today,
the Toolbox features links to thousands of resources.
SPJ defunded my [Link] work in May 2023, ending my
27 years as that site’s editor. Since I own the Toolbox trademark, I launched
the new site, [Link], with a focus on how journalists can use
artificial intelligence to improve workflow, debunk fake news and more.
Launched in June 2023, its sole purpose is to help journalists ethically and
effectively navigate the murky waters of AI. It offers more than 90 training vid-
eos on how to use digital tools. A twice-monthly newsletter shares resources
tips and tricks with more than 7,000 subscribers. My @itsmikereilley Twitter
account surpassed 50,000 followers by 2023.
***
So it only makes sense that The Journalist’s Toolbox would become a book.
Not just any book, but a handbook that journalism professors could use to
teach students starving for digital skills. And a handbook that provides pro-
fessional journalists guidance and examples of how to expand their digital
storytelling.

The Journalist’s Toolbox AI newsletter is published twice a month

and features tools, tips, tricks and training videos. Subscribe for free:
[Link]
The Journalist’s Toolbox AI YouTube channel features more than
95 training videos on tools for reporting, writing, data journalism,
mobile reporting, social media, fact-checking and more: [Link]
ly/toolboxvid

***
4 Introduction

This book will explore how the Toolbox is being used by reporters and
editors all over the world. We’ll look at the evolution of digital journalism and
cover the key concepts and themes in the industry with mobile, social, eth-
ics/trust, artificial intelligence, multimedia, data and more. We’ll sprinkle in
anecdotes and examples of how simple, free tools can tell stories in new ways.
And we’ll hear from some industry experts about how those tools are used in
newsrooms.

A Cautionary Tale: It’s About the Journalism,

Not Just the Tools
Mackenzie Warren wore a variety of hats in 23 years working at Gannett news-
papers. Shortly before leaving for Northwestern’s Medill School to run its
local news accelerator program in early 2023, he oversaw digital training for
Gannett’s USA Today Network as a senior director.
At Gannett, Warren encouraged newsroom staffers to advance their
storytelling through interactive charts and maps, social media graphics,
data analysis, video and audio, etc. Not only did this improve the reader’s
online experience, it also increased the amount of time readers spent on the
websites.
It’s easy for journalists to learn a new tool or technique, then rush to use it
in a way that doesn’t advance the story. What good is an interactive map with
one or two pinpoints in it? Or a bar chart with no disparity in the data? Poor-
quality video and audio will turn a reader off quickly. None of it belongs in the
story just for the sake of it.
Warren warns to avoid “tool soup, which is trying to put a pinch of every-
thing into a story, for the sake of seeming thorough or well-rounded. Often
one single tool alone is enough to tell a story at a higher plane. It’s easy to go
overboard and overwhelm the reader.”
In other words, put the story first and foremost, then try to find the tools
to tell it.

Organizing Your Digital Life

For several years, I worked with Victor Hernandez, chief content officer at
WBUR in Boston, to train journalists at national conferences around the
country. We’d speak at NICAR, SPJ and other conventions about how to use
basic tools without breaking your budget or consuming too much time.
We heard common questions from our attendees: There are so many tools
on the market; which ones are the best for me? How can I find the time to
learn so many different tools? What tools can make me more efficient?
So during our talks, Hernandez always suggested journalists use this simple
approach when deciding what tools or mobile apps to use: (1) Pick, (2) Stick,
(3) Dig and (4) Dump.
 Introduction 5

Figure 0.2 Intro

Source: Illustration by Billy O’Keefe

Pick

Choose an app that you think would work well for you. Before downloading,
check the app’s reviews, privacy settings and what data it can gather and share
about you (more on that later in the book). If you think the app could be use-
ful and fill a specific need, download it. If not, move on.

Stick

Use the app once you download it. Get a feel for it. If you can use it in your daily
news coverage, go for it. If it’s more challenging to use, practice with it in your
free time or try it for personal use. In other words, “stick” with it for a while.

Dig

Really dig into what the tool can do. Give it at least two or three months.
Think: Is this tool or app saving me time? How is it enhancing my work, if at
all? If you don’t have a good answer for either question, it might be time to
move on to the next step.
6 Introduction

Dump

After three months, it might be time to part with the tool or app. They take
up space on your phone or computer, and if you’re not using it, why bother
to keep it on there? So delete it and make space for other apps and tools.
You can always download the app again later. Keep your logins handy, and
if it’s a paid account, make sure to end the subscription before you delete
the app.
Hernandez said he tries to “keep an open mind” when trying new tech in
his job at WBUR or just for himself.
“I am generally willing to test out something that comes highly recom-
mended and may offer value to my personal or professional life,” he said,
“especially if it’s a free app. At most, it’ll cost me 10 minutes.
“I’ll try just about anything once. But I regularly go through my toolkit to
clean out tech that has gone a while without any activity or perceived value.
Digital clutter is still clutter and I’d rather take back valuable storage that
could be applied to future downloads.”
He said it is sometimes helpful to look at the last used data for apps on your
smartphone.
“You might be surprised that you actually haven’t engaged with services
that are occupying valuable space on your device,” he said. “My personal expi-
ration date for lack of activity is three months. But your threshold may be
different.”
Jeremy Caplan teaches at the City University of New York’s (CUNY)
Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and writes a weekly newsletter
called “Wonder Tools.” When Caplan tinkers with the hundreds of pro-
ductivity and reporting tools he reviews each year, he examines four core
attributes:

• Quality. “Will this tool help me do better quality work than I could other-
wise, or will it will help others I serve – students, colleagues and readers?”
he said. “I also assess whether it will help me do different work – like cre-
ating a different kind of writing, multimedia or data analysis than I might
be able to easily do without it? For example, Descript is a valuable tool for
me because it allows me to do audio and video publishing and multimedia
editing I might not otherwise do.”
• Time. “I ask myself: does this save me time? Does it solve a problem I have
or reduce friction in my workflow? Time is precious, so I prize tools that
help me work more efficiently. Examples include Raycast and Alfred, appli-
cation launchers that reduce the amount of time it takes to do common
things on your computer.”
• Cost. “Subscription costs can quickly accumulate, given that I use dozens
of tools. And given that my students and readers may not be able to afford
many costly services, I keep an eye on costs.”
 Introduction 7

• Reliability. “Services rise and fall online. Remember Peach? Plurk? Jaiku?
Fridge? So I try to get a feel for how likely I think the tool is to stick
around, how committed its team is, and how strong its foundation.”

Caplan said he tries to use a tool a few times in multiple contexts to see how
useful it is in the long run, usually over a period of at least a few weeks. Unlike
some, he rarely deletes tools, because he envisions giving them another look
down the road.
“That’s how I end up with hundreds of apps on my phone and laptop, even
though I use only 10% of them frequently,” he said.

The Digital Graveyard

If you haven’t been there before, visit the website [Link]. The
site tracks failed startups and tech products and provides so-called “autopsy
reports” to help entrepreneurs avoid making the same mistakes.
“Thousands of technologies go belly up every year,” Hernandez said.
“Some of the once-bright technology stars that occupied valuable presence
in my toolkit over the years but have since faded include Google+, Periscope,
Videolicious, Mailbox, Vine, Path, Wildcard, Sunrise, Meerkat, Rdio, Sonar,
Tweetbot, Hyperlapse and Foursquare.”
Warren recalls the fanfare over MySpace, which News Corp. spent $580 mil-
lion to purchase nearly two decades ago.
“In 2006, it was one of the high-water marks in the world’s enthusiasm
for breakout stars among digital platforms,” he said. “MySpace had a bigger
audience than Google or Yahoo! Then came Facebook, which smashed it to
pieces.”

Figure 0.3 The Startup Graveyard

8 Introduction

Fast-forward to 2022, when the audio streaming chat app Clubhouse came
onto the scene and attracted large audiences . . . at first.
“At a micro level, when I think of all the alleged next-big-things, Clubhouse
symbolizes a lot of how hard it is to break the lock the big dogs like Meta,
Alphabet and Amazon have,” Warren said. “A lot of initial hype, some manu-
factured scarcity and then . . . kind of crickets.”
[Link] was another tool that headed to the tech graveyard after enjoy-
ing great success – for a decade. Toasted by journalists, Storify was developed
by former Associated Press journalist Burt Herman when he was a Knight
Journalism Fellow at Stanford in 2009. His concept was simple: Create an
embeddable interface where journalists could pull from Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and other social channels and add text and headlines to create
curated social media collections.
Storify allowed journalists to arrange social media posts chronologically or
as a narrative. So instead of doom scrolling or searching hashtags, the audience
could read social media for the first time as a story with context. It got to the
heart of what journalism does: select only the best information from a flood of
facts, and give the reader a well-rounded story.
My students and DePaul University and I were beta-testers for the tool
in 2009–2010 and continued using it after it launched on the full market.
We used it to cover breaking stories from the 2012 presidential election, the
NATO Summit in Chicago, local elections, feature stories and many more.

Figure 0.4 Storify social media curation tool

 Introduction 9

Herman’s Storify was lauded by news outlets all over the world for its abil-
ity to package social media posts in a more contextual way. Newsrooms used
it to cover violence and protests, crime and other breaking news stories. The
tool was purchased by LiveFyre in 2013, where it continued to thrive for sev-
eral more years until it was shuttered in May 2018. In its wake, a tool named
Wakelet has continued to fill the void for social media content curation.
Hernandez said “can’t-miss tech” comes and goes for journalists, and they
have to adapt as the industry changes. Many good apps and websites have
failed, not because they weren’t useful, but that they were mismanaged, strug-
gled to find a market foothold or had other issues.
“It’s been that way forever,” Hernandez said, “and there [is] no worse
feeling than when you fall in love with a technology solution and incorporate
parts of your life around it because it proves to be such a vital lynchpin for
adding utility to your life – only to see it acquired and shut down. Or it evolves
into something much different than you knew it to be, or the people behind it
stop maintaining it and it slowly dies.
“We wish we could get back all of the hours and perhaps dollars we’d
invested into making it work so well for us, and we can’t help but feel burned.”
In his newsroom, Hernandez cautions his staff not to get too fixated on
specific tools because of their proclivity to become obsolete. Tools come and
go, and technology only moves forward, not backward.
“The apps on our phone, the bookmarks on our browser, the peripheral
add-on equipment that adorn our gear – they all get replaced or simply moved
to the trash bin eventually,” he said.

Tools and Reporting

Digital tools and smartphone apps are never intended to replace boots-on-the-
ground field reporting. If anything, they enhance the reporting and editing
process and make journalists more productive. For example, a tool like Otter.
ai can transcribe a long interview in a matter of seconds, something that could
take hours back in the days of microcassette recorders. The service, which
offers up to 600 minutes of free transcription a month, is also cost-effective for
small newsrooms that can’t afford expensive manual transcription services or
that make the reporters do it themselves.
Search tools alone save reporters thousands of hours in research time.
What’s taken for granted today would have been a luxury half a century ago.
For example, one of the famous scenes in the movie “All the President’s Men”
shows Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein searching through thousands of
public records in the Library of Congress in the early 1970s as the camera
slowly pans out, telling us the reporters were working well into the night.
Today, that same records search could be done on the Library of Congress
website ([Link]) in a matter of seconds.
The key is to make the tools work for you, not against you. Doom-scrolling
social media and noodling around on apps can be fun on your own time, but
are incredible time-wasters for journalists on the clock.
10 Introduction

AI Tools Are Game-Changers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have existed for many years, but a flood of
new AI tools – ChatGPT-4, DALL-E, MidJourney, Google Bard and thou-
sands of others began to flood the market in late 2022 and early 2023.
This book will explore how AI tools are evolving, as well as legal and ethi-
cal issues that arise from them. They’re changing the workflow landscape for
journalists, particularly in smaller newsrooms that need automation to put
human resources elsewhere.
Caplan said journalists will capitalize on AI in five ways in the next few
years, building on prior experiments as the tech advances:

• Organizing. Reporters gather huge amounts of information, and AI will

increasingly help them find what they need using natural language queries.
Without having to manually file or tag notes, it’ll be easy to ask the system
to pull up all relevant quotes, facts and data related to a particular person,
topic or place without complex queries.
• Converting. AI can already help translate research and documents across
languages. It will go further in translating complexity by summarizing and
synthesizing the essential information. It will also help convert data into
preferred formats and convert images and video into text and audio for
assistive technology.
• Monitoring. Keeping tabs on government and corporate sites for changes
is already possible, but the capabilities in the realm of monitoring will grow
more robust, allowing reporters to monitor more subtle changes in envi-
ronmental and economic data over time. The monitoring may expand to
include noting changes in sound, light and water pollution, or even noting
changes in popular sentiment as measured by facial expressions shared on
social platforms.
• Analyzing. Reporters will use AI to take complex datasets and identify
outliers, and detect subtle patterns in data that might not have been oth-
erwise evident. AI may also be useful in the analysis of reader data. It may
be noted, for example, that readers of a particular newsletter have a much
greater interest in topic A than in topic B based on their open and click-
through patterns. This kind of analysis may be useful for the marketing and
monetization arms of news organizations.
• Presenting. AI will be helpful in generating charts, images, infographics
and even audio and video versions of stories to expand the reach and visual
impact of news – which you will learn to do in this book. AI may also aid
in the personalization of news, so that a reader can elect to receive story
summaries when busy or an audio version when commuting.

Teaching Digital Concepts, Not Just Tools

Digital trends are much more compelling for journalists than stand-alone
tools. They have real staying power that can last years and decades. As we
 Introduction 11

learned earlier in this Introduction, tools, especially apps, can be red-hot one
week and a deserted wasteland the next.
This textbook is targeted to college undergraduate and graduate students
and their instructors, as well as early to mid-career professionals seeking to
learn digital journalism skills. I’ve taught digital journalism skills to three gen-
erations of college students, and I use a tried-and-true approach: I teach jour-
nalism concepts, not tools.
For me, tools are a vehicle for journalists in their reporting, not a means to
an end. So when I teach, I use apps and other tools to expose students not just
to technology, but to great journalism lessons.
My students learn by doing. They publish on the website, The Red Line Pro-
ject ([Link]), which I founded in 2012 while teaching at DePaul.
I combine old-school “shoe-leather reporting” – where students observe,
document, conduct interviews, etc., with “new school,” cutting-edge mobile
and digital storytelling techniques to produce data-driven and multimedia sto-
ries. Their stories are work samples that help them get internships and jobs.
I stress law and ethics in my tech-driven journalism classes. Students learn-
ing Photoshop must first study the National Press Photographers Association
Code of Ethics. They apply those ethics to photo editing (are we manipulating
the photo, or improving truth-telling of the image?) They also learn how to
fact-check images and deep-fake videos that may have been manipulated.

Figure 0.5 Intro [Link] home page during the 2023 Chicago mayoral
election
12 Introduction

Any student who has taken a class with me has a strong understanding of cop-
yright law, fair use and other legal issues that arise in journalism (libel, slander,
defenses, recording interviews, etc.) They also are taught how to protect themselves
if they are harassed online by trolls on social media or through other methods.
When teaching, sprinkle the ethics, editing and journalism into the software
lessons, and you have a captivated audience of students. Play a long slideshow
preaching ethics, and you lose your audience. My aforementioned approach
with Photoshop and ethics is a prime example of my approach: Teaching
strong journalism fundamentals in a modern way.
This approach proved beneficial at the start of the pandemic. After the out-
break, the University of Illinois Chicago moved all classes online through the
end of the 2020–2021 academic year. This left students to conduct interviews
over Zoom or Google Meet as much of the city was shut down. So rather
than publish Zoom video interviews – yawn! – I switched the students to
more audio-driven stories and taught them more audio editing, SoundCloud,
[Link] and other tools.
We also used Videoscribe to create whiteboard videos as we had little, if any,
B-roll available. We used those whiteboard videos to explain to readers how
mail-in voting worked for the 2020 election.
So whether you are teaching digital journalism, studying it or expanding
your tech skills as a professional journalist, I think you’ll find the lessons and
exercises in this book useful. Take advantage of the training videos, and you’ll
be building cutting-edge stories in no time.
I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Footnotes

Fast Company: The Once-Darling Social Service Storify Is Coming to an End: www.
[Link]/40506878/why-the-once-darling-social-service-storify-is-
coming-to-an-end
The Journalist’s Toolbox AI Newsletter: [Link]
The Journalist’s Toolbox AI YouTube Channel: [Link]
The Journalist’s Toolbox: [Link]
Library of Congress Website: [Link]
NPPA Code of Ethics: [Link]
The Red Line Project: [Link]
The Red Line Project: 2020 Chicago Voters Guide: [Link]
[Link]
Startup Graveyard: [Link]
Wonder Tools Newsletter: [Link]
1 Reporting, Writing
and Editing

Key resources
[Link]: [Link]
Our World in Data: [Link]
QuillBot: An AI-driven editing tool that paraphrases writing. [Link]
com
Student Press Law Center Letter Generator: [Link]
VisualPing: [Link]
***
In the 1990s, Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Chris Graves spent a lot of
time with Minneapolis gang members and their families to get perspective
on the high number of murders in the city. People on the streets started call-
ing her “murder girl” and “Ms. Chris.” How they lived and what Graves saw
informed her reporting in countless ways.
“It provided a very different, rich and stark view of the violence on the
streets but also how often people were just trying to survive and get out
of the life,” she said. “I am more of a street reporter than anything, and so
I spent about 80–90 percent of my time out talking to people and knocking
on doors.”
Graves has sworn by a simple acronym during nearly three decades of cov-
ering the criminal justice beat for the Star-Tribune, the Cincinnati Enquirer
and the Lansing (Michigan) State Journal:
GOYAAKOD – Get Off Your Ass and Knock on Doors.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-2
14 Reporting, Writing and Editing

“You talk to witnesses, suspects and crime victim survivors,” said Graves, a
Pulitzer Prize winner for her work on the Enquirer’s “Seven Days of Heroin”
project in 2017. “Not only does it make for richer, more meaningful and more
complete stories, it will also demonstrate hard work, which is valued by every
cop or investigator I have known.”
To be a good journalist, you have to get out in the field and report. Inter-
view people. Go to the scene of the crime, the public meeting or the event and
document what you see and hear. Your personal observation makes for better
descriptive writing and context in your stories. It helps you take the reader to
the forefront of breaking news. It takes them there, and builds trust with read-
ers and sources.
But field reporting comes with a technological twist, particularly with
mobile reporting tools. Reporters use technology to pull public records, ana-
lyze data, crowdsource on social media, shoot photos and video and post sto-
ries remotely from their phones.
An editor once told me the best tools a reporter has are the “two things
attached to your head – your ears.” Combine that with a pen, notebook,
smartphone and a few other apps and gadgets, and you can generate news
in ways we only dreamed of less than two decades ago. The tools we explore
in this book will complement the reporting, writing, editing and production
processes.
***

Working With Free Digital Tools

Mackenzie Warren, former director of digital strategy at Gannett, offers
young journalists four tips for working with free digital tools:

• Be a reporter first. This is the skill from which all else flows. Don’t
get caught up in the tools.
• Be a reader second. You know you spend 30 seconds or less on any-
thing you encounter online. Channel your own reading behaviors to
inform what you produce.
• Tell one story at a time, or make one comparison (X vs. Y axis)
at a time. If you have to explain what your tool is telling the reader,
you’ve made it more complicated than you need. Tools are there to
simplify, both for you and the reader.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 15

• Quality over quantity. Just as you don’t need 50 photos to tell a

story when five will do, you don’t need endless maps, charts and
graphs on a single story. Be selective.

“At Gannett, we focused on tools that helped improve the reader experi-
ence for people at different places in the subscriber funnel,” Warren said.
“For example, search and social were high-priority tools for reaching sel-
dom- or first-time readers and welcoming them into the top of the fun-
nel. At the bottom, our most loyal, longtime, paying subscribers demand
depth and sophistication for the price of their subscription.
“Advanced data analysis tools that help make sense of complex,
­subscriber-only stories enhance the value of a subscription and improve
our retention at the bottom of the funnel.”

***

Getting Organized: Establish a Digital Workflow

Graves, now a professor of practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Col-
lege of Journalism and Mass Communications, said there’s no magic to setting
up a good reporting workflow. The process is tried and true: Research before
you go, and then research some more.
“I ask myself some basic questions before I go: What am I writing and
why?” she said. “What do I want or need to get from this source and when and
how are the best ways to do that?”
For longer stories, such as a murder case and trial that covered several years,
Graves keeps handy a high-level timeline and short bios of the key players she’s
writing about. Both can make for good sidebars to the main stories, but it also
keeps her focused and provides quick reference when writing updated stories
over a period of months or even years.
Graves keeps a couple files for magazine pieces – usually a spreadsheet of
each of her sources, their title, phone number and email, when she contacts
them and each time she follows-up. She also does this with longer daily pieces,
but keeps the information in a Google Doc.
To stay organized, she builds a separate folder for images, maps, data, records,
etc., so she can access them quickly either to embed in stories and as a reporting
resource. She uses her photos as reference when she’s writing – to take her back
to an area, to describe a scene or look closely at what she observed.
“I also almost always ask subjects to share their own photos so I can enhance
or enrich my stories,” she said. “I take photos or their photos and use them.”
Graves said she’s the first to admit she goes overboard with preparation
and planning for field reporting. She packs the trunk of her car with supplies
that can help her handle almost any situation while reporting in the field. She
16 Reporting, Writing and Editing

often travels with her University of Nebraska-Lincoln students when reporting

domestically and abroad.

What to Pack
First and foremost, Graves brings an iPhone equipped with a recording device
such as [Link], either on the phone or laptop. For extremely important inter-
views, she brings a secondary recording device as backup for her iPhone in
case there’s a glitch or the battery runs out.
She also packs two Jackery external batteries to keep her devices fully
charged. At the very least, she says journalists should have a car phone charger
for both the laptop and phone. When reporting in more remote areas, she
keeps a small solar-panel generator in her car that can charge everything.
“This is overkill for some, but I have been saved more times than not while
on the road reporting,” she said. “I also carry an electrical strip that includes
USB ports in my car that can plug into the Jackery and my car’s battery if
I need more outlets.”
If recording for radio or a podcast, Graves suggests bringing a podcast
recording tool, such as a Marantz recorder. This is incredibly important if you
need clean sound for radio or podcasts, which you can almost never get with
Otter or an iPhone. She also packs SD cards or an external hard drive to back
up files; especially photo/video.
Graves also has the online AP Stylebook open on a laptop browser tab
next to the file where she’s writing, making it easy to look things up. She
also suggests carrying several different versions of notebooks: a small one
that fits in your back pocket (out of sight), a reporter’s notebook and a
Steno notebook. Make sure to bring several pencils and pens; pencils are
incredibly important in climates with a lot of rain and/or cold. Ink freezes
and smudges.
She recommends carrying a printed atlas or at least a map in case you’re in
a remote location where Google Maps doesn’t work.
To stay organized, Graves suggests using a Google Drive file-naming sys-
tem that makes sense for stories, photos and video. Be sure to check with edi-
tors for a specific naming system, but this is an example of a good one:

• Assignment_(Name)_Date_StorySlugNOTES
• Assignment_Names_(Dates)_Story slug

Another good field-reporting tip: Reporters covering disasters such as wildfires

often struggle to find Wi-Fi access and can find a good signal at a Starbucks,
even in the middle of the night when they’re closed. Starbucks leaves its Wi-Fi
on after hours and it’s accessible if you pull up in front or work outdoors at
a table outside the coffeehouse. It’s been tested many times over the years by
reporters who cannot boost a cell signal or get a hotspot to work.
***
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 17

Get the News in the Lead

As students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Graves and I took an
Advanced Reporting class in the fall of 1987 with two professors: Al Pagel
and Dick Streckfuss. Their course was the make-or-break bootcamp class for
college juniors in the 1980s. If you survived, you moved on to internships and
glory. If you didn’t, it might be time to change your major.
Pagel was a short, fiery guy who had a striking resemblance and apprecia-
tion for Ernest Hemingway. Streckfuss, Pagel’s sidekick in the dual-lecturer
course, was tall, lean and could fill a room with his voice. Pagel was a writing
savant, a storyteller and former Miami Herald medical reporter. Streckfuss
had a firm grip on usage, style and the mechanics of writing a good news
story.
They were also pretty damn funny.
I sat across from Graves in the course, and marveled at how the two pro-
fessors inspired us to “write drunk and edit sober” – meaning we should take
twice the time to edit and rewrite our work than it took to write it in the first
place. It’s a process Graves and I follow more than three decades later.
One day, Pagel was making a passionate point about “getting the damn
news in the lead” of a story. To drive home this point, he asked Streckfuss to
stand on a table and hold his hands together over his head.
“He’s the bell tower,” Pagel said. “One if by land, two if by sea.”
Pagel went on to tell the story of Paul Revere, and how he broadcast the
news that the “redcoats are coming” from town to town during the Revolu-
tionary War. Revere was a good reporter. He got the news in the lead. Three
words. Concise, and to the point. He dropped the news and rode on to the
next town.
“Now imagine where this country would be,” Pagel said. “If Paul Revere
wrote news leads like some of you.”
Pagel began to gallop around the room like he was riding a horse. He rode
past Streckfuss, who was still on the table, and yelled, “I have some news” and
galloped out of the classroom.
Our class was rolling in laughter but the professors, in their own comical
way, had made their point: Get the damn news in the lead.
This is particularly true today, when writing for online, and especially
mobile, audiences that have precious seconds to skim an article to decide if
they want to read it.
That rule is one of nine that journalist and author Paul Bradshaw outlines
so eloquently in his blog post, “Nine Common Mistakes When Writing for
The Web and What to Do About Them.”

1. Getting straight to the most newsworthy, interesting piece of informa-

tion in your first paragraph. This was Streckfuss and Pagel’s point: Get to
the point. Anecdotal leads work well for long-form stories or news features,
but not for a breaking news piece. Focus your lead in 25–30 words. KISS:
Keep It Simple Sweetheart.
18 Reporting, Writing and Editing

2. Linking to your source whenever you refer to a piece of information/

fact. You’ve done all that research, now work it into the story by hotlink-
ing to it. Write what you know (reporting/interviews) and link to the rest
(background research).
3. Linking phrases, NOT putting in full URLs (e.g. “[Link]
[Link]/report” instead of “a report.” Hotlinking is a challenge for some
journalists. Look for proper nouns, short phrases, descriptions and attribu-
tion as targets for hotlinks. Try to avoid linking an entire sentence; just four
to five words, maximum.
4. Indenting quotes by using the blockquote option. Have a great quote
from an interview? Highlight it in your story using the blockquote option
in your content management system. This is similar to a pullout quote in
newspapers and magazines.
5. Using brief paragraphs – starting a new one for each new point. I employ
the “1-Through-Five Rule” of paragraph writing: 1 idea, 2–3 sentences, 4–5
typed lines per paragraph. It reminds me to keep my paragraphs concise. This
is important for readers who are looking at your story on a mobile device.
Large blocks of text reduce the readers’ ability to retain the information.
6. Use a literal headline that makes sense in search results and includes
keywords that people might be looking for, NOT general or punny
headlines. Writing search engine-optimized (SEO) headlines can be a bit
boring. But writing a short one (75 characters or less) with keywords will
help drive traffic to your story. Structure them in a subject-verb-object (who
did what) and not a label or title.
7. Split up your article with subheadings. For longer stories, the subheads
help the reader identify key parts of the article and break up the blocks of
text. Listicle articles also do this well.
8. End your post with a call to action and/or indication of what infor-
mation is missing or what will happen next. This is key for audience
engagement. Ask them a question at the end of the article and show them
how to respond. Give them resources to find more information. Embed an
interactive chart or map. Give the reader something to do.
9. Embedding linked media such as tweets, Facebook updates, YouTube
videos, audio or images. Leverage your digital platform by doing what a
print publication cannot: be interactive. We’ll explore tools to do this in
several chapters of this book.

Great Reporting = Great Writing

Another lesson Graves and I learned from Pagel and Streckfuss: Great
reporting drives great writing. If you cannot research, pull public records,
interview sources and gather information, then your story won’t work. It
doesn’t matter how talented of a writer you are. If you cannot report, you
won’t have a story.
“This simply can not be overstated,” said Graves, reflecting on the class so
many years later. “It is as simple as it is complex: You can not write what you
do not know, what you have not heard, what you have not seen.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 19

Figure 1.1 Chris Graves (right) reporting in the field

Source: Photo courtesy Meg Vogel

“Again, I could write chapters and chapters on this. If there is a secret sauce
to this work it is: Deep, rich, emphatic reporting that is so hard it sometimes
hurts. You can never know too much, you can never report too much.”
That’s why Graves lives by the “Get Off Your Ass and Knock on Doors”
approach. Sit with people and listen, see where and how they live. Have them
show you pictures and tell you their stories from their life.
“This is true of sources, too,” she said. “Go to the morgue, ask to watch an
autopsy. Spend a day in court or with probation officers on his rounds.
“I remember hanging out for a week or so with a child protection officer
[social worker] on her daily rounds just a few years ago. I had no idea the
amount of work and difficulties and situations they are in. I went with home-
less advocates when they were doing the homeless counts and then went
back again to talk to the homeless people to ask them their input on being
‘counted.’ ”

Covering Big Stories

In 2016, Graves began reporting on the Pike County (Ohio) mass killings for
the Enquirer. Among the stories she has filed over the years was a deep dive
into the investigation in November 2016. Since then, she has filed dozens of
stories about the killings, appeared on documentaries talking about it, started
writing a book and covered the trial in 2023.
Covering a major story over several years requires next-level organization.
Graves covered the trial by keeping a spreadsheet of who was testifying in
20 Reporting, Writing and Editing

order, with ages, key details of testimony and background with links to her
testimony files recorded and archived in Otter. At the end of the day, she
would set up her laptop with testimony of mostly key witnesses and capture an
audio file with transcripts from her Otter files. She would link that file to her
testimony spreadsheet.
Before the trial, she captured several key stories she wrote in 2016 and kept
them for quick reference in a Google Doc. Having that archive at her finger-
tips has proven valuable, she said.
***

Public Records Reporting

Graves also has to research and request public records as a reporter. Court
documents are public records, as are crime logs, zoning permits, nonprofit
Form 990 tax documents and millions of municipal, state and federal docu-
ments that reporters can use to strengthen their stories.
Government agencies, such as your state’s attorney general, EPA, secre-
tary of state and local municipalities, are in charge of caretaking these public
documents. The agencies have public information officers who are tasked with
helping anyone – reporters, attorneys, businesses, the general public – acquire
the public documents.
Typically, reporters will visit the agency’s website to see if the records have
been posted online. Some records are maintained in data portals, such as the
City of Chicago Data Portal. These portals are rich in data and stories. They
include shape files of bus and train routes, city council districts, police pre-
cincts, and other data that can be mapped. They house crime data dating
back decades. They also include more routine information that can help with
reporting: pothole repairs, restaurant inspections, towed vehicles, red-light
and speed camera locations, public health data and much more.
Most sites make it easy to download the files you need. Others put them
in HTML “tables” that require you to scrape them (see the training videos in
Chapter 5 to learn how to do that.)
But many government agencies aren’t cooperative, and won’t hand over the
records through a portal or through an email or call to the public informa-
tion officer. In that case, you’ll need to file a Freedom of Information Request
(FOI) with the agency. The process varies by country, even state, but most
U.S. agencies have 30 days to respond to the request. If denied, the journalist
can file an appeal or tweak the original request and refile it.
According to the U.S. National Archives, FOI (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended),
provides any person with the statutory right to request information from exec-
utive branch agencies of the U.S. government. This right of access is subject
to nine statutory FOI exemptions, which provide agencies the authority to
withhold records in whole or in part. FOI requesters may appeal any such
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 21

withholding, or other adverse decision, back to the agency, and may also file a
lawsuit to seek redress in federal court. Before going to court, requesters are
encouraged to contact the agency’s FOI Public Liaison at any time for assis-
tance, and to utilize mediation services offered by the Office of Government
Information Services (OGIS).
There are many FOI form letters available with a basic Google search. You
can download them as Word or Google documents and simply fill out the
form and send to the agency by either email or registered U.S. mail. But there
are some free websites that help reporters not only write the letters but track
them; [Link] from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is
one of the best, as well as the Student Press Law Center Public Records Letter
Generator.
Once you set up a free account on [Link], you can use several pulldown
menus to select the agency and letter you want to use. When filling out the let-
ter, be sure to be very specific about the records you want and in what format
you want them sent (Excel, Word, shapefile, etc.)

Triangulating journalistic sources: data, documents and human sources

Figure 1.2 
work in concert with one another when reporting a story
Source: Ilustration by Billy O’Keefe
22 Reporting, Writing and Editing

Be specific about the type of record you want, what dates the records cover
and what the topic is. Simply asking for “all of the mayor’s email correspond-
ence” is too broad. However, requesting the mayor’s emails over the past
three years discussing the public funding of a new bridge with the city’s chief
financial officer is more specific and gives the agency a better roadmap to find
the records. This typically cuts down on denials.
To get you started, here are some broad public records search por-
tals and other tools you can incorporate into your public records reporting
immediately.

Candid 990 Finder: [Link]

finder
Census Explorer: [Link]
You can use [Link], but I’ve found Explorer to be a great shortcut.
[Link]: [Link]
From IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors. Best for pulling Census data
as it has been cleaned and is ready to use.
[Link]: [Link]/
Search federal public records.
Data [Link]: [Link]
Document Cloud: [Link]/home
An all-in-one platform for storing public documents: upload, organize, ana-
lyze, annotate, search, and embed. In early 2023, it introduced “add-ons,”
tools that let you transcribe audio, monitor websites, extract personal iden-
tification information embedded in large files and peer through weak black-
out redactions.
FiveThirtyEight Data Lab Blog: [Link]
Nate Silver’s team offers many cool datasets here and tips on how to find/
analyze them.

Google Dataset Search: [Link]

This micro-search tool from Google searches only for data, and provides a
short background about the datasets provided by the organization or per-
son who produced it.
Google Pinpoint: [Link]
Organize and analyze large collections of documents. Search PDFs for key-
words, transcribe audio, extract text from images.
[Link]: [Link]/[Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Search data portals from all over the world with one keywords set.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 23

Our World in Data: [Link]

Census, health, environment and other datasets from all over the world.
ProPublica Data Store: [Link]
ProPublica NonProfit Explorer: [Link]
SEC EDGAR Database: [Link]/edgar/searchedgar/[Link]
Search this site to find quarterly and annual publicly traded companies.
USA Facts: [Link]
A collection of government-gathered data on a wide range of topics, including
business data, from a non-partisan, non-profit organization.
US Data Portals: [Link]
/[Link]
Violation Tracker: [Link]/violation-tracker
A wide-ranging database on corporate misconduct. Produced by the Corpo-
rate Research Project of Good Jobs First, it covers banking, consumer pro-
tection, false claims, environmental, wage and hour, safety, discrimination,
price-fixing, and other cases resolved by federal regulatory agencies and all
parts of the Justice Department since 2000 – plus cases from state AGs and
selected state regulatory agencies.
World Bank: Projects by Country: [Link]
projects-operations/project-country?lang=en&page=
Look up what countries are spending on COVID-19, development projects
and more. Click on the “documents” and “procurement” tabs once you’ve
selected the country, and download the PDFs.

You also can find datasets shared by many newsrooms, including the Washing-
ton Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and others. Most will link to the
datasets from stories and graphics, or post them on their Github pages.
***

Finding Expert Sources

One of the biggest challenges for young reporters is finding expert sources
to quote in stories. Over time, you’ll build out detailed lists of expert sources
as you do more stories and interviews. Some reporters turn to colleagues for
recommendations, or pull experts used in previous stories on the topic. But
quoting the same people over and over doesn’t serve your audience.
It’s particularly important to use a diverse group of experts in your stories
regardless of topic. Are you quoting mostly men? Women? What experiences
or ethnicities have you talked to for a story? Getting a good cross-section of
the community – not just with people you’re covering, but also the experts – is
the best way to reach a broader audience.
24 Reporting, Writing and Editing

Figure 1.3 Google Scholar search result for voter redistricting

Many newsrooms now track diversity in their coverage. They look at cross-
sections of the community, how they’re quoted, where they appear (stories/
photos) and that includes expert sources.
Always be sure to vet your expert sources. Read beyond their bio and search
their name. Have they been in trouble before? Are they being paid by a com-
pany to shape what they tell you (a common practice among medical experts)?
Search for them in Google Scholar, a micro-search site that searches two areas
of the web: academic journal article databases and case law. Where have they
been published, if at all?
Google Scholar also is good at finding new expert sources. Just select the
area you want to search by hitting the radio button underneath the search
field, then type in the keywords you want to search (topic or expert’s name).
You’ll find results to the right and filters on a sidebar down the left side. You
can filter by specific dates. You can bookmark articles by clicking the star but-
ton underneath them to add them to your library for later reference.
In the search results, the article author names are often linked to their bios
and contact information. Just contact the person for an interview. This is a
great way for young journalists to build an expert sources list.
Besides Scholar, here are some other databases you can use to find expert
sources:

AAJA Studio – AAPI Sources: [Link]

The Asian American Journalist Association’s curated directory offers news-
rooms a platform to connect with trusted AAPI media leaders, established
policy experts, academics and community leaders.
Coursera Expert Network: [Link]
Connects journalists with experts from top universities.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 25

[Link]: [Link]
Database of experts features underrepresented voices and perspectives in sci-
ence, health and environment work.
ExpertFile: [Link]
A journalist looking for credible sources can access this searchable directory of
experts in knowledge-based organizations in a curated network of experts
on over 30,000 unique topics.
Expertise Finder: [Link]
Look up experts in various fields with this network.
NPR Diverse Sources Database: [Link]
Find experts from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the media.
Includes a featured “source of the week.”
People of Color Also Know Stuff: [Link]
home
This online platform connects journalists with subject matter experts and peo-
ple of color who have stories to tell. POC uses customized matching to
connect journalists with a diverse pool of potential interviewees.
SciLine: [Link]
An editorially independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit service for journalists and
scientists. Its goal is to help get more science into news stories. It connects
reporters quickly to scientific experts and validates evidence. It works with
scientists to amplify their expertise and help them give voice to the facts. It’s
fully funded by philanthropies, and everything it does is free.
Sources of Color: [Link]
Journalists, PR pros and diverse experts all in one place. This site is a partner-
ship with SPJ, PRSA and other organizations. The site is free for journalists
but charges PR pros.
Women’s Media Center SheSource: [Link]
An online database of media-experienced experts available for interviews in all
mediums.

***
26 Reporting, Writing and Editing

Journalist’s Toolbox: Find Diverse Expert Sources

Learn how to find experts using online databases to better source your
stories.
Diversity Tools and Experts: [Link]/category/
diversity-issues
Expert Source Databases: [Link]/category/expert-
sources
Video: Expert Databases: [Link]/watch?v=Tbq90HOz0R4
Video: How to Find Diverse Sources: [Link]/watch?v=
18KrDA__0HY

***

Using Transcription Tools to Speed Reporting

As any reporter who used a tape recorder prior to 2007 will attest, one of the
best digital tools ever created has been the transcription apps and sites. Tools
such as [Link], Descript and many others have saved reporters thousands of
hours transcribing interviews.
Graves finds Otter particularly helpful when transcribing interviews for
longer, in-depth stories where the interview could have been weeks earlier.
Her interviews typically last a long time, sometimes hours, and she approaches
interviews in a conversational way.
“I love to audio record my subjects to hear their voice again, the tenor and
timing, as well as to get their cadence down when I am quoting them,” Graves
said. “Hearing my interviews again is a way to ‘go back’ to the time and place
of an interview.”
Adam Rittenberg, an award-winning national college football writer for
[Link] and ESPN+ for more than 15 years, said Otter’s mobile app “has
been a game-changer for me.”
“I can record interviews and see a live transcription, and then refer back
quickly for quotes,” said Rittenberg, who works both on quick-turn daily sto-
ries and longer, in-depth pieces. “Although the transcriptions aren’t always
accurate, they provide a baseline and significantly reduce my time to identify
and use quotes for stories, especially on deadline.”
Rittenberg touched on one of the big drawbacks for using transcription
tools – accuracy. Reporters still need to take good notes and listen closely
to interviews as the transcription software sometimes misspells words, skips
words, etc.
Another drawback is security. Many of them offer free versions in exchange
for sharing your data with third-party sources. This is particularly troublesome
for investigative reporters who interview on-background sources or victims
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 27

of crimes. The potential of the person’s name or parts of the interview being
leaked are realities.
This issue was chronicled in a Feb. 16, 2022, Politico post titled “My ​​ jour-
ney down the rabbit hole of every journalist’s favorite app.” Reporter Phelim
Kine wrote, “We make privacy versus utility tradeoffs all the time with our tech.
We know Facebook sells our data, but we still post baby pictures. We allow
Google maps access to our location, even though we know it leaves an indel-
ible digital trail. And even savvy, skeptical journalists who take robust efforts
to protect sources have found themselves in the thrall of Otter, a transcription
app powered by artificial intelligence, and which has virtually eliminated the
once-painstaking task of writing up interview notes. That’s an overlooked vul-
nerability that puts data and sources at risk, say experts.”
Kine continued: “Otter and its competitors, which include Descript,
Rev, Temi and the U.K.-based Trint, are digital warehouses whose advan-
tages of speed and convenience are bracketed by what experts say can be lax
privacy and security protections that may endanger sensitive text and audio
data, the identities of reporters and the potentially vulnerable sources they
contact.”
Trint, Otter, Temi and Rev all claim compliance with all or part of the user
data protection and storage standards of the European Union’s flagship data
privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation. But cybersecurity experts
say that the sharing of user data with third parties creates privacy and security
vulnerabilities.
Otter “shares your personal data with a whole host of people, including
mobile advertising tracking providers, so it strikes me that there’s an awful lot
of personal data and the potential for leakage of sources for journalists,” Paul
Rosenzweig, former deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Department of
Homeland Security, and founder of Red Branch Consulting, told Kine. “They
also quite clearly say that they respond to legal obligation [law enforcement
data requests], so any journalist who transcribes an interview with a confiden-
tial source and puts it up on Otter has got to live with the possibility that Otter
will wind up giving that transcript to the FBI.”
So the best advice for reporters using transcription tools: Proceed at your
own risk. The tools are fine for routine interviews, covering public meetings,
etc. But think twice before using them with sensitive stories and interview
subjects. In those cases, transcribe it the old-fashioned way – by playing the
audio back and retyping what is said.
“If I need to record sensitive information, I don’t use a cloud-based sys-
tem,” Graves said. “I use a recorder and then transcribe the parts that I need
later). Or I just use handwritten notes.”
Graves said transcription tools are helpful but can waste a ton of time. She
finds that taking physical notes still is a tried-and-true way to interview subjects –
especially in person.
“It is my first best editing on-the-fly approach,” she said. “It also signals to
my sources that I am working and we are not just talking. When they see me
28 Reporting, Writing and Editing

writing, they know I am engaging, listening and taking notes. I often only use
my transcripts to confirm context and check for accurate quotes – which is
what I find recording the best for these days.”
Graves requires her University of Nebraska-Lincoln journalism students to
use [Link] or another transcription when they are conducting all their inter-
views. She wants them to use it only to check quotes and for context when
they are writing. She also requires them to take handwritten notes. In her
more advanced reporting and writing courses, they are required to upload the
audio file, the transcript and their handwritten notes with full source name and
contact information.
“I spot check these files and use these files to fact-check their work when
I am grading,” she said. “I want to begin using the audio in my report-
ing classes as a tool on contextualizing quotes and best practices or using
examples of when interrupting a source can change the direction of an
interview.”
***

Transcription Without Tech

An old reporter’s trick for transcribing interviews: Unless you absolutely
have to, don’t transcribe the entire interview. Just transcribe some of
the key quotes you’ll need for the story. This is extremely important on
deadline stories such as sports, late meetings or election night.
But how do you do it? As you’re recording the interview, keep track
of the time code on the recorder. In your notebook, list the times when
an interesting quote starts or ends, and work forward or backward from
there.
This will save many hours of time with transcriptions. With experi-
ence, you’ll get better at flagging the strong quotes in your notes and
become even more efficient.

***

Using [Link]
Otter is considered the Ferrari of transcription tools for its accuracy, speed and
ease of use. It’s available as both a desktop tool and phone app, the latter is
popular with reporters working in the field.
The tool has a variety of pricing plans based on the number of minutes of
audio transcribed. At the time this book was published, Otter offered 600 free
minutes of transcription a month, more than enough for most reporters.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 29

Figure 1.4 [Link] transcription of 2013 Barack Obama speech

The interface is simple once you log in to the desktop tool. There are
two buttons in the upper right corner of the interface: Record and Import.
Hit Record if you are recording it live; hit Import if you’re uploading a pre-
recorded audio file (it accepts several file types).
Otter’s machine learning recognizes different voices and will label them as
Speaker 1, 2, 3, etc., so it’s easy to transcribe a Q&A format interview. Once
the recording is done, you have to select Transcribe, wait a few minutes (sec-
onds if the interview is short) and your transcription will appear.
For a pre-recorded interview, just hit the Import button and upload it. In
the example below, I uploaded a speech President Barack Obama delivered on
gun control at Hyde Park High School in Chicago in 2013 (Figure 1.4). The
transcription was nearly flawless, even with name spellings. It even picked up
Obama’s habit of saying “um” as he transitions to new topics.
Even with a good transcription tool, a reporter and editor must go over
the text closely and edit for mistakes. Many transcription tools struggle with
accents, or confuse words such as to, two and too, as well as their, there and
they’re. The AI/machine learning have helped since the early days of apps like
Dragon Dictation, but mistakes still slip through. Take the time to edit care-
fully and save yourself trouble down the road.
***
30 Reporting, Writing and Editing

Videos: How to Use Transcription Tools

Learn how to use free and paid tools to transcribe audio interviews.
Descript: [Link]/watch?v=JF_fEz0EcJk
[Link] and Google Docs Voice Typing: [Link]/watch?v=
51Qexcb3dA8

***

Other Transcription Tools

There are many Otter competitors on the market. Zoom can transcribe inter-
views recorded over the computer and phone app with great accuracy.
Descript, a multipurpose video and audio editing tool, offers a strong audio
transcription tool . . . with a twist. With Descript, you can embed your tran-
scription into a story by an audio player with it. So readers can play the audio
and read through the transcription at the same time, similar to what National
Public Radio does with its in-house audio tools on its website.
Veteran business reporter Becky Yerak uses Voice Typing in Google Docs
when covering court hearings. She found it particularly helpful during a five-
week Boy Scouts bankruptcy hearing in early 2022. She used Voice Typing on
her desktop and laptop at home.
To use it, she typed in “[Link]” to her browser window, which imme-
diately opened a new Google Doc. Reporters find this useful when they need
to open a document quickly to take notes on an interview. The shortcut saves
time.
Once she opened the document, she went to the tools menu (Figure 1.5)
and selected “Voice typing” in the pulldown menu. That activates a micro-
phone icon to the left of the screen that reads “Click to speak.”
Voice Typing’s range is under six feet, so when Yerak hit the button to start,
she had to repeat what the subject was saying.
“I basically repeated in a loud clear voice what different participants, includ-
ing the judge and various lawyers and witnesses, were saying,” she said. “It
helps if and when the people speaking don’t speak too rapidly. If you’re using
it, you must repeat their words loudly and clearly to ensure the Google Voice
Typing feature picks them up.”
The accuracy, and the cleanup required, depends on the pace of the peo-
ple speaking, Yerak said, and how clearly you speak their words into your
computer.
“You really need to watch what is being typed when you speak so you can
jump in and fix any big errors or omissions in key parts of the hearing,” she
said. “Also, occasionally, the typing occasionally stops, so you need to reacti-
vate it. Overall, there is quite a bit of cleanup but I tend to repeat a lot of what
was said.”
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 31

Figure 1.5 Google Voice Typing

She said the tool saved her many hours of work while covering the mara-
thon hearing.
***

Editing Your Work and Writing Headlines

Copy editors and web producers are typically tasked with editing and writing
headlines for stories once the reporter files it. They also add keywords, meta-
data and other behind-the-scenes coding to make stories searchable. But with
shrinking newsroom budgets, many reporters must write their own headlines
and self-edit much of their work.
If you are editing your own story, it’s best to step away from it for a min-
ute, clear your head and then start the editing process. Begin by just reading
the story start to finish, without editing anything. Read it as the reader would
see it for the first time. Then make your editing pass, fixing grammar, AP
Style, punctuation, usage, spelling, etc. Make a second pass through for fact-
checking names, data and hotlinks. Run grammar and spellcheck. Write the
headline last, though some editors sometimes start headlines after their first
reading pass. It’s up to you.
For longer, non-deadline stories, some reporters and editors will print out
a story and edit it by hand. This obviously isn’t a good process for every story,
but it can be an effective approach for in-depth stories that need extra care.
Backlit screens often make eyes lazy, and editors can catch mistakes on paper
that they would mess up when editing on a screen.
There are many free tools on the market to help with editing and head-
line writing. For example, Thsrs: The Shorter Thesaurus ([Link].
com/thsrs) lets you type in a word such as “terminate” and it will give you
32 Reporting, Writing and Editing

Figure 1.6 Search result for shorter synonyms for terminate using [Link]

synonyms, but only words that are shorter than the word you just typed in. In
this case, words such as “stop” and “cease” appear underneath the search field.
This tool is valuable for reporters stuck with writer’s block or for copy edi-
tors writing short, one-column headlines for print (need a shorter word for
“purchase” to make that headline fit? Try “buy.”) It’s also useful for digital
editors writing search engine optimized headlines – Google and other search
engines like short headlines – and for writing short titles on infographics,
charts and maps.

Headline Hero ([Link]) is another free headline-writing tool for

editors. Its simple interface lets you paste story copy and settings (length,
keywords to include, type of headline, etc.) and it will generate some good
headline options for you. I don’t use this AI-driven tool all of the time, but
it’s an excellent option if you’re stuck.
Lose the Very ([Link]/#) is a great tool for editors to share
with new reporters that love to use “very” as an adjective or adverb in their
writing. Have them type the term into the interface and see what they get
in return.

AI tools: Editors are slowly beginning to use tools like ChatGPT for editing.
You must fact-check any AI-generated content for plagiarism, falsehoods, out-
dated information and biased or made-up information. Think of AI as making
suggestions: You can accept or reject them the same way you would grammar
check or spell check. Remember, AI should work for you, not vice versa. For
example, use ChatGPT to take a confusing paragraph and prompt it to “please
clarify this text.” The response sometimes clears up the author’s intended
meaning. There are more AI exercises in Chapters 9, 10 and 11.
Here are some more turnkey editing and reporting tools and techniques
you can implement into your workflow immediately:
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 33

[Link] and [Link]

Need a new Google Sheet and don’t have time to hit the New button in
Google Drive? Just type “[Link]” into the browser field and a new
sheet will open. This also works for [Link] for Google Docs and Draw-
[Link] for Google Drawing.
QuillBot: [Link]
An AI-driven editing tool that paraphrases writing.
Travel Time Map: [Link]
Estimates travel time by driving, walking, public transport, etc. Good for con-
firming timelines in investigative or crime stories.
VisualPing: [Link]
Track website updates. Enter a URL and it sends you an update when a
website has been updated. It gives you five free searches per month, then
switches to a tiered subscription model. [Link] is another tool that
tracks website updates. Training video on VisualPing: [Link]/
watch?v=EYnSXaMr8B8

Find more editing tools in this book’s Fact-Checking chapter addendum.

Chapter 1 Transcript: Headline Hero and Editing Tools

Everyone, welcome to another training. My name is Mike Reilley, the founder
of [Link]. This is a resource website with all kinds of differ-
ent AI tools in it. Everything from creating videos and images to data tools,
ChatGPT, plug-ins, all kinds of fun things. One of the sections in here is AI
writing and editing tools. In there you will find writing tools at the top and a
little lower on the page, you’ll find the editing tools, and prompt-writing tools
as well.
The editing tools are down here, and this is what we’re going to talk about
today. We’re going to work with some of the tools off of this webpage. So if
you go to [Link], “journalists” plural, you’ll come to this page,
and just select a writing and editing tool. And you will have all the resources
you will ever need for writing and editing for the web.
Here’s our handout for today. You might want to hit the pause button to
open this up: [Link]/ai editing tools. I’ve selected a handful of the tools right
here as well as the journals toolbox AI tools. If you want to hit pause here and
open up this document and then open up all these tools so you have every-
thing open and can use them all right, welcome back. You should now have
all these editing tools open. These are free tools. Some of them are freemium
accounts that have paid upgrades that we’ll look into in a minute. But most of
them are free tools that anybody can use on the web.
I’m going to give you a couple of exercises with these, and these are the sto-
ries I’ve got pasted below here. You also can use your own stories as well. So it
really doesn’t matter, but if you want to follow along, the first tool we’re going
34 Reporting, Writing and Editing

to work with is called Headline Hero. And I like this tool; it’s very simple to
use. You can paste your story in here. It is a little limited on the length of the
story you can fit in there. I’ve gotten a few hundred words in there.
It’s good for breaking news stories, and especially if you’re stuck on writing
a headline. It’s really good for SEO-driven headlines, if you keep the length
of the headline a little shorter up here. It’ll work a little better for print head-
lines if you take the maximum characters, you know, down to 30 to 60. You
know, you’re probably going to get a better print headline than you would if
you’re up pretty high here. This would be a very high-end SEO headline, very
long SEO headline. I’ve tried to keep my SEO headlines between, you know,
70 and maybe 85. Right in there, 70 to 90. You can select what words you
want to make sure that appear in the headline. You also can exclude words.
You can do it in the form of a question or a quote. I’m not big on that, but
especially with news stories. I don’t like gimmicky headlines, especially with
­straightforward news. But I can paste my story in here and select a couple of
keywords that I want included in the headline, typically proper nouns that
appear in the story. So here’s a practice story, and you can do this with one of
your own as well.
I’ve got this this little short story a student has been working on about the
Chicago Transit Authority, ridership on the buses and the El trains has been
waning since the start of the pandemic and continues to.
So I’ve just pasted that story in here. And I can go through, and I want
to have two words appear here: CTA, which is our abbreviation for Chicago
Transit Authority, and then also ridership. I’ll make sure those two appear, and
I could do other things too. I could include pandemic or COVID-19. And
here I can have it generate however many headlines you want if you just want
three or four or five as a maximum. So I’ve got the story in, I’m gonna give it
between 70 and 90 characters, a little shorter headline. Good SEO range, so
Google and other search engines don’t cut off the headline right in the middle.
Now hit generate.
And with any AI tool, consider this a suggestion. Don’t let it write the
headlines for you. But if you’re stuck, and you really need a little help and
need to think through it a bit. You can go through and do this exercise and
it’ll help you. Let’s see how they did here. They gave us five of them here. It’s
a nice little copy button here, and you just copy and paste out of it gives you
the character length went a little high with a little on the high end of our range
here, would like to have seen it give me something a little shorter, but I can
always take some words out.
This one here is pretty good: CTA’s post-pandemic struggles with ridership
and safety concerns continue to persist. As you read through the story, it’s got
quite a few of those issues in the story, which is pretty good one; this one’s
I think is a little off-base long-term impact. So you vet these and edit them
into what you want. You know you could still do some rewriting with it with
the headlines; you don’t have to take you know what did you put it gives you
but I would probably take this one and maybe tighten it just a little more.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 35

It’s going to continue to persist: I might tighten it up to just persist. It safety

concerns persist.
But again, if you’re stuck on a headline, Headline Hero is a very user-friendly,
quick tool that you can take and use to generate some ideas for headlines,
and that’s how I always treat my AI tools. I consider them suggestions –
a little tap on the shoulder, rather than something that is going to just take
a cut and paste in somewhere. I don’t know if I would do that with any tool
I use online, let alone an AI-driven tool. So, Headline Hero to IO, use this
very, very helpful tool.
Another good one is Hemingway – Hemingway [Link]. It was on your
list named after one of my favorite authors too, which I love about it. This
one goes through and analyzes your writing. I’ve had good and bad luck with
this. You know it’s hit and miss anytime you have an analysis of your writing
or anything. But it has flagged a few things, and I use it as a copy editor when
I’m going through student stories. You’ll see if I missed anything. So if you
drop my headline in there, but I’ll go back and actually grab this story again
that we were working with earlier. And you can put your headline in there as
well. It’ll go through check that and it gives you less of a grammar check. It’ll
flag passive voice and things like that.
And anything in in this pink color here is eight of the 15 sentences are
very hard to read. Four or 15 are hard to read. So I went through here;
I thought it was a little wordy. Passive voice is flagged in green, which you
know, sometimes you can’t avoid it. But you know you could flip this one a
bit, you know officials ordered, you know, stay at home orders, things like
that. Adverbs – you know it’ll hit those; just flag them here, if you feel they
need to be abundantly evident. I would take out, you know, this is a little
opinion that the student put at the end of the strike on the back like cutting
this sentence out of the story. But if you need a little more help in here, and
I agree with some of the pink here that they flag as being too wordy. I can
go back and tighten it up a little bit more. Sometimes I do it at the very
beginning of editing just to give it a little quick analysis and see if I need to
go in and do anything specific right from the very start. But again, you know,
I kind of take it with a grain of salt.
Some of the suggestions I think are really good here. Some are just ridicu-
lous. You know, they say, you know, this 15-word sentence is hard to read. No,
yeah, no, it’s not. Or it flags anything with an independent clause, things like
that and somebody else sometimes you need those in your writing. So keep
Hemingway in mind – it can be really good for flagging certain issues in your
in your writing, or others’ writing.
QuillBot is a paraphrasing tool, and the free version of it kind of limits
how much sample text you can paste in here. Just gives you a few hundred
words at a time, but it does have a pro version to it that you can upgrade to
the premium version. So the basic versions over here, you get up to 1200,
words which isn’t bad, but premium, you know, which you know has a money-
back guarantee on it, which is nice too, will let you do up to 6000 words. So
36 Reporting, Writing and Editing

if you’re working with academic prose or maybe investigative stories, things

like that, it has a plagiarism checker in it too, which is really nice that you can
upgrade to the paid version and the prices do vary. You know, you can find
them on sale, things like that.
You know, look for a little key code or something that might give you a
price break. So on our exercise sheet here, I’ve got a second article we’ll lower
on page two that you can grab here, and this is just you from an academic jour-
nal of a piece of windy writing here that we can take and we can have QuillBot
go through very quickly here, and do a little paraphrase analysis here. It kind
of tightened it up a little bit. Now, notice it cuts it off right here because it’s
only given the first few words; what you do is go back and do each paragraph
separately. So take a little bit longer; it just doesn’t do large blocks of text. And
it goes through and offers some things, you know, some rephrase synonyms if
you hover over a word, you can get a synonym for it, which is really nice. And
you can go through and change the settings here to get more if you want. And
that’s a nice little feature, being able to, you know, go through and do that
quick at it and tighten things up a bit with it.
It’s hidden this for journalistic writing. It doesn’t write or paraphrase, as
we’re journalists. It doesn’t more for just kind of a general writing audience.
But I’ve when I’ve been stuck on something . . . I just finished writing a
book and now there are a couple paragraphs that I wrote, like, oh my god,
you know, I was trying to rewrite them. I dropped them into here and just
took a quick look at them and it’s like, okay, maybe I’ll take half of this and
half of this and merge it together. So it’s again, think of it as a suggestion so
you can go and drop, drop a copy in here. I learned several languages, you
know, French, Spanish, German. There are several others listed under the
pulldown menu here, which is nice; you know, with an international audi-
ence, you want to be able to work in several different languages. Again, AI-
driven tools, some good stuff. Here’s a tool that’s not AI driven: THSRS.
com. The shorter thesaurus, this one’s been around forever. This is a database
where I can type in a word and it gives me synonyms back, but only synonyms
that are shorter than the word that I typed in. So if I typed in “terminate,”
it’ll give me words like “end.” If I type in “purchase,” it’ll give me words like
“buy.”
So if you’re writing headlines, and you need a shorter word, especially for
a print headline, when you really need to keep your headline tight and a tight
word count, THSRS is very helpful. I’ve used it for more than a decade; fan-
tastic tool and free to use again, if you’re doing a lot of editing and headline
writing.
Another one that’s database-driven is [Link]. If you work with
a lot of young writers like I do, a lot of them like to use their adjectives and
adverbs. As we saw earlier, in the Hemingway Editor app, there were flagged
adjectives and adverbs. So I always give the students this tool and flag it in
their writing. So if they use your term like very smart, I just mark it on their
paper, go in and in the footnotes go in and say, go into Lose the Very and type
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 37

in “very smart.” Notice it’s got a lot of ads on here. Now they’ve added they
have to pay the bills. It’s a free tool.
And I can hit this refresh button and again it gives me synonyms for what
they should have typed, probably instead of “very smart.” It also has a make
a suggestion feature; it’s crowdsource, so you can make suggestions on addi-
tional terms that might work here, and they do those before they put them in
here. So loose; another really good editing tool. And again, it’s not an AI tool,
but I wanted to include it in here anyway. So just as a little reminder, Journal-
[Link]: go to this site. It’s got a lot of really helpful resources for you,
and you have taken all these tools here that I’ve given you and work them into
your editing workflow. You’ll find them to be very useful and make you more
efficient. That’s it. Thanks so much.
***

Headline Writing
People tend to read several headlines, but they read only stories that capture
their interest. While everyone is interested in different things, a good headline
will pull a reader into a story, or will summarize a story to the extent that the
reader is satisfied and moves along.
A headline writer’s job is to describe in a few choice words what the story
is all about. The most important requirement of headlines is that they be
accurate.
This is particularly important with search engine-optimized (SEO) head-
lines for digital news stories. Readers give precious little time to online read-
ing, so an accurate headline that summarizes the story can mean the difference
between the reader moving on or clicking on the story and reading it. SEO-
driven headlines also appeal to search engines and help their ranking, and they
make it easier for readers to capture the gist of a story when scrolling through
social media feeds.
Reporters and editors should re-read the article, identify the underlying
theme and focus on the most recent development – get the news in the headline
and give the story a sense of immediacy. Make sure to give the casual reader an
impression of the entire story, and that the headline can stand on its own.
Here are some do’s and don’ts of writing good SEO headlines:

Do

• Summarize the story accurately

• Write in present tense and subject-verb-object structure (who-did-what).
Exception: Past tense on arrest stories: Chicago Man Arrested in Ponzi
Scheme.
• Keep headlines at 8–10 words (around 75 characters) maximum and con-
tain keywords (proper nouns) from the story. Think of what the reader
38 Reporting, Writing and Editing

might search for when looking for the story. Those keywords also can be
used in the metadata
• Proofread the headline before publishing. Many typos are found in rushed
headlines
• Use shorter words: tie, link, end, etc. Use [Link] for this
• Use numerals; do not spell out numbers. Examples: 3 Gunmen Rob Local
Bank | City Faces 4% Budget Decrease.
• Use single quote marks around titles and quotes in headlines. Example: ‘An
Act of War’

Don’t

• Use puns and metaphors. Search engines are literal, so a snappy print head-
line with a pun won’t translate to digital. Search engines need specifics:
A search for Bears can produce stories about polar bears, grizzly bears or
the Chicago Bears.
• Write the headline as a title or label. Better: who did what?
• Be clever or witty with a sensitive story.
• Editorialize or misrepresent the story through a “click-bait” headline

Upstyle and Downstyle Headlines

Downstyle headlines capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in a headline:

• Food banks can’t meet demand

• Fraud scandal shakes real estate industry
• Layoffs not part of Microsoft’s plan

Upstyle headlines capitalize the first letter in each word except for preposi-
tions, articles, conjunctions or words like iPhone:

• Battered Stores Pare Forecasts

• Plan to Cut Foreclosure Rate Clears
• A Man’s Home Is His Versailles
• Apple Announces New iPod Launch

Google Trends ([Link]) also is a useful tool for generating SEO-

friendly headlines. You’ll learn how to use that tool in Chapter 2.
***

Exercises

Exercise 1: Headline Writing

Using subject-verb-object structure and what we learned about headline

writing, write the headlines for three stories in this PDF ([Link]
seoheadlines7).
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 39

You’re writing for online, so SEO matters. Spelling, grammar, accuracy and
taste count, too. Use the guidelines presented earlier in this chapter to write
the headlines. Try out [Link] or [Link] for help.

Story 1 headline:
Story 2 headline:
Story 3 headline:
***

Exercise 2: Thsrs

Use Thsrs: The Shorter Thesaurus ([Link] to find shorter syno-

nyms for these words: Terminate, purchase, anticipate, massive. Would these
shorter words come in handy when writing a tight headline for print or online?
Once you’ve practiced with it, use it for some headlines you’re writing for
stories.
***

Exercise 3: Check AP Style in a Story

I’ve edited several AP Stylebook errors into the three paragraphs of copy
below. You can use [Link] or ChatGPT to fix the AP Style by using this
prompt. You also can try it out with your own stories.
Prompt and Copy. Edit the following text for AP Style and spelling:

Five Cook County employees defrauded the federal COVID-19 relief

program of more than two-hundred and forty thousand dollars, falsely
claiming they owned companies that struggled during the pandemic, the
county inspector general’s office said in a report Friday.
Over the past year, twenty other county workers also were suspected
of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program, accoring to
interum Inspector General Steven Cyranoski. They include three high-
ranking county officials, including one in the county’s human resources
office, a payroll supervisor in the comptroller’s office & a director in the
health department, according to Cyranoski.
In five quarterly reports since July 2022, Cyranoski said he & his
investigators found county workers were suspected of stealing more than
seven hundred thousand dollars in PPP money.
***

Exercise 4: Let’s Search for Some Public Records

Use Candid, the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer or Charity Watch to search

for Form 990 documents on nonprofits revenues. Let’s start with the National
Rifle Association and answer these questions:
40 Reporting, Writing and Editing

1. In the most recent year, what were the NRA’s revenues and expenditures?
2. How much did the NRA’s CEO make?
3. Look back through Form 990s from years past and you’ll see some familiar
names: Oliver North and rock star Ted Nugent. How much did they earn
serving on the board? How many hours did they put in for the week?

Candid 990 Finder: [Link]

990-finder
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: [Link]
CharityWatch: Rankings and lists of highest-paid executives. [Link]
[Link]

If you need help, this training video walks you through how to use these
tools using some different examples: [Link] (Start at the
11-minute mark)
***

Exercise 5: Violation Tracker

The Violation Tracker is the first wide-ranging database on corporate mis-

conduct. Produced by the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First, it
covers banking, consumer protection, false claims, environmental, wage and
hour, safety, discrimination, price-fixing and other cases resolved by federal
regulatory agencies and parts of the Justice Department.
For this exercise:

1. Go to the Violation Tracker ([Link]/violation-tracker) and

click on Advanced Search in the far lower-right corner of the home page.
2. This will give you a page full of drop-down menus. Use the pulldown menu
labeled State/Local Agency on the right side and select the Environmental
Protection Agency for your state.
3. Click down through the results to find specific fines and penalties for
­companies in your state. Which company has been fined the most times?
The most money? You can click down through the text links and find details
on the fines, settlements and lawsuits. How could you turn this into a story?.

You can total the fines in your state or city over a period of years and compare
them to other cities and states.
If you need help, this training video walks you through how to use Viola-
tion Tracker: [Link]
***

Exercise 6: Train ChatGPT to Understand Your Reporting and Editing Needs

Use these prompts to improve your writing and reporting. The results may
not be perfect – just as a web search as imperfect – so be selective in what
results you use.
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 41

Writing style:
Analyze the text below for style, voice and tone. Create a prompt to write a
new paragraph in the same style, voice and tone:

Editing your work:

Edit the following text. It’s for my [newsletter/paragraph/essay]. [paste text]
Memorization:
What are the most important facts, dates or formulas related to [topic]? Help
me create a memorization technique to remember them easily.
Learn from a mistake:
I made a mistake while practicing [skill]. Can you explain what went wrong
and how I can avoid making the same mistake in the future?
Simplify complex information:
Break down the [topic] into smaller, easier-to-understand parts. Use analogies
and real-life examples to simplify the concept and make it more relatable.
Funny way to simplify:
Rewrite the [text] as if I was a 10-year-old.
Summarize into bullet points:
Summarize this article into a bulleted list of the most important information
[paste article].
Change writing style:
Change the writing style of the text below to [tone] [paste text] Use case: Eas-
ily make an informative paragraph humorous and easier to read.
Brainstorming:
Brainstorm 20 trending ideas for a Twitter thread on recent breaking AI news
(or another topic)
***

Footnotes

AAJA Studio – AAPI Sources: [Link]

CamelCamelCamel: [Link]
Candid 990 Finder: [Link]
Census Explorer: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Chris Graves Bios of Key Players: [Link]
PX1WcbZCr4PDAZAayYKuk7pZ5m19uyTadP34/edit
Chris Graves High-Level Reporting Timeline: [Link]
d/1qOhYJD-T5YMJhTji8kXFprXf0BrBdY57VVMA7iplJ8M/edit
Chris Graves on How to Prepare for Courtroom Coverage: [Link]
Cincinnati Enquirer: Pike County – Death in the Foothills, Chris Graves: [Link].
com/story/news/2016/10/15/pike-county-death-foothills/91496698
Cincinnati Enquirer: Seven Days of Heroin: [Link]/pages/interactives/
seven-days-of-heroin-epidemic-cincinnati
City of Chicago Data Portal: [Link]
Connects Journalists with Experts from Top Universities.
42 Reporting, Writing and Editing

Coursera Expert Network: [Link]

[Link]: [Link]
Data [Link]: [Link]
Descript: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Diversity Tools and Experts: [Link]/category/diversity-issues
Document Cloud: [Link]/home
Exercise 1 SEO Headlines: [Link]
ExpertFile: [Link]
Expert Source Databases: [Link]/category/expert-sources
Expertise Finder: [Link]
FiveThirtyEight Data Lab Blog: [Link]
General Data Prediction Regulation: [Link]
Google Dataset Search: [Link]
Google Scholar: [Link]
Google Shopping: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]/[Link]
Headline Hero: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
InterviewHer: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox: Business: [Link]/category/business-resources
Journalist’s Toolbox: Crime: [Link]/category/crime
Journalist’s Toolbox: Digital Security Page: [Link]/category/
digital-security-and-privacy
Journalist’s Toolbox: Environment: [Link]/category/environment
Journalist’s Toolbox: Legal: [Link]/category/legal-resources
Journalist’s Toolbox: Medical/Health: [Link]/category/medicalhealth-
index
Journalist’s Toolbox: Public Records Page: [Link]/category/
public-records
Journalist’s Toolbox: Public Safety: [Link]/category/public-safety
Journalist’s Toolbox: Science: [Link]/category/science-resources
Journalist’s Toolbox: State/Local Government: [Link]/category/
statelocal-government
[Link]: [Link]
Lose the Very: [Link]/#
Nine Common Mistakes When Writing for the Web, Paul Bradshaw: https://
[Link]/2012/02/28/8-common-mistakes-when-writing-for-
the-web-and-what-to-do-about-them
NPR Diverse Sources Database: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
 Reporting, Writing and Editing 43

[Link]: [Link]
Our World in Data: [Link]
People of Color Also Know Stuff: [Link]
Politico: My Journey Down the Rabbit Hole of My Favorite App: [Link].
com/news/2022/02/16/my-journey-down-the-rabbit-hole-of-every-journalists-
favorite-app-00009216
ProPublica Data Store: [Link]
ProPublica NonProfit Explorer: [Link]
QuillBot: [Link]
SciLine: [Link]
SEC EDGAR Database: [Link]/edgar/searchedgar/[Link]
Sources of Color: [Link]
Student Press Law Center Letter Generator: [Link]
Thsrs: The Shorter Thesaurus: [Link]
Travel Time Map: [Link]
US Data Portals: [Link]
[Link]
USA Facts: [Link]
Video: Descript: [Link]/watch?v=JF_fEz0EcJk
Video: Expert Databases: [Link]/watch?v=Tbq90HOz0R4
Video: How to Find Diverse Sources: [Link]/watch?v=18KrDA__0HY
Video: How to Use the Violation Tracker: [Link]
Video: Journalist’s Toolbox Copy Editing Tools: [Link]/watch?v=y7
AkU-7xaDU&t=500s
Video: [Link] and Google Docs: [Link]/watch?v=51Qexcb3dA8
Violation Tracker: [Link]/violation-tracker
VisualPing: [Link]
Wall Street Journal: Boy Scouts Bankruptcy Hearing, Becky Yerak: [Link]/
articles/boy-scouts-victims-committee-witness-casts-doubt-on-significant-portion-
of-claims-11648599675
Washington Post Instagram: [Link]/p/Cr6Wzrpv-PR/?igshid=NTc4M
TIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
Women’s Media Center SheSource: [Link]
World Bank: Projects by Country: [Link]
operations/project-country?lang=en&page=
2 Searching the Web and Using
AI in Research

Key Resource Pages

Beyond the basic search tools, here are some key resources we’ll explore in
this chapter:

EUR-lex: [Link]
European Union case law
Google Advanced Search Operators: [Link]
d/1ydVaJJeL1EYbWtlfj9TPfBTE5IBADkQfZrQaBZxqXGs/edit
Google Trends: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox AI Search Tools: [Link]
search
[Link]: [Link]
Public Access to Court Electronic Records: [Link]
US government’s portal for federal court records. Federal court is different
from city, state, appellate and other court systems.
The Wayback Machine: [Link]
***
Editor’s note: With the influx of AI-driven search tools being developed in
2023, some of the tools covered in this chapter may appear different from how
they do in the book. Also, reverse image search tools can be found in Chap-
ter 3’s fact-checking exercises, and ChatGPT and Google Bard search exercises
are in Chapter 11.
***

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-3
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 45

CEO Sundar Pichai stepped on the stage at the Google I/O 2023 con-
ference in May and everything we knew about Google search started to
change. One by one, Pichai introduced heads of various departments from
the tech giant, which had been struggling to keep up with AI tools from
other companies.
But May 10, 2023, changed all that. Google moved several new search
features and add-ons to its current products that present many new options to
its long-reliable search algorithm.
Unlike Google’s stark-white results page with 10 blue links, its genera-
tive AI results appear in colorful boxes above the normal search results.
Google scrapes information from all over the web and presents it in a
simple list, putting ChatGPT-style generative AI results front and center
in the results page.
The changes weren’t just to Google search. The company also announced:

• Maps with Immersive View for Routes, Magic Editor for Photos, and inter-
active ChatGPT-type dialogue in Google Search
• Google Bard, the company’s answer to ChatGPT, integrated with Adobe
Firefly to allow text-to-image capabilities in Bard.
• Google Sheets, which offers a “Help Me Organize” feature on the right side
of the sheet that helps you build tables right into a template. For instance,
you can author a prompt telling it to build a table for tracking automobile

Figure 2.1 Google generative AI results. Note the prompts at the bottom that offer
more detailed search
46 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

thefts in Munich, Germany, and you’ll get a table header built with columns
in which to flow data. As with an AI-generated template, you’ll want to edit
it to your specific needs. This can be helpful not just for data reporters but
for invoicing, budgeting, etc., for freelancers.

While AI offers new opportunities for journalistic research, it also opens a

Pandora’s box of potential issues. This chapter focuses on how to search the
Internet to find valid information, sources and data for news stories. While
much of it explores new AI features in Google, Bing and other tools, it also
offers guidance on searching the deep web, how to track searches, how to
search social media and how to hack a website address to find archived infor-
mation in databases.

Changes in the Works with Google Search

Google slowly rolled out its “AI overhaul” through its Search Labs site over
a period of weeks in the summer of 2023. With some searches, Google will
show a snapshot of an AI-driven chatbot response at the top of the results,
suggest prompts for follow-up questions and provide more links at the top
with the typical search results underneath. Clicking on the prompts opens a
conversational module right in the search page. This helps with searches that
don’t always have a clear answer, so AI can help tailor the search more.
Borrowing a page from TikTok, Google added a “Perspectives” filter at the
top of the search page displaying user-generated content such as long- and

Figure 2.2 Traditional Google search result, without generative AI

 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 47

short-form videos, posts from social media sites and discussion boards. Infor-
mation about the creators and the popularity of the post appear at the top,
which is helpful for fact-checking.
***

Search Tools
Tips and tricks for using Google search operators and other search
shortcuts.
[Link]/watch?v=vcprR-KL3vo

***

Google Search Operators

Even with generative AI, journalists still use search operators to expedite their
search queries.
Samantha Sunne, a freelance investigative data journalist and co-author of
the textbook “Data + Journalism,” uses Google search operators to search
more efficiently. She often uses filters such as “site:” to better perform searches
for specific phrases or specific files buried deep within a specific site.
“The general rule, when searching for a person, a story, or just about any-
thing, is to start specific and work your way out from there,” Sunne said.
“There are many times when I think, ‘There is no way this website is going to
have exactly what I’m looking for.’ But I type in the exact term, usually using
quotes to denote an exact phrase and see what comes up.
“Every once in a while, it will work. More often, I will need to cut out a
word or search for a more umbrella term, and then skim or read whatever
comes up.”
Search operators help expedite that process. Dan Russell, formerly a senior
research scientist at Google, has compiled a list of dozens of search operators
to help you find the information you want.
48 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

Filetype: This operator helps you search the web for a specific type of file:.
doc,. xlsx,. ppt,. pdf. Type this into a Google search field and see the results:

Filetype:xlsx Sydney Australia positive COVID-19 cases

The Sydney and New South Wales government health data pages typically
show up on the first page of search results, along with a page of Sydney
COVID-19 data from Our World in Data.
Site: Search with a specific website for information on sublevel pages. This
is particularly helpful with government websites – and some media websites –
that have poor search engines built in. Use Google to work around it by typ-
ing this into the Google search field:

Site:[Link] SARS
The result is a deep list of SARS-related pages useful to journalists: About
page, fact sheet, FAQ, historical timeline, etc. (Figure 2.3).
There are many other useful search operators that Russell and others
recommend:

Site:[Link]. YouTube has a good search engine, of course, because

Google owns it. But if you’re not getting the results you want, try Google.

Figure 2.3 Site operator search for SARS on [Link]

 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 49

com. Type in Site:youtube and whatever topic you’re searching. Try video.
[Link] to search several platforms for video, including many news sites.
Site minus site. A search like: [site:[Link] -site:[Link]] will give you
sites in [Link] that do NOT begin with WWW. That’s handy for find-
ing subdomains within a particular site, which you can then use “site:” to
search.
Stars in site search. A search like [site:*.law.*.edu] will find all of the. EDU
sites with “.law” in the domain name. Also try: [site:*.[Link]] will match all
of the [Link] sites with a subdomain. Also, [site:*.nasa.* inurl:education]
gives lots of good clues about education sites at NASA.
Quotation marks. Using quotation marks in your search terms lets you search
specifically for those words. It means all of your results will have your search
terms in them. Example: “BLS unemployment data New York.”
Hyphens. If you want to exclude a term from your search, include a hyphen
before the word. Example: If you’re looking for information on dolphins
and don’t want to include the Miami Dolphins, try dolphins -football or
dolphins -miami
Tilde (~). Use the tilde when you also want its synonyms to appear in the
result. Example: Music ~classes will search for music classes, lessons, coach-
ing, etc.
Vertical bar (|). This query will search websites that have any one/two/all of
the search terms. Example: Biden | economy | stock market
Two periods (..). Use this when you want to search within a range of two
numbers. Example: DSLR camera prices $500.. $900
AROUND. Search expert Henk van Ess teaches this operator in his Google
sessions. AROUND (be sure to use all caps so Google doesn’t include it
in the actual search) lets you search for two terms within a range of words
from each other. For example, “gdp” AROUND(20) “Ireland” gives you
all results about Ireland’s GDP when the two words are within 20 words
of one another. With changes to Google’s search algorithm in the last few
years, this operator has become much more popular.
@twitter keywords. Just type @twitter and a few keywords after it to search
tweets for a specific topic. You can include locations, too, to help with cov-
erage of local breaking news.

Example: Search @twitter F1 race Monte Carlo in Google and it gives you
accounts and tweets from the famous auto race. In my results, it listed
the official race and F1 twitter accounts first, followed by links to vari-
ous tweets. I’ve had mixed results using this search operator, but it has
produced some worthwhile searches. It’s worth a try on a breaking story.
Sunne often uses search operators when setting up news alerts. She sets up new
Google searches via Google Alerts, or other more specific tools like Google
Scholar or web-update monitors like Visualping or [Link].
A Google Alerts search would be something like: site:[Link] investigative
(“new orleans” OR “orleans parish”)
50 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

The search pings Sunne when the Louisiana Legislative Auditor (with the
website [Link]) posts a new investigative audit that mentioned either
the city of New Orleans or its surrounding county. Google Alerts aren’t instan-
taneous – they arrive only within a day or so of a new Google result for that
search. But it is still a good way to use filters to stay on top of specific files,
agencies or news topics.
Sunne also uses some paid “people searcher” sites that are powerful, but
can also be costly. LexisNexis is one example. In recent years she has been
using a combination of free sites, which you can find on Google, and TLO, a
paid “people searcher.”

Google Advanced Search

If you aren’t comfortable using search operators, you also can use Google’s
Advanced Search form. It’s a bit hard to find: Click on the settings link in
the lower right corner of [Link] and select Advanced Search from the
pulldown menu.
A form will appear (Figure 2.4) that you can fill out to accomplish many
of the search operator functions without having to type in the operator itself.
Simply put the words into the form for site:, filetype or, in the example in
­Figure 2.4, a search for jaguar speed without a car. The search results should
give you the speed for jaguar cats and not for the automobile.
You also can use the “Any of these words” field to enter specific terms in
quote marks. For instance, if you’re researching an earthquake in Mexico City,
type: “earthquake” “sismo” “mexico city” “CDMX” into the field.
For reporters, advanced search can be a quick way to narrow down searches
by region, language, number/price ranges, etc. For many, the search opera-
tors are a first option, but the Advanced Search form makes for a nice backup,
especially if you can’t remember the search operators.

Other Search Options

While Google is a valuable search tool for data journalists, there are other use-
ful tools for searching the Internet for datasets, including:

• Bing, Microsoft’s search engine that has incorporated ChatGPT

• Yahoo!
• Microsoft Academic, which searches academic journals, much like Google
Scholar.

Some journalists prefer Duck Duck Go or Startpage because they vow to pro-
tect your privacy by not tracking your search history. In China, which has
banned Google, the most popular search engine is Baidu; in Russia, it’s Yandex.
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 51

Figure 2.4 Google Advanced Search interface for jaguar speed – car

***

When Googling, you can use the site filter with only the domain, in
order to get any website on that domain. For example, “site:.gov” will
return only government websites, while “site:.edu” will return only edu-
cational institutions.
Give it a try: site:.edu racial profiling

***

Google’s Dataset Search Engine

In 2018, Google launched Dataset Search, which allows you to search millions
of datasets posted by academic researchers, nonprofit organizations, companies
and government agencies. Google’s reasoning: Datasets are easier to find when
they include clear and consistent supporting information, such as the data’s
52 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

description, source and file format. Those details can help journalists determine
whether a dataset is worth downloading, thus saving hours of research time.
As you type keywords into the Dataset Search box, Google suggests pos-
sible datasets. Moreover, you can filter the research results by when the data
was posted, its format and whether you must pay to download the data. Just
use the filters tab at the top of the interface.
The tabs down the left side of the interface allow you to move to various
datasets. As you click each tab, the description of the dataset – provided by
the data’s producers – appears on the right side of the interface. This includes
the format, any special permissions (most are public record or available under
Creative Commons licenses) and detail the datasets methodology.
It’s important to note that Google doesn’t fact-check the datasets. It merely
guides you to the datasets and provides information about them so you can vet the
data yourself. It’s an incredibly efficient tool for finding clean datasets on deadline.
Journalists also can have their datasets listed in the search engine by com-
pleting the steps outlined on the tool’s developer page.
***

Tracking Search in Google Trends

Journalists use Google Trends ([Link]) to track what people are
searching for on Google and to test SEO keywords to see how they’re per-
forming. As of June 2023, there are 8.5 billion searches per day on Google,
and this database tracks them back to 2004.
The simple interface lets you compare multiple search topics at once and
see how they perform in a basic line chart, and, in some cases, maps. You can
look at search on a minute-by-minute basis, hourly, weekly, monthly, annually
or select a period of time you want to focus on (e.g. election year).
You can do worldwide search, by country, state/province and even larger
cities. This helps you drill down and see how a global search term is perform-
ing in your area, or vice versa. Let’s say you are covering a story that has gone
viral. You can load the search term in to see how it’s performing globally, or in
Pakistan, Mexico or Russia.
The pulldown menu to the right narrows your search. You can track web
searches, YouTube searches, Google Shopping, Google News and more.
Trends was particularly helpful at the start of the pandemic, when you
could track what people were searching for: Clorox wipes, toilet paper, surgi-
cal masks and other PPE. People also searched for symptoms.
Trends also is helpful for local and national elections. For example, let’s
answer the question: Who was searched more during the 2016 U.S. presiden-
tial election: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Follow these steps:

1. Open [Link] and type “Hillary Clinton” in the field at the top.
Make sure you spell it right; Trends doesn’t account for misspellings the
way Google search does.
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 53

2. A line chart will show on the screen. Type “Donald Trump” into the “Com-
pare” field next to Clinton’s name. Make sure on both names to select
“Search Term” from the pulldown menu. You also can select subtopics for
context (Clinton as secretary of state, for example).
3. In the pulldown underneath Clinton’s name, you’ll see it defaults to “United
States.” Click in the field and you can type a name or select a country, state,
province or city from the pulldown menus. Type in “Chicago.”
4. In the next pulldown menu, labeled “Past Day,” hit the menu arrow and
select “Custom Time Range” at the bottom. Hit the radio button that says
“Full year” and from the pulldown menu select 2016, the campaign year.
Your graphic should appear (Figure 2.5).
5. You can link to the page by copying the link in your browser field at the
top. If you want to embed it, click on the button labeled “< >” in the upper
right corner of the graphic to get JavaScript embed code. The page also will
give you other embeddable charts, maps and lists of search terms from that
topic and area.

Analyzing the Chart and Data

It’s easy to see in the chart that Trump dominated search during most of
the campaign. He said controversial things and stole headlines. But note that
Clinton surged ahead on a few dates:

Week of June 5: FBI email investigation heated up, according to a search of

her name in Google News.

Figure 2.5 Google Trends 2016 search results (Interactive chart)

54 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

Week of July 24: The Democratic National Convention.

Week of Sept. 11: Clinton passed out at the 9/11 memorial and it made
international headlines.

Be careful not to draw assumptions about those surges in traffic. I searched in

Google News thoroughly for those headlines and dates before using them in
a story or presentation.
You also may need to explain the Trends chart’s y-axis to readers in the
story, so they understand that the 0 to 100 represents a normalization, not the
actual traffic numbers. This explanation can be accessed on the “?” button in
the top left of the graphic. It reads:

Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the

chart for the given region and time. A value of 100 is the peak popularity
for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score
of 0 means there was not enough data for this term.

A word of caution: Don’t draw gross generalizations from Google Trends.

Just because candidates are being searched more than others doesn’t mean
they’re more popular or are going to win the election. They might be getting
searched for all the wrong reasons.
When attributing Google Trends results in a story, it’s best to use: “Accord-
ing to an analysis of Google search data.” It’s clear to the reader what you’re
doing with the data, as many readers don’t know what Trends is or does.
***

Google’s Simon Rogers writes an excellent free Google Trends

­e-newsletter that publishes on weekdays. Sign up here: [Link]
trendsemail. Follow @googletrends on Twitter to see what international
and national topics are trending, then decide if you want to localize
them for a story.
In December, Trends does a “Year in Review” that highlights the
top-searched topics by genre (news, sports, entertainment, most mis-
spelled, etc.) It’s an entertaining read and can be helpful for generating
end-of-the-year story ideas.

***
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 55

Using The Wayback Machine

For more than a quarter of a century, journalists have used The Internet
Archive Wayback Machine ([Link] to visit archived versions
of websites, including those that have been taken down. The site creates
an Internet library for researchers, historians, scholars and others, and it
collaborates with many institutions, including the Library of Congress and
the Smithsonian. (Fun fact: it’s named after Mr. Peabody’s WABAC – pro-
nounced “way-back” – machine from the old “Rocky and Bullwinkle” car-
toon show.)
ProPublica fact-checking guru Craig Silverman loves the “Changes”
tool on the Wayback Machine. The button appears in the top toolbar.
Put it to the test: Paste the link of the National Rifle Association’s About
page into the search field at the top of the page: [Link]
about-the-nra.
Then hit the “search archived websites” radio button, then the “Go” but-
ton. The “Changes” button at the top of the interface will give you calen-
dars going back several years, including a few dates with blue marks on them.
Those were dates that the page was updated. As you can see, the NRA about
page was updated twice in April 2023 and twice in February 2023. This is
helpful for seeing if an organization is changing or hiding something. Select
two captures and then click the “Compare” button at the top of the page to
see a side-by-side view of the captures.
The tool offers many other features, such as bulk archiving web addresses
using Google Sheets; verifying page elements; finding “lost sites” that closed
down years ago; search scholarly research; movies, software, music and more.
Similar to Google, the Wayback Machine also has an advanced search page
that contains a form you can fill out to tailor your search. It also has browser
extensions for most of the leading web browsers.

***

Google Trends
Track what people are searching in Google and create visualizations with
the data:
[Link]/watch?v=p5Se4WNt1Ng

***
56 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

Deep Web Resources

The “deep web” is a term for all of the data that is not indexed by search
engines – that is, not considered by Google and others as a potential search
result. It includes things like Facebook profiles, records in a searchable database
or the time and date of a YouTube video.
“As surprising as it may seem, the ‘deep web’ makes up most of the content
on the web,” Sunne wrote in her textbook, “Data + Journalism.”
These are a few examples of the “deep web” data sources around the world
that Sunne assembled for her book. As a journalist, you will probably need
to find more localized datasets, which you can find through interviews and
Internet searches of your own, or through digging deep with specific searches
in these portals. You also can mine local data out of larger datasets by using
pivot tables, sorting and filtering data in a Google Sheet or Excel.

Data Portals
[Link] The United States’ federal open data portal is a hub
for agencies and departments from different levels of
government.
[Link] Many countries and states have their own open data portals.
This one, from Japan, collects data from government
agencies as well as some nongovernmental groups.
UNdata The United Nations’ data hub can be filtered down by topic
and country.
Court Documents
PACER PACER is the U.S. government’s portal for federal court
records. Federal court is different from city, state, appel-
late and other court systems.
International Court The United Nations tries war crimes in this international
of Justice court, with records dating back to 1946.
EUR-Lex The Court of Justice of the European Union enforces laws
established by the European Union, and publishes court
records dating back to the 1970s.
Legislation
United Nations This is a non-comprehensive collection of international
Treaty Series treaties collected by the UN.
Library of Congress Federal U.S. legislation is tracked by this library, including
bill sponsors and amendments.
Financial Disclosures
U.S. Federal Election The FEC is the body responsible for tracking campaign
Commission (FEC) finance disclosures for federal political campaigns in the
United States.
U.S. Securities and The SEC tracks financial information filed by companies
Exchange that are being traded on the stock market, including their
Commission (SEC) revenue and value.
IMF Data The International Monetary Foundation’s portal includes
international economic sources like the Direction of
Trade Statistics.

***
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 57

Samantha Sunne suggests that when searching an online database,

you can sometimes get it to return all of the records by leaving the
search bar blank. You can also try entering wildcards like “*” and
“%%.” These tricks don’t work with every database, but they are
always worth trying.

***

How Sports Journalists Search

While sports journalists have many stats and facts provided for them by the
universities and pro teams they cover, many times they must dig much deeper
using search methods and public records.
ESPN national college football writer Adam Rittenberg has covered college
football for nearly two decades. He generates stories for the web, podcasts,
TV and other platforms. He files FOI requests to some of the schools to get
coaching contracts and other information about elite public university pro-
grams, despite the information being of public record. He filed several for a
deep-dive project ESPN did on head coach contracts.
“We wanted to get all of them from the major conference schools,” he said.
“I also have filed FOIs for personnel files on coaches. I haven’t done many
extensive court record searches, but have used some of the individual district
and state websites to obtain legal documents or filings.”
Rittenberg also uses a [Link] account for researching more exten-
sive projects. The archives go back several decades for most papers, even cen-
turies, and are easy to search.
Rittenberg is fortunate to have ESPN’s TruMedia database for a lot of his
statistical research. He can search a library of data over specific time periods.
For example, he can research the top offenses in yards per play from 2013
to 2022 with a few clicks. This is a very effective tool when putting together
more extensive lists and analysis.
Even without ESPN’s proprietary database, you can still easily access sports
and sports business data online. A few sites that can help:

GIJN Sports Database

[Link]
Links to various databases and sports federations around the world.
58 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

The Intercollegiate: Division I-A Athletic Dept. FOIA Directory

[Link]
Find the FOIA contact for college sports programs.
Sports Reference
[Link]
Official statistics for pro and college sports teams that you can download as a
spreadsheet in seconds. It includes some attendance and non-player data as well.
Spotrac
[Link]
Spotrac has become the largest online sports team and player contract resource
on the Internet. The site has financial information for MLB, the NBA,
NFL, NHL and MLS. Some of the league player unions also have accessible
salary databases.
Sportico: The Business of Sports
[Link]/c/business/finance
The finance section has many helpful datasets. Requires a subscription. Covers
sports all over the world.
Stathead
[Link]
Used by analytically minded journalists, front offices and fans, Stathead is the
industry standard for finding and analyzing the statistical history of your
favorite sport.
Statista: Sports on U.S. TV
[Link]/topics/2113/sports-on-tv/#topicOverview
This paid site has TV ratings over the years on several sports events, including
the Super Bowl.
StatMuse
[Link]
Search players, stats, records, odds and more. Includes a data glossary.
***

Video: Finding Data

How to use international and local data portals to track down datasets.
[Link]/watch?v=czd3Vs84xhk

***

Hacking a Web Address to Find Archived Data

Many times, government agencies don’t maintain an easy-to-navigate archive
of their records on the web, providing only the most current dataset. To find
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 59

older datasets, you can hack the web address of the most-recent dataset as
agencies have consistent URLs for naming files.
Sunne experiments with URLs to see what is buried deep on a website. She fig-
ured if Google can search within a domain like site:[Link]/news/, meaning the News
section of the FBI’s website, she could move around within those URLs as well.
She experimented with the U.S. Department of Defense for a story she
was working on for Reuters. To her surprise, she was able to manually change
URLs and find new information.
How she did it: Simply change the ID or the section in a URL to pull
up a document she was looking for. For instance, the DOD uploaded
reports on its website with a format like, “[Link]/reports/
loc_531/20190430/.” This meant the report was filed on April 30, 2019,
for a location with the ID “loc_531.” If she changed the URL to read
“20180430,” it would show her a report from that same location for the same
day a year earlier. She could also change locations if she knew the ID number,
which she easily found online.
“This method worked better than searching the DOD’s website,” Sunne
said. “It was an interesting exercise in how much you can circumnavigate a
website’s structure, and also how much you can stumble upon online.”

Exercise: Hack a URL

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) publishes its quarterly performance report on its
website. The data table shows the percentage of mail delivered on time in each
postal district. The page of quarter 3 data from 2020 is shown in Figure 2.6.
Here is the website address for that table. Note that the fiscal year and
quarter are boldfaced:

[Link]
[Link]

To find quarter 4 data, simply change the q3 in the URL to q4:

[Link]
[Link]

You also can change the year and the quarter to find more pages:

[Link]
[Link]

This can be an effective way to sort through government sites and other poorly
navigated websites to find data buried deep in the archives.
***
60 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

Figure 2.6 USPS performance data table

Searching for Free Tools

Many times, journalists working in the field may not have software loaded
on their computers to complete a task. Finding browser-based tools to
complete the task can be time-consuming, especially on deadline.
 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 61

In a pinch, you can go to [Link] and type in the name of

some software and it will give you free (and some fee-based) software
that are similar, along with reviews from users. For example, if you type
in “Adobe Photoshop” in the search field, you’ll get some real gems, like
PhotoPea and Pixlr. Give it a try.

***

Exercises

Exercise 1: Site Search Operator

Let’s get some practice with search operators. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics site can be difficult to navigate. Let the search operators do the work for you.
Let’s say you’re doing a story on rising food costs and need to look up some
products and their price history.

Type this into Google: site:[Link] chuck roast

You should land on some pages that list tables of food prices (national aver-
ages, by region, etc.) that you can open to find your data.

Now try these:

site:[Link] New York unemployment
Site:[Link] bird flu
Site:[Link] homicides

In each case, you should land on robust search results that include links to
pages and tables with information you’re seeking.

Exercise 2: Filetype Search Operator

Let’s try another search operator – filetype – to look for data on U.S. mass
shootings.

Type this into Google: filetype:xlsx us mass shootings

62 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

Your result should be a robust list of datasets linked off your first search page.
Typically, Mother Jones and Stanford Libraries, two of the best databases,
show up in this search.
Now try the “filetype: search” on some data with a different format (doc,
ppt or pdf) for a topic closer to your area of coverage. See what results you get.
As a fallback to the “filetype: search operator,” try the Google Dataset
Search tool to check your work: [Link]
***

Exercise 3: Google Trends

Use Google Trends to test keywords for SEO and headlines. Let’s say you’re a
sports reporter writing about the University of Nebraska football team. Corn-
huskers and Huskers are used interchangeably by the media, but which is best
for the headline?
Google Trends tracks what people are searching for on Google. You can
filter it down to a country, state and many cities. You can also filter it over the
past 20 years or the past year, month, week, day or even hour. Many reporters
and editors use it to test keywords. Give it a try:
Go to [Link] and type “Cornhuskers” in the search field at the top.
Type “Huskers” in the “Add Comparison” field to the right
Change the Time drop-down menu to Past 7 Days (or another setting)
You should find that Huskers are searched much more than Cornhusk-
ers (see Figure 2.7). This would make it a better fit for the headline (and it’s
shorter). Both words would serve well as keywords in the story’s metadata.
***

Figure 2.7 Google Trends results for Cornhuskers and Huskers

 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research 63

Exercise 4: Twitter Search

Here, we will find a news-relevant tweet with Twitter’s advanced search syn-
tax. The site has its own advanced search page, but it is available only to users
logged in to their Twitter accounts.
In a web browser, type in “[Link]/whitehouse.” You do not need to
have a Twitter account.

In the search bar, type “from:whitehouse ‘build back better act’ since:
2020–01–01.”
Click on “Latest” in the toolbar, below the search bar, to sort the tweets in
chronological order.

This search takes advantage of three advanced search operators. “From:” lim-
its the results to only tweets posted by the U.S. White House’s official Twit-
ter account. The quotes around the phrase “build back better act” limits the
tweets to ones mentioning this exact phrase, as opposed to individual men-
tions of “build” or “act.” And the date filter “since:” limits the tweets to ones
posted after the date in the search.
Twitter offers a full list of search operators on its support site.
***

Footnotes
[Link]: [Link]
Baidu: [Link]
Bing: [Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]: [Link]
DuckDuckGo: [Link]
ESPN: The Boom of Dead Money in College Sports: [Link]/espn/feature/
story/_/id/32355679/dead-money
EUR-Lex: [Link]
Federal Election Commission: [Link]/data
GIJN Sports Database: [Link]
GIJN: 4 More Essential Tips for the Wayback Machine: [Link]
11/4-more-essential-tips-wayback-machine
Google Advanced Search Operators: [Link]
JeL1EYbWtlfj9TPfBTE5IBADkQfZrQaBZxqXGs/edit
Google Alerts: [Link]/alerts
Google Dataset Search Developers Page: [Link]
docs/appearance/structured-data/dataset
64 Searching the Web and Using AI in Research

Google Scholar: [Link]

Google Search Labs: [Link]
Google Trends: [Link]
Google Trends E-Newsletter Signup: [Link]
Google Trends Twitter: [Link]
IMF Data: [Link]/en/Data
The Intercollegiate Division I-A Athletic Dept. FOIA Directory: [Link]
[Link]/d-i-foia-directory
International Court of Justice: [Link]/advanced-search
Journalist’s Toolbox AI Search Tools: [Link]
Library of Congress: [Link]
Mashable: At Google I/O 2023, Search Gets an AI Overhaul: [Link]
article/google-io-2023-generative-ai-search
Microsoft Academic: [Link]/en-us
[Link]: [Link]
Online Almanacs: [Link]/[Link] | [Link]/div/subject/
browse/ref05.00.00
Public Access to Court Electronic Records: [Link]
Securities and Exchange Commission: [Link]/dera/data
Sportico: [Link]/c/business/finance
Sports Reference: [Link]
Spotrac: [Link]
Startpage: [Link]
Stathead: [Link]
Statista: Sports on U.S. TV: [Link]/topics/2113/sports-on-tv/#topic Overview
StatMuse: [Link]
United Nations Data: [Link]
U.S. Postal Service Quarterly Performance Report: [Link]
performance/ser vice-performance/fy2020-q3-single-piece-first-class-mail-­
[Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Video: Google Search Operators: [Link]/watch?v=vcprR-KL3vo
Video: Google Trends: [Link]/watch?v=p5Se4WNt1Ng
Video: Tips for Finding Data: [Link]/watch?v=czd3Vs84xhk
VisualPing: [Link]
Yahoo! [Link]
Yandex: [Link]
3 Fact-Checking and Building
Trust

Key Resources
AFP Digital Training Courses: [Link]
Short videos and courses on the latest digital investigative tools and techniques.
Bellingcat Guide to Social Media Verification: [Link]/resources/
2021/11/01/a-beginners-guide-to-social-media-verification
Google Fact Check Explorer: [Link]
Google Reverse Image Search: [Link]
Verification Handbook: [Link]
verification-1
This book, created for journalists by journalists, features case studies and
examples of how to verify photos, video and other news. It’s free online
and required reading for any journalism class.
***
A media environment where everything is true and nothing is true – and the
capacity to disseminate misinformation, wild conspiracy theories, to paint the
opposition in wildly negative light without any rebuttal – that has accelerated in
ways that much more sharply polarize the electorate and make it very difficult to
have a common conversation.
– Barack Obama

In August 2022, Deepak Adhikari and his team launched [Link],

a fact-checking platform in the South Asia country. They’re tasked with

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-4
66 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

Figure 3.1 The NepalCheck website in 2023

identifying and debunking false information and providing readers with veri-
fied details with appropriate context. It’s a model that news organizations,
nonprofits and other organizations around the world have adopted with the
rise of misinformation and disinformation over the past decade.
With November 2022 general elections in mind, NepalCheck worked
to hold politicians, public and elected officials and political party leaders to
account for their false, misleading and half-truth statements through an act of
fact-checking.
The team launched a website, which publishes in both English and Nepali
languages, as well as Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Fact-checking organizations and news outlets around the world have
banded together to build fact-checking databases on politics, the Ukraine War,
COVID-19 and many other issues. Ranging from hundreds of staffers to just
a few, they work tirelessly to flag inaccurate information, fake news, deep fakes
and rumors and provide context to breaking news stories.
“I think two factors have determined the trajectories of modern fact-­
checking,” Adhikari said. “First, the election of Donald Trump was a major
event for the fact-checking community.
“Second, the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and the Russian interference
via Facebook and other social media platforms exposed how malign actors can
use these platforms. It led to the Congressional grilling of Facebook’s CEO
Mark Zuckerberg. It also forced Facebook to address the issue, leading to the
expansion of the tech giant’s third-party fact-checking program.”
Sites like the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact, AFP Fact Check and Craig
Silverman’s work with ProPublica and Buzzfeed News, have transformed news
 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 67

coverage in, as Obama said, an environment where “everything is true and

nothing is true.”
In this chapter, you’ll learn to use many of the tools Adhikari and his team
use to debunk misinformation and disinformation. You’ll learn steps to slow
the spread of fake news, how to detect video deep fakes and understand the
challenges fact-checkers face on a daily basis.
***

Glossary
It’s important when fact-checking to know the difference between mis-
information and disinformation. The fundamental difference is intent.

Misinformation: The person shares the information without knowing

that it is wrong. The person believes it. Example: Your Uncle Bob
shares a magic cure for COVID-19 on his Facebook page: Gargle
with salt water. “We’re all saved. Pandemic over!” he writes. Until he
learns that’s not the case.
Disinformation: The person shares the bad information knowing that
it is false. It’s a malicious act to mislead others.

***
For Adhikari, fact-checking comes down to time and resources. Before launch-
ing NepalCheck, he spent 2 1/2 years as editor of South Asia Check, where he
was frustrated by the fact that he didn’t have the tools and staff to do real-time
fact-checking.
“I wanted to fact-check a prominent politician’s speech in real-time,” he
said. “But I soon realized that given our small team of four people and lack of
databases and credible facts online, it was impossible to do it. I had read about
real-time fact-checking, though I hadn’t watched it live.
He had come close in February 2021, when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
delivered a speech in Kathmandu. He reviewed the fact-checks of Oli’s inter-
views and speeches on South Asia Check’s website. Politicians often repeat the
same false claims several times, so Adhikari was expecting Oli to repeat already-
debunked false claims.
“I watched his speech and quickly identified several claims for a fact-check
report,” he said. “Oli concluded his speech around 4 p.m. I researched,
reported, and published the fact-check at 6 p.m, two hours after his
speech.
“It was published in English two days later [they first publish fact-checks in
Nepali]. I fact-checked three claims Oli made in his speech that day and added
68 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

one more from his earlier speech. EKantipur, Nepal’s largest digital outlet,
published the fact-check.”
He also debunked conspiracy theories circulating among Nepali Facebook
users that were picked up by several Nepal digital outlets. They were also
complex issues to tackle, but after talking to experts and conducting a digital
investigation, he debunked them.
“I still think we as fact-checkers need to be clear about what we know and
what we don’t,” he said. “At the time, the science around the COVID-19 pan-
demic was still evolving. Confronting such a huge crisis and lack of knowledge
about it, the best possible way was to acknowledge the challenges.”
Sophie Nicholson, the deputy chief editor of digital investigation with AFP
in Paris, helps oversee the global team, working closely with tech compa-
nies, media organizations, researchers and fact-checkers. Unlike NepalCheck,
Nicholson’s team of more than 140 digital investigation experts produces, on
average, more than 150 fact-checks per week. In 2022 alone, AFP did 8,000
fact-checks.
“The claims we check are more often about images than just text but they
can also originate from a political speech, for example,” said Nicholson, who
previously worked as a foreign correspondent in Mexico City and has reported
from more than 15 countries.
Her fact-checkers monitor social media posts and comments sections and
respond to tips and questions from the public. They work closely with more
than 1,700 AFP journalists in 151 countries.
“Our strength is that we can conduct investigations on the ground and
online in a complementary way,” she said. “The news agency works in six lan-
guages but the fact-checking team publishes in 26 languages so the focus can
be more local and we can quickly spot trends that emerge in multiple countries
too.
“We work with social media platforms to help surface false claims that are
spreading rapidly. This can help us to quickly identify potential misinforma-
tion to focus on, particularly if it is harmful, such as damaging supposed health
remedies or false statements by politicians, and being shared by many people.
Automated tools from platforms also match articles to misinformation that is
being repeated to enable fact-checkers to work faster.”
Nicholson and Adhikari see a major challenge to fact-checkers: AI and the
Increasingly sophisticated tools to create false content.
“Deep fakes are improving and becoming much easier to produce,” Nichol-
son said. “The scale of false information online is mind-boggling. It is time-
consuming to investigate accounts that deliberately spread false information,
and that is increasingly quick and easy to produce.
“Most platforms don’t provide tools to help researchers and journalists do
this efficiently and transparently. There is little or no fact-checking on most
closed networks or on new social networks.”
***
 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 69

Adhikari’s and Nicholson’s Fact-Checking Toolboxes

• Archived web pages: The Wayback Machine helps both search con-
tents of deleted websites and saves pages for future reference and
record.
• Deep Fake video: Invid, developed by AFP and Deutsche Welle. Invid
breaks a video into keyframes, which can be searched using reverse
image search techniques. This saves a lot of time for fact-checkers.
• Metadata: Two more tools to get metadata, which help the fact-
checkers determine the date of the photos or video uploaded.
• Geolocation: Google Earth is another tool that fact-checkers can
use to pinpoint locations, as well as Google Maps and Google Earth
Street View. SunCalc helps determine the date based on the analysis
of shadows. The best example of this tool being used is BBC News
Africa’s groundbreaking investigation called Anatomy of a Killing.
(More detail on these tools and the fact-check in Chapter 8)
• Reverse Image Search: Google Images, [Link] and the RevEye
Chrome extension let you reverse search the web for images to learn
where and when they were first posted. There are several exercises
using these tools near the end of this chapter.

***

Fact-Checking and the Rise of Fake News

As Adhikari noted earlier, the 2016 U.S. presidential election was a landmark
moment in fact-checking. Trump galvanized fact-checkers looking for mis-
information and, in many cases, disinformation. The election also marked a
surge in fake news sites that spread misinformation and disinformation over
social media channels. Some were simply propaganda to generate influence
over voters and election results. Others wanted commercial gain through
advertising due to the large traffic numbers that came to the site.
In his book, “The Online Journalism Handbook” (second edition), Paul
Bradshaw wrote about how Facebook took most of the criticism over fake
news, though Google, Twitter and other platforms also shouldered blame.
Early in 2016, Facebook had fired the human editors overseeing its
­“Trending Topics” section that had led to fake stories appearing in that section
within days, Bradshaw wrote. Its feed algorithms gave less weight to estab-
lished publishers and brands. Bradshaw noted that one Buzzfeed investiga-
tion into more than 1,000 posts on hyperpartisan Facebook pages found that
“the least ­accurate pages generated some of the highest numbers of shares,
­reactions and comments on Facebook.” They had more engagement than
mainstream news pages.
70 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

By November, Zuckerberg had announced plans to tackle fake news

through better reporting and detection systems.
Google followed suit by attaching fact-checks to stories in its Google New
search, which eventually led to the Google Fact Check Explorer tool that
allows users to search fact-checks by person or topic.
***

Debunking Fake News Stories

You can save yourself a lot of grief and embarrassment by following a few sim-
ple steps before sharing a story or quoting from it.

Think before sharing and read beyond the story’s headline. Never retweet,
like or share anything until you’ve clicked the link and read the story, even if
it comes from a familiar, reliable source. Apply critical thinking skills: Does
anything not seem right with the piece? Then like or share it. Most social
media tools now stop you and ask if you want to click on the link before
sharing.
Search if other news outlets are reporting it. This is one of the first things
I do after reading the story, especially if it involves a death or someone is
accused of something. Can I confirm the story through another news outlet?
Check for fact-checks. There are hundreds of fact-checking organizations
around the world. Google the topic or a person from the story. Look at
[Link], PolitiFact or another fact-checking site to see if it’s part of
a prank or disinformation campaign. Search the topic or person in the
Google Fact Check Explorer. Both are quick ways to avoid the pain of get-
ting something wrong.
Check the news outlet that published it and who the author is. Are you
familiar with the outlet and the author? Check their social media channels.
What are they sharing? How are they engaging readers? Many times fact-
checkers will debunk a fake news story in Twitter replies, Facebook or story
comments. Take the time to look for them.
Look at the publish date and time. How old is the story? From today, yes-
terday, a week or years ago? Sometimes people will share stories on social
media in the context of breaking news, when the story occurred days, weeks
or even years ago. Check the date; when a story happened matters.
Look at what links and sources are used in the article. Is the information
attributed to an on-the-record source? To a study? How current is the data?
Is the story linking to credible examples, reports, public records, etc.? If the
links don’t work or you don’t see any attribution, chances are you may be
looking at a fake news piece.
Look for questionable quotes and photos. Remember, photos and words
together don’t equal facts. Pursue the truth. Look closely at the photos: Are
the person’s eyes, ears and hands disproportionate (a key sign for ­AI-generated
images). Do searches on the images (which you’ll learn how to do later in
 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 71

this chapter). Copy the quote and Google it: Where has it been previously
published? Maybe the author stole it from another story or made it up.
Beware of confirmation bias. This is more for political or ideological stories,
but make sure your own beliefs aren’t interfering with your ability to seek
the truth in the story. Even if you disagree with what some sources are say-
ing in a story about abortion rights, it doesn’t mean what they’re saying is
inaccurate. Check yourself and make sure to approach stories on controver-
sial issues with an open mind.
***

Fact-Checking in Sports Coverage

ESPN national college football writer Adam Rittenberg started at ESPN in
2008 and has seen many changes in the industry – and in his workflow – over
the past 16 years. While the web has made his job easier, it also has made it
more challenging because of the flow of misinformation.
“Information is much more accessible now, but I also have to be more dili-
gent about sourcing and checking certain things,” said Rittenberg, who pro-
duces an annual series called “Future Power Rankings,” which is a three-year
projection of the top 25 offenses, defenses, quarterback situations and overall
teams in college football.
“The final piece eclipses 10,000 words, and would take me much longer
to put together if I couldn’t access projected depth charts, recruiting rankings
and an array of stories. The speed where information flows is also a big change,
especially with social media.”
***

Fact-Checking Images
When fact-checking images, First Draft New, the former fact-checking organi-
zation at Harvard, recommends following these tips:

Provenance: Are you looking at the original piece of content? Give the image
the “eye test” – does it look altered in any way?
Source: Who captured the original piece of content? You can find this through
a reverse image search.
Date: When was the piece of content captured? You also can verify this through
an image search.
72 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

Location: Where was the piece of content captured? In Chapter 8, we explore how
to use the Google Earth suite and other tools to confirm a photo’s location.
Motivation: Why was the piece of content captured? Look at the context in
which it’s presented, the reputation of the organization or person sharing it.
Is the photo from a journalist documenting a protest, or from a protester’s
perspective? Maybe it’s a photo from an eyewitness, or a police officer docu-
menting what’s happening for legal reasons. Who is shooting it and why is
important for providing the reader with context, or determining if it’s valid.

I always encourage students to give the photo an “eye test.” For example, if
someone you don’t know tweeted a photo to you of several cars submerged or
nearly submerged in a Missouri flood from today, you’d look over the photo
closely. What if the area looked more urban, like New York City? What if the
license plates on the cars all said New York? It’s highly improbable that the
photo was taken in Missouri. You could check weather reports and see if there
was even flooding in Missouri. Look for news stories. Check [Link] and
a couple of fact-checking sites.
Then, to be sure, you could move the image into Google Image Search,
TinEye, Bing or another tool to see where and when the photo was first pub-
lished. If it shows up today in Missouri, you’re good. If it shows up as far back
as a year ago in New York state, you’re being duped by someone.
***

Image and Video Fact-Checking Tools

Google Image Search: [Link]
Reverse image search a photo in this tool or [Link] to see when
and where it was originally published. These tools are excellent for
confirming the context of a photo given to you is accurate.
Search This Image on Twitter: You also can follow the @searchthi-
simage bot on Twitter. When you see a photo in a tweet you want
searched, just reply under the tweet with @searchthisimage and wait
for a bit. The bot should reply to the tweet with a link to the reverse
image search results. This works particularly well on mobile devices,
where reverse image search on Google can be a bit clumsy.
FotoForensics: [Link]
Breaks down metadata and layers on a site. Run the tutorial linked off
the bottom of the page to see how it works.
Forensically: [Link]
Similar to FotoForensics, it breaks down metadata and other parts of
photos for fact-checking.
 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 73

IPVM: [Link]
Image forensics tool. Use to fact-check images by confirming locations.
[Link]: [Link]
Great for fact-checking videos. Paste the URL into the player and hit
the arrow keys to look at each shot frame by frame. Watch for shad-
ows out of place, etc. You can watch frame by frame on YouTube
by using the comma and period keys after pausing the video. The
comma key moves the video backward, and the period key moves
it forward.

***

How to Do a Reverse Image Search

When I do image searches, I use Google Image Search and TinEye inter-
changeably. They run different algorithms and provide similar, but sometimes
different, results. A good tool to add to your Chrome browser is RevEye,
which lets you reverse image search a photo over five search tools (including
Google and TinEye) by simply right-clicking on it and selecting the Reverse
image search option.
In [Link], you can search an image three ways:

1. Right-click on the image (Control + click on a Mac) on the page it’s pub-
lished and select “Search Images with Google” in the pulldown menu
­(Figure 3.2). It will either take you to a page of images or ask you to select
an area of the photo you want to search (drag your cursor across the entire
photo).
2. Then click on the “Find Image Source” button on the interface. Up will
pop a series of stories where the photo has appeared (Figure 3.3). Scroll
through them to find the earliest posts and see where the photo first
appeared. There’s also a Tools button at the top of [Link] that
allows you to filter by date, file format and other parameters.

You also can paste a link to a photo into [Link] or drag and drop
an image off your desktop to search it. [Link] also lets you paste URLs
into the interface and right-click on photos.
If you think the photo might be doctored, you can try a more
advanced tool like [Link] to check its metadata and see if the
photo has been layered and flattened/compressed as a. jpg. This takes some
work, but a short tutorial in FotoForensics walks you through it in about five
minutes.
74 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

Figure 3.2 Google reverse image search pulldown menu

Figure 3.3 Google reverse image search results

 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 75

You’ll have the opportunity to put your photo and video fact-checking skills
to the test in exercises at the end of this chapter.
***

Ethics and Building Trust With Readers

Lauren Camplin took five journalism courses with me when she was a stu-
dent at DePaul University. Ethics were part of every class she took with me,
whether it was newswriting, online journalism, sports reporting, news edit-
ing, etc. I baked the SPJ and NPPA Codes of Ethics into Photoshop training.
I examined case studies on airing suicide details or footage of a stunt per-
former falling to his death in a public square in Seattle. I talked about real-life
coverage of local news stories.
Many students in those classes groused and rolled their eyes when handed
an ethics code, but Camplin never did. She was always thoughtful and showed
good judgment while standing her ground at sometimes unpopular decisions
in class discussions.
Upon graduation, she scored a job as an overnight producer at ESPN.
She was promoted to the day shift in 2013 and her first day on the job was
April 15, Patriot’s Day. The day of the Boston Marathon.
A day later, I received this email:

From: Lauren Camplin

Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 10:40 AM
To: Reilley, Michael
Subject: Boston
Hey,
Hope you’re doing well. Just wanted to shoot you a note saying thanks for all
the ethical teaching you did in classes because it definitely helped me yesterday.
I was doing media for the 3 p.m. SportsCenter when the bombs went off and
was solely responsible for all the video, sound, etc. we ran for about four straight
hours since we dropped commercial breaks.
You sit in a classroom thinking you won’t have to deal with those kinds of situ-
ations and make those calls but it really comes in handy. So, thanks! Hope DePaul
is treating you well – and your students too!
Lauren Camplin

Ethics training might not be the sexiest skill you hone during college. But, as
Camplin well knows, it’s pretty handy when you’re on the hotseat overseeing
live coverage of a terrorist bombing.
Like many journalists, Camplin faced some tough decisions that day. Does
she allow the live feed of the bombing victims on air before the families had
been notified? The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics tells
us to minimize harm. Should she airtight shots camera operators took of the
76 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

devastation? Ethic codes tell us not to pander to lurid curiosity and to consider
the harm it may cause victims and their families.
Ethics decisions come in many shades of gray. There are absolutes – don’t
accept money and gifts from sources, don’t alter news photos, etc. But many
times ethics boil down to not just what we have the right to do legally as a
journalist, but what’s the right thing to do.

Codes of Ethics
The Reynolds Journalism Institute created the Accountable Journalism data-
base of more than 400 searchable codes of ethics from media outlets around
the world:
Here are some of the best:

National Press Photographers Association: [Link]

Radio TV Digital News Association: [Link]/content/rtdna_code_
of_ethics
Online News Association Build-Your-Own Ethics Code: [Link]
[Link]
New York Times Ethical Journalism Handbook: [Link]/editorial-
standards/[Link]
National Public Radio Ethics: [Link]/ethics
Al Jazeera Code of Ethics: [Link]
[Link]
The Guardian’s Editorial Code: [Link]/info/2015/aug/05/
the-guardians-editorial-code
BBC Code of Conduct: [Link]/aboutthebbc/reports/policies/
codeofconduct
Both employment handbook and ethics.
CNN Code of Ethics: [Link]
telling-the-world-stories

Trusting News
Fact-checking efforts have accelerated at a time when trust in news by audiences
have reached historic lows. According to a 2022 Gallup survey, only one in three
Americans trust mass media to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” Only
7% of Americans have “a great deal” of trust and confidence in the media, and
27% have “a fair amount.” Meanwhile, 28% of U.S. adults say they do not have
very much confidence and 38% have none at all in newspapers, TV and radio.
In that same study, Americans were 17 percentage points more likely to say
they trust reporting by local news organizations “a great deal” or “quite a lot”
than to trust reporting by national news organizations.
 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 77

Trust numbers in the United States have been on a steady decline since
the mid-1970s, when trust hovered at 75%. The current U.S. numbers are
significantly lower than in other countries, such as China, where trust levels
hover near 80%.
While trust may be higher in local news, a 2022 research project the Radio
Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) conducted with Magid shows
local news is not exempt from the factors that lead to distrust. According to
the research, “if just one journalist from a local news source is not trusted,
audiences are overwhelmingly less likely to use the source overall.”
When RTDNA and Magid leaders released the study, they led a discussion
at the RTDNA national conference about solutions for building trust:

• Be Right: News consumers trust journalists when they explain how stories
developed and changed over time.
• Be Your Community: News consumers trust journalists who are knowl-
edgeable about the local community and what issues are important to
them.
• Be Real: News consumers trust journalists when they are authentic, genu-
ine and own up to a mistake.
• Be Neutral: News consumers trust journalists who leave personal opinions
out of news coverage.
***

Exercises
It’s time to put your fact-checking skills to the test. Here are three assignments
that will help you master checking videos, photos, spot fake social accounts:
***

Exercise 1: Spot the Troll

Think you are good at spotting a troll account on social media? Let’s put this
to the test. Take this online quiz from Clemson’s Media Lab and see if you can
determine which social media accounts are real and which are fake.
[Link]
The quiz is graded as you go and the tool explains what to look for with
fake accounts.
***
78 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

Exercise 2: Photos

The three photos in the folder linked below are real photos and have been
shared extensively online. I’ll give you the “context” in which the photos have
been shared (in the following list), and you confirm whether they have or have
not been represented accurately. Find the files in this folder: [Link]
photofactcheck

1. [Link]: This photo is from the aftermath of the explosion at Manches-

ter Arena during the Ariana Grande concert and was shared widely on social
channels. She appears to have blood on her. Was she injured? Was the photo
from that night? If not, where was it from?
2. [Link]: This photo was shared on social media heav-
ily after the Sept. 20 Climate Strike protests around the world. It shows an
area trashed by protesters after their demonstration. Not good for the climate.
3. [Link]: This photo is of a homeless man frozen on the streets
of Chicago during the February 2019 Polar Vortex. It was heavily shared
by Democrats and Republicans on social media to argue political points.

The Fact-Check: Use [Link] or [Link] to reverse image

search the three images and confirm each photo. Are they from the news
event people imply they are from? Have your staff cite sources and give details
in their answers.
***

Fact-Checking Videos
Learn how to use Watch Frame-by-Frame to break down videos.
[Link]/watch?v=K1yKTwK1k00

***

Exercise 3: Fact-Check Video

This video made news when it circulated on the web. It’s of a “golden eagle”
swooping down to pick up a small boy in a Montreal park. In reality, it was
made by Montreal film students playing with green screens.
[Link]/watch?v=DPXAK2lJmEQ
How to tell whether it’s fake? Paste the video link into WatchFrameby-
[Link]: [Link]. Then hit the arrow keys to look
at each shot frame-by-frame. Watch for shadows out of place, going in various
directions. They don’t match the time of day/sun’s trajectory. That is where
you can see it has been doctored.
 Fact-Checking and Building Trust 79

You also can watch frame-by-frame in YouTube by using the comma and
period keys after pausing the video. Comma moves backward, and period,
forward. Test both out with this famous fake (watch shadows of bird/kid).
***

Exercises Answer Key

Exercise 1: The photo isn’t of Grande from the Manchester bombing. Rather,
it is a shot from her on the set of the TV show “Scream Queens”. The blood
on her is fake.
Exerciset 2: The photo isn’t from a climate strike protest but from a marijuana
festival years earlier in London.
Exercise 3: The photo isn’t from Chicago during the 2019 Polar Vortex. It
was shot in Toronto several years earlier.
Video assignment: The video isn’t real. It was created by a group of Montreal
film students against a green screen. Slowing down the frames of the video
shows the shadows of the bird and boy don’t match the angles of other
shadows in the video.
***

Footnotes

Accountable Journalism: [Link]

AFP Digital Training Courses: [Link]
Al Jazeera Code of Ethics: [Link]
BBC Africa Eye: Anatomy of a Killing: [Link]/watch?v=4G9S-eoLgX4
BBC Code of Conduct: [Link]/aboutthebbc/reports/policies/codeofconduct
Bellingcat Guide to Social Media Verification: [Link]/resources/2021/
11/01/a-beginners-guide-to-social-media-verification
Both Employment Handbook and Ethics.
CNN Code of Ethics: [Link]
world-stories
Exercise 2 Photo Fact-Checking Files: [Link]
Forensically: [Link]
FotoForensics: [Link]
Gallup: Americans’ Trust in Media Remains Near Record Low: [Link]
com/poll/403166/[Link]
Google Fact Check Explorer: [Link]
Google Reverse Image Search: [Link]
The Guardian: Trump’s Inauguration Crowd: Sean Spicer’s Claims vs. the Evidence:
[Link]/us-news/2017/jan/22/trump-inauguration-crowd-
sean-spicers-claims-versus-the-evidence
80 Fact-Checking and Building Trust

The Guardian’s Editorial Code: [Link]/info/2015/aug/05/the-

guardians-editorial-code
Invid: [Link]
IPVM: [Link]
Keith Still: Static Crowd Density Charts: [Link]/Support/crowd-density/
625sm/[Link]
National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics: [Link]
ethics
National Public Radio Ethics: [Link]/ethics
NepalCheck: [Link]
NepalCheck Facebook: [Link]/npcheck
NepalCheck Twitter: [Link]
New York Times Ethical Journalism Handbook: [Link]/editorial-standards/
[Link]
Online News Association Build-Your-Own Ethics Code: [Link]
Radio TV Digital News Association Code of Ethics: [Link]/content/rtdna_
code_of_ethics
RTDNA: Groundbreaking Study Offers Roadmap to Win Back Trust: [Link]/
news/groundbreaking-study-on-trust-in-journalism-offers-roadmap-to-fight-fake-
news-attacks
Search This Image on Twitter: [Link]
Short Videos and Courses on the Latest Digital Investigative Tools and Techniques.
South Asia Check: [Link]
South Asia Check: Oli Fact-Check: [Link]
South Asia Check: Prime Minister Made Four False Claims in Two Recent Speeches: https://
[Link]/fact-check/pm-made-four-false-claims-in-two-recent-speeches
SPJ Code of Ethics: [Link]/[Link]
Spot the Troll: [Link]
Statista: Trust in Media Worldwide: [Link]/statistics/683336/media-trust-
worldwide
SunCalc: [Link]
TinEye: [Link]
Verification Handbook: [Link]
Video: Fact-Checking Videos: [Link]/watch?v=K1yKTwK1k00
Video: How to Use [Link]: [Link]/watch?v=d6ficfQlAjA
Video: Montreal Film Students Hoax Video of Golden Eagle Picking Up Child in
Park: [Link]/watch?v=WVr43I16B3Q
Vox: The Importance of Fact-Checking the Debate in Real Time, According to an Expert:
[Link]/2016/9/26/13063004/real-time-fact-checking-debate-trump-
clinton
[Link]: [Link]
The Wayback Machine: [Link]
4 Social Media

Key Resource Pages

[Link]: [Link]
Troll-Busters: [Link]
TRFilter: [Link]
Twitter Analytics: [Link]
***
In 2016, USC associate professor Amara Aguilar and eight Annenberg School
for Communication and Journalism students founded Dímelo, a storytelling
platform where Latinx students could see themselves and their communities
better represented in news coverage from other student media outlets at the
school.
Dímelo, which means “tell me” in Spanish, started as a Facebook page
but quickly expanded to other social media platforms – Instagram, YouTube,
Spotify – as well as websites on Medium and Annenberg Media. Their most
popular platform is Snapchat, where they have about 185,000 subscribers on
Discover.
Aguilar said Dímelo’s goal is to reach young Latinx and Hispanic adults
with stories and content experiences that matter to them.
“Students originally wanted to start a Spanish language broadcast, but as
we talked through the audience they wanted to reach, it became apparent the
goals needed to shift to meet the target audience of young Latinx adults where
they were consuming news,” Aguilar said.
Prior to the emergence of social media, news traveled pretty much on a
one-way street. It came from one entity, person or organization to a larger

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-5
82 Social Media

group, which tended to be a passive audience. Even with reader comments

and newsgroups emerging in the mid-1990s on news sites, traditional news
media still preached “content is king” with an “if you build it, they will come”
approach to audiences.
But the audience responded by seeking community online. Places like Red-
dit, various social sharing apps, hashtags, Facebook group pages and other
platforms gave people a sense of belonging. Suddenly, news became a discus-
sion beyond a letter to the editor.
In this chapter, you’ll explore how to build content for social channels,
reach an audience, cover breaking news over social media, crowdsource user-
generated content to enhance reporting and deal with online harassment.
You’ll also learn about third-party tools and apps that enhance social media
reporting, and how to study social media analytics.

Building an Audience
Developing an audience over social channels isn’t done overnight. It takes time
and study. Dímelo covers community stories, including those in Los Angeles,
but also focuses on content that goes beyond boundaries – beyond geographic
borders, cultural borders, stereotypes and beyond the surface of important
issues that affect our world.
“We had the students do extensive research on the audience they wanted
to reach, and also examine their own habits and community,” Aguilar said. “At
the time, media organizations like mitú were also popular and the students
were inspired.
“We are also expanding tremendously in the area of podcasts and specifi-
cally on Spotify. The beauty of Dímelo is we are a small team and can be nim-
ble and creative. We can try experiments and new story formats. The content
is also very personal and genuine. We’ve never turned a pitch down at Dímelo,
which is quite different than you might find in most newsrooms.”
Dímelo publishes in English and Spanish and aims to amplify unheard
voices, engage audiences, create community and focus on issues that diverse
audiences care about. Topics we focus on include politics, family, culture,
diversity, food, sports, education, entertainment, humor, lifestyles, empower-
ment and more.
“Dímelo also goes beyond borders,” Aguilar said. “Our stories also include
what is happening in our Latin American countries. We strive to end with ste-
reotypes that have affected the Latinx community.
“Because we publish in English and Spanish, our message is greater by
covering unheard voices and publishing for diverse audiences in a multimedia
platform.”
Dímelo started as a directed research class that Aguilar co-taught in 2016.
In the two years Aguilar taught the class with Laura Castañeda, student
demand increased. The course evolved into a permanent class called Social
Media Storytelling for Latino Audiences.
 Social Media 83

The class evolved as the project grew. It originally served as a place for instruc-
tion, newsroom meetings in which students pitched ideas for each edition, and
a place for creativity and innovation. Dímelo now operates independently of the
course, but sometimes collaborates with the course when it is offered.
“There were many challenges at USC in creating a team and course focused
on Latinos, however our student editors made their compelling case to admin-
istrators and from then on the platform and class were fully supported by the
school,” Aguilar said. “Now, Dímelo has grown into a robust student team
supported by Annenberg.
“The school has helped us flourish through its support of curriculum – we
now have a minor in Latinx media – and are expanding to launch a hybrid
full-semester study abroad program in Mexico, among other initiatives. Since
Dímelo launched within Annenberg Media, we also have had two more amaz-
ing teams launch: ElevAsian and Black.”
Dímelo has published two weekly editions: Dímelo Ahora and Dímelo Dis-
cover. Both of them can be found on the USC Dímelo Snapchat account.
(Launch Snapchat Discover and search for USC Dímelo). Dímelo Ahora is
focused on covering news related to politics, immigration, economics or social
issues that impact the Latinx community in the United States or Latin Amer-
ica. Dímelo Discover covers lifestyle topics such as food, music, sports, trends
or entertainment.
***

Build Instagram Stories with Canva

Aguilar shows you how to use templates and images in Canva to build intrigu-
ing Instagram stories. You can build with a free account or upgrade to a paid
account (around $120) for more design templates and images.
[Link]/watch?v=leqfyU7oIWE
***

Developing Social Audiences at Large Newsrooms

Aguilar and her students quickly found a niche audience with young Latinos
through social media. It can be even more challenging with large legacy media
outlets that have embraced one or two approaches to audiences over decades.
In the last several years, roles such as “audience engagement editor” have
emerged in newsrooms with the sole purpose of finding and nurturing new
digital audiences.
84 Social Media

Figure 4.1 Dímelo Instagram story on artisans

Tom Johnson, the head of audience development for the Guardian US,
oversees the audience and social storytelling teams. He has spent the last
decade working in a variety of audience strategy roles with an empha-
sis on data-driven experimentation, subscriber growth and creative visual
storytelling.
“For publications of any size, it’s important to think about what the pri-
mary audience objective is with any platform and then making sure that your
work there ultimately supports that goal,” said Johnson, who also has done
audience engagement work with The Washington Post. “Social platforms can
be useful in making strong first impressions with new readers, but it’s impor-
tant to consider the longer-term objective. If it’s building an engaged com-
munity around a specific topic or coverage area, what are you doing to foster
and encourage thoughtful discussion?”
The same is true for how to approach existing online communities as a
publication. When Johnson was at the Post, he worked with the social media
team to refine the Post’s Reddit strategy and the Post’s presence there across
different subreddits.
“It’s a strong example of how you can engage and grow an off-site audi-
ence over time by bringing added value to a discussion that falls within your
 Social Media 85

coverage areas,” he said. “This can take many forms – hosting an AMA on an
important news topic with your reporters who can provide expertise or simply
finding a trending Reddit thread discussing one of your stories and comment-
ing with additional context from your previous reporting.”
Encouraging reader participation on a website is also an effective way to
build an engaged audience over time. This can be done through recurring,
consistent live chats or even incorporating reader input into live cover-
age, which is something that the Guardian’s soccer live blog often does
effectively.
“Creating regular programming with distinct voices, which the Guardian’s
live blogs are known for, can help build a connection with readers over time
and hopefully turn some of those people who found the page via search into
regular home page visitors,” Johnson said.

How Big Is the Social Media Audience?

In its spring 2023 global social media research summary, Smart Insights
reported that 60% of the world’s population – about 4.8 billion people – uses
social media. From 2022 to 2023, more than 150 million new social media
users have come online, and the average daily usage is 2 hours and 24 minutes
for all who are using the platforms.
The study also found that the rapid growth from TikTok showed no sign of
slowing down: TikTok had 1.4 billion monthly active users in 2022 and was
expected to reach 1.8 billion by the end of 2023.
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has led to many unpopular changes to
the platform, including paid verification checkmarks, metrics on viewership,
an algorithmically curated “For You” feed, which mimics a popular feature on
TikTok, and a “Following” tab. But for the first half of 2023, the platform has
remained in principle a place to share news and interact with readers. Tools
such as [Link], Bluesky Social, Threads and Mastodon emerged as com-
petitors, but many journalists continue posting to Twitter.
While some platforms continue to show growth for news consumption,
social media news consumption overall has slowed worldwide, according
to a 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report. The study said that news
consumption on vertical video platforms like TikTok and Instagram has not
grown fast enough to offset the reduction caused by Facebook’s pullback
of sharing news stories. A 2022 study by the Pew Research Center showed
­similar findings.

Interactive Chart

For years, news organizations have offered digital stories through ­e-newsletters,
mobile apps, podcasts and other channels. All help direct more traffic to your
website, but it’s not enough.
That’s where audience engagement and development come in, and social
media plays a big role. Building social media campaigns around stories –­
86 Social Media

Figure 4.2 Bar chart of active users on social platforms. Graphic/Mike Reilley.

complete with teases, videos, graphics and other storytelling materials –

requires a strategic approach and requires people like Johnson to guide it.
At the Guardian US, Johnson finds that it helps to apply a scientific method
to building audience campaigns – start with a hypothesis, determine the best
variables and data to track, run the experiment and then distill your findings
into an analysis. His process is as follows:

1. Outline your audience goal at the beginning of the campaign – and be

specific. The goals can be quantitative, qualitative or both, but they need
to be established at the very beginning. For instance, let’s say the goal is to
grow the student media outlet’s email newsletter list by 20% over the course
of the semester. One of the first things they should do is conduct competi-
tive research and see what other similarly sized student media outlets have
tried in that space. What worked for them and what didn’t work? Ideally, do
some reporting and reach out to them.
2. Formulate a few hypotheses for what you will test. Maybe it’s a specific
part of how you will accomplish this goal, or simply testing an assumption –
 Social Media 87

e.g., if we offer an inbox exclusive guest op-ed from a notable alumnus each
week, this will drive newsletter signs up. Again, documentation is key. Make
sure this lives in a document somewhere that you can revisit at the end of
the campaign.
3. Track as much as data you can. If you were to test the impact of visual
Twitter threads on newsletter sign-ups, for instance, use a distinct [Link]
URL for those sign-up links so you can track exactly how many people
are clicking on the link and then calculate a click-through rate based on
the total number of tweet impressions. (More on analytics later in this
chapter.)
4. At the end of the campaign, pull out your original doc and revisit
those hypotheses. What surprised you? Even if your hypotheses turn out
to be wrong, there’s still so much you can learn from the data. In fact, those
moments when our initial hypotheses are wrong are often more useful in
the long run and can inform your next experiment.
5. Document, document, document. Don’t wait until too long after the cam-
paign to analyze the campaign and document your findings. What would
you do differently next time? Which additional hypotheses do you wish you
had included if you could do it over again? Chances are you’ll have found
the idea for your next campaign over the course of the experiment. If so,
repeat the process. Over time, this will make future audience campaigns that
much more effective, and you’ll start to build out a library of useful insights.

In his book “JournalismNext,” Mark Briggs writes that the challenge with
social media campaigns is that not everyone is on all of the platforms and the
audience keeps shifting. Pinterest and Tumblr were once all the rage, but not
so much today. While TikTok has become a global phenomenon and produces
results for some, others have left over privacy and security concerns. The same
with Twitter. It’s always a moving target.
Briggs offered some broad guidelines for targeting audiences on each platform:

Twitter: Breaking news, sports, politics, business news, raw, real-time reac-
tions to live news events and TV. It’s also a great place to reach journal-
ists, who hang out on Twitter a lot. I’ve used my @journtoolbox Twitter
account to target journalists with Journalist’s Toolbox site updates.
Facebook: The best referral source for website traffic, Briggs says. It contin-
ues to drive more clicks to news sites than Google, even after it shifted its
algorithm in 2018.
Instagram: This tends to attract lighter features, trend and pop culture stories
from news outlets (see Dímelo’s use of Instagram in the next section).
Pinterest: Food, fashion, fitness and trends on this lifestyle network.
YouTube: Beyond posting your content, this can be a reporting tool. Follow
channels of the people and organizations that you cover. Create playlists
of ongoing topics and issues in the community so people can follow them.
88 Social Media

Figure 4.3 Dímelo Snapchat on World Cup soccer

Reddit: The community is very skeptical of news users, and can often reject
posts that are relevant to various communities. Johnson said the Post built
a presence on Reddit in part by engaging in subreddits where its journal-
ism was already being shared and discussed. Sometimes this requires reach-
ing out to the moderators, as each subreddit can have its own community
rules.

Dímelo’s Projects and Social Platforms

When Aguilar co-founded Dímelo, she and the students started by studying
trends and habits on the various social platforms. Which ones would be the
best fit for their stories?
Once Dímelo’s research was complete, the platforms were built and the
apps and tools were in place for the students, they had no problem finding
stories to tell.
Here are a few that resonated with audiences across several social platforms.
It’s important to note that the concise writing and visual storytelling carry the
stories, regardless of the social account it appears on.
 Social Media 89

Snapchat
The staff covered the Rams in the Super Bowl, Día de los Muertos, street ven-
dors, Latinas rising and more.

Anxiety in the Latinx Community, a Spotify Playlist

This playlist combined original content with songs. It won several awards, including
a national award in arts and entertainment in the podcasting/audio category.

Instagram Stories
Dímelo produces several of these on a variety of topics, including a feature
story on an artisan in Puerto Rico.

Instagram Reels
Among their best projects is a tutorial on Día de los Muertos and its history.

Instagram Video
Food stories generate a lot of traffic on social channels, including this Dímelo
feature on hot sauce.

TikTok: Kobe Bryant Memorial

TikTok can be more than just dance videos and silliness. Here, the student
journalists cover the memorial to the former Los Angeles Lakers great gone
far too soon.
Beyond Dímelo, Aguilar and her students also have experimented with print
and online zines. Their LA Taco project proved to be an interesting case study.
The students worked with the hyperlocal media outlet LA Taco to produce
two zines. They are a membership-focused outlet, so they wanted to provide
the zine as a perk to members and as a way to build membership.
“We distributed the bulk of zines to members and new members, and also
targeted drops in the community, such as food trucks and community cent-
ers,” Aguilar said. “LA Taco is a digital-only publication, so we felt that a print
edition might increase visibility in certain communities.”
***
90 Social Media

Aguilar trains her students to build impactful social media content. Her
approach is:

• Be genuine and personal. Create content people can relate to.

• Do your homework. Social media content should be well researched and
have strong reporting. Research trends and conversations. Look for unique
angles. Include credible human voices and sources.
• Design matters. The look and feel of content is important. Developing
a consistent brand and look can elevate your content. This takes time and
planning. Some content can be developed on the fly and can break the
mold, but if you have the time, plan it out.
• Storyboard. Plan it out if you have the time. Focus on hooks and what will
grab attention in a compelling and powerful way.
• Engage. Reply to comments if possible and engage in conversations with
your audience. Create callouts. Give your community the opportunity to
participate in multiple ways. (See the next step too).
• Try different formats. Social isn’t just one platform. Have community
events IRL. Do a virtual event. Create a print zine. Create printed fliers.
Think in multidimensional ways.
• Be creative. Experiment and try new things. Student media is an amazing
sandbox where you may have almost limitless opportunities for creativity.
• Change the norms. Student media is one place to create new practices that
move the industry forward, create space for all, embrace diversity in multi-
ple forms and innovate.
***

Social Media: Past, Present and Future

Aguilar’s approach to using targeted social media coverage has been honed over
18 years of working on social media. Since the emergence of Facebook (2004),
Twitter (2006) and Instagram (2010), media outlets have scrambled to find
ways to tell stories in a way that reached the Millennial and Gen Z audiences that
flock to them for everything – news, sports, entertainment and more.
The struggle early on was real. Beyond posting stories there, what else
could journalists do with it?
Two early case studies were the “Miracle on the Hudson” in January 2009
and the summer 2009 Iran election protests and violence. When Sully Sullen-
berger famously landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, most
of the early photos and video didn’t come from news outlets. They came from
eyewitnesses who were on ferry boats crossing the Hudson. Those images and
videos were quickly shared over social media, and news outlets used them in
their breaking coverage. Among the very first reports was a Twitter post by
Janis Krums from Sarasota, Florida, who was on a ferry that arrived on the
scene just a few minutes after the plane had crashed into the freezing water.
 Social Media 91

This is a technique called crowdsourcing – where mainstream media ask for or

search for eyewitness accounts from breaking stories they’re not staffing or haven’t
arrived to yet. It’s a best practice to ask the person posting who shot the photo and
get that person’s permission to use it, though you can embed tweets rights-free.
Several months after Sullenberger’s water landing, violence broke out on
the streets of Tehran, Iran, due to public unrest over the election results. State-
sponsored media spread propaganda and any independent media were quickly
shut down. But with social media, journalists, protesters, eyewitnesses – everyone
could post. There were no printing presses or TV satellites to shut down.
On June 15, The New York Times reported: “Iranians are blogging, post-
ing to Facebook and, most visibly, coordinating their protests on Twitter.
Their activity has increased, not decreased, since the presidential election on
Friday and ensuing attempts by the government to restrict or censor their
online communications.”
While some of this was grounded in activism and rebellion by the protesters,
personal accounts and reporting also became part of the discussion. Hashtags
were shared. Video and photos of protesters being attacked emerged. Without
social media channels, much of that would not have been seen by the millions
who did access it.
Both of these landmark news events became case studies for how crowd-
sourcing and breaking news coverage would be altered for years to come.
***

Crowdsourcing and Live-Tweeting a Murder Trial

Social media can be helpful for covering all kinds of breaking news events,
including trials. Reporters can use Twitter, Facebook and other social plat-
forms to background witnesses, find expert sources and the accused, provide
updates during the trial and more.
In Chapter 1, we learned how Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Graves reported
on the high-profile Pike County murder trials. She used crowdsourcing and
live-tweeting while covering the case as a Washington Post freelancer while
also teaching a remote college course on the case for the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
Sitting a few feet away from her in the courtroom was her longtime friend
and former colleague Patti Gallagher Newberry, who was covering the case for
the Cincinnati Enquirer and the USA Today Network.
Both reporters covered the trial using social media, but had different
assignments.
Graves was writing more “big-picture” stories and backgrounding for a
book she’s writing on the murder trial of George Wagner IV, which began
Aug. 29, 2022, and concluded Dec. 19 that year, when Wagner was sentenced
to eight consecutive life sentences and 121 additional years for his role in the
shooting deaths of seven members of southern Ohio’s Rhoden family and one
future member.
92 Social Media

Newberry was writing wrap-up or look-ahead news features that focused on

any legal moves or major developments that week.
Both reporters faced one major challenge: a ban on phones in the court-
room. This made it difficult for Newberry in particular, as she couldn’t provide
on-the-fly updates over Twitter without leaving the courtroom and potentially
missing something important. So she and her editor agreed that she would
tweet during breaks in the proceedings and post Twitter threads – longer nar-
ratives where subtweets support a lead tweet – at mid-morning, lunchtime,
mid-afternoon and the end of the day.
“I would aim for a thread of five to 10 tweets from witnesses and other
court action in the preceding hour or two,” said Newberry, who added that
she has a “general distaste for live-tweeting.”
“I typically restricted threads to one topic, with a quote or two in each
post. When possible, I grabbed photos from our photographer, who filed on a
shared Google Drive for all participating media.”
The approach worked. Newberry provided some masterful courtroom
reporting over those updates and threads (Figure 4.4):

Pike County Massacre: [Link]

789363003392

Figure 4.4 Newberry’s Twitter thread on jury deliberations

 Social Media 93

Key Testimony from the Trial: [Link]

331981565538305
The Case Heads to Jury: [Link]
267580547074
Jury Deliberation: [Link]
272297474
A Video Update from Outside the Courthouse: [Link]
tinewberry/status/1597578868856070146?s=20&t=Jm5zw78z3nIvoBS
6zog99g

Figure 4.5 Newberry’s Twitter thread update on the Pike County murder trial
94 Social Media

“I much preferred the threads to live tweets, because they allowed the intro-
duction of more context and, to some extent, storytelling,” she said. “I could
then use those tweets – which used every available character – to populate
daily stories or later wrap-up/look-ahead news features.
“I essentially made up this ‘strategy’ on my own, with limited prior Twit-
ter use, as the best approach to our coverage. Many other journalists cover-
ing the story – whether watching the live feed from the courthouse media
room or watching remotely – live-tweeted through the trial. I was commit-
ted to be in the courtroom as often as possible and convinced that episodic
tweet threads had greater value than a stream of disconnected quotes and
factoids.”
Graves took a different approach. She often uses it to find expert sources
and asks her followers what they’re curious about and what questions they
would ask. She DMs people to ask them questions and get in contact with
them for potential interviews. She also sets up Twitter lists, a collection of spe-
cific accounts around a certain topic, which she did for the trial to follow key
reporters who were covering the case. She also used the list to triple-check her
story quotes and could see what other reporters were posting.
“The Civil-War era courtroom made it very difficult to hear during testi-
mony at times,” she said.
Other tools she used were:

• Facebook: She uses Facebook to follow specific audiences and to stay in

contact with many of her sources. Sometimes, it is the best place to engage.
In the Rhoden family case, she found many local sources this way who
were afraid to meet her in person or discuss information. It is important,
however, to set up your rules for engaging on these platforms: Are they on
or off the record? Can you use information that people give you here? Can
you use comments they make? Get the OK first.
  Several Facebook groups were dedicated to the Rhoden case. Many of
the people following it had contacts and insights into the case before the
arrest, during the pending trials and even after the trials. Most of these
groups are private, and Graves either asked or was asked to join.
  She always made it clear that she would not offer her opinion about what
she thought about the case, etc. But she would engage or ask questions if
members had them. She found this to be beneficial during the reporting
on this case because it has gone on for so long. Several members of these
groups are very knowledgeable, and she would tap into that knowledge or
query them on what they were most interested in and why.
• Reddit: In the early days of the investigation, she spent a lot of time on
Reddit threads and local message boards scanning for information. The
majority of the information was garbage, but it helped inform some of her
reporting, such as discounting rumors, etc.
***
 Social Media 95

More Social Media Tips from Chris Graves for Covering

Trials and Breaking News
• Set up Twitter lists to cancel out all the Twitter noise.
• Research handles and hashtags so your content is distributed correctly.
• Do not speculate. Write only what you observe or know.
• Write conversationally. Strive to follow AP style, grammar and punc-
tuation rules. Twitter is not kind to those who don’t. But also know
that you can use numerals and understood abbreviations to save
room.
• Never delete tweets. But, do correct if you make an error. Most peo-
ple forgive reporters who are live-tweeting. It is ruthless and hard –
especially if you are outside and it’s cold, rainy or hot.
• Alert your audience when you will be live-tweeting. I try to include a
photo of myself as I am beginning.
• Be serious when you need to, but also include your observations.
LIke all good reporting, Twitter is a great place to try to put your
reader into a scene. People want you to take them there as much as
possible.
• If you are in court, follow the rules of the court. In the Rhoden trial
and in federal court: No laptops or phones were allowed during 99%

Figure 4.6 Photos Graves shot from protests when she was working for Min-
nesota Public Radio.
96 Social Media

of the trial, which meant live-tweeting happened between breaks as

a summary of what had just occurred. Other days, if testimony was
being streamed, I watched in my car or the media room and tweeted
as I watched. I did not do this very often, however, as part of my work
needed to happen in the courtroom.
• I am not great at video, so I don’t often record myself on Twit-
ter. But I enjoy when other reporters do either before or after an
event. I do use video, however, to share scenes (i.e.: Trump rally/
protests).
• Live-tweeting is the best on-deadline writing there is: There is often
little time to overwrite or overthink. We write the newest news/
the most interesting/most compelling – which is exactly what
makes for the most powerful inverted pyramid/summary leads and
stories.
• It’s time-consuming, but when I write Twitter threads. I write
live on Twitter and thread as I go, but I do think there is some-
thing to be said for writing in a file and then moving that over to
Twitter in ­
­ storyform. Number your threaded tweets to make it
easier for your reader. Threaded tweets can be unfurled as well and
often are an excellent way to create a running notebook of your
coverage.

***

Examples of Graves’ Twitter threads from the case:

Closing arguments: [Link]

307544576
Cross-examination: [Link]
84619266
Writing with context during testimony: [Link]
status/1593363798131232768
Graves: “I love the writing in this one and shows that you shouldn’t be afraid
that if you know your material, to write with some bit of authority –
I have covered this case for [many] years at the time of the trial and
I can write about the twists and turns because I have first-hand knowl-
edge and experience. Do this only if you have the knowledge, facts and
experience.”
***
 Social Media 97

Figure 4.7 Chris Graves’ Twitter thread from closing arguments of the case

ChatGPT for Writing Twitter Threads

Chapter 11 features an exercise using ChatGPT plug-in ScholarAI to pull
research. It also covers how you can turn that research into a Twitter thread
by using this prompt:
98 Social Media

Now turn the research into a Twitter thread with five viral hooks and hashtags

In my experiments with the prompt it’s produced some good threads that cite
sources and need only minor tweaks to meet publishable standards. It’s worth
a try, especially if you’re stuck.
You also can write a thread after pasting an article into ChatGPT (or
Google Bard) and asking it to write a thread based on it. It works well for
summaries, too.
For more ChatGPT plug-ins, visit [Link].
***

Downloading Video from Twitter

If you need to download a video or a GIF from a tweet, just reply to the tweet
and mention @getvideobot. The bot will retrieve the video in seconds and
leave a link to download it in the mentions. Warning: Video and GIFs can be
subject to copyright. Make sure you get permission from the owner/author
to use them first.
***

Writing Twitter Threads

Twitter threads aren’t just for breaking news stories. They’re also an effec-
tive way to roll out a big investigative project on social media. This works
particularly well with data-driven projects that feature many visualizations
that can be attached to the posts. A popular approach is to keep a “data
diary” of the reporting, analysis and writing/editing process, then explain
that reporting process to the reader through the Twitter thread. This makes
your reporting transparent and builds trust with the reader. Here are some
examples:

ProPublica Illinois: UIC and FOIA Law

[Link]
This thread is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at the public records report-
ing that goes into an investigative story.
ProPublica: Migrant Children
[Link]
This thread focused on an investigative piece on migrant children being sepa-
rated from their parents after ICE began its detention areas in Texas in
June. It shows depth, and note how they broke down each tweet by per-
son/issue. It really “put a face” on the story, rather than just sharing a
bunch of statistics.
 Social Media 99

BBC Africa: Anatomy of a Killing

[Link]
This thread combines fact-checking techniques with visualizations using
Google Earth tools to geolocate and verify the location of a gruesome mur-
der of women and children in Cameroon. The BBC then used the Twitter
thread to explain the process of how they proved the Cameroon govern-
ment was lying to cover up the military’s involvement. Chapter 8 examines
this case study in greater detail with Google Earth.
Sarah Smith: Fact-Checking Ben Carson on Houston Housing
[Link]
The Houston Chronicle’s housing reporter used data and fact-checking skills
to correct U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson
in this Twitter thread.
Student Projects
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, student reporters for The
Red Line Project at the University of Illinois Chicago built several visu-
alizations from global, national and local datasets. They kept data diaries
as they downloaded, cleaned and analyzed the data. They logged back-
ground on how they visualized the data and how it fit contextually into
the story.

UIC senior Chris Katsaros and his team used a Twitter thread to explain report-
ing on Illinois COVID-19 cases. Senior Charles Tharpe used a ­Twitter thread
to highlight key points in his team’s story on COVID-19 and the increase in
domestic violence during the pandemic’s first few months.
Incorporating graphics, video and photos into the Twitter threads helps
readers notice the threads in their feeds as well as convey good data and back-
ground for the story. It’s a smart way to leverage all of your digital assets for
both the story and the social posts.
***

Pro Tip: Social Media Policies

When you are hired at a news outlet, ask to see that newsroom’s social media
policy and ethics code the day you start. Many newsrooms have you read
them and sign an agreement that you follow it. It’s important to be clear on
the organization’s rules and expectations. It can greatly vary by medium and
chain/outlet.
Some job candidates even ask to see the policies during the interview pro-
cess so they’re clear on where the company stands on ethics or if social media
guidelines are too stringent. Be sure to protect yourself.
***
100 Social Media

Social Media Safety: Dealing with Trolls and More

Gamergate and the misogynist online attacks against women have been
commonplace since social media first emerged. Female sports journalists,
in particular, are targets of aggressive attacks and even threats of physical
harm.
In 2014, Michelle Ferrier founded Troll-Busters ([Link]),
a resource for journalists and others dealing with online harassment to seek
help. A former journalist and columnist, Ferrier received hate mail and death
threats for writing a lifestyle column in her local paper. Troll-Busters was her
method of saying, “Enough!”
The site offers training, research, tips and contacts for getting help when
harassment occurs. The Committee to Protect Journalists and the Student
Press Law Center also offer resources.
There are many types of harassment (Figure 4.8): implied and explicit
threats, doxing, libel, impersonating your account and posting sexually explicit
material, among them. The response depends on the severity and how often
the threats occur, but there are some basic steps you can take to help deal with
the threats:

You are not alone: Seek help from your editors and colleagues. Make sure
you report it to your employer right away and ask for help. Ask a colleague
to monitor your social media accounts and take a break from it. Talk to
colleagues who have been through this; they’re always eager to offer good
advice in these situations. Also ask for help from organizations like Troll-
Busters and the Student Press Law Center.
Block and report: Block the account harassing you and report them to
the app or platform. Ask colleagues to do the same and get the account
removed. Muting the offensive account temporarily is an option, but not if
the person is making threats.
Take care of yourself: Dealing with trolls and online harassment can take a
toll on your mental health.

Some other resources that can help:

TRFilter
[Link]/
This tool from Thomson Reuters allows users to document and manage online
harassment and abuse, so they can take control of their social media feeds
and focus on their professional activities.
Dart Center: Self-Care Tips for Journalists
Troll-Busters also encourages taking pre-emptive measures to ward off harass-
ment before it occurs. In Figure 4.9, Troll-Busters outlines some basic and
even extreme measures some journalists need to take.
***
 Social Media 101

Figure 4.8 Trollbusters graphic: Where Threats Occur

Figure 4.9 Journalists should set boundaries to help protect themselves against harassment
102 Social Media

Privacy Tools
Staying safe online often means keeping your confidential sources pro-
tected from hackers and eavesdropping third parties as well. There are
many good encrypted messaging apps available, but here are three of
the best:

Signal
State-of-the-art end-to-end encryption keeps your conversations secure.
This tool is very popular among investigative reporters who want to
keep conversations with confidential sources secret.

Telegram
Another encrypted messaging tool. What makes Telegram unique is
its focus on privacy and an open-source API. It also allows multiple
devices to use the same account and multiple accounts on the same
device.

WhatsApp
More than 2 billion people in over 180 countries use this free app. With
end-to-end encryption, your personal messages and calls are secured.
Only you and the person you’re talking to can read or listen to them,
and nobody in between.
Journalists also can turn off tracking on their phones and adjust
Google Maps settings so it won’t track and store past locations. This is
especially important when traveling abroad or covering areas of conflict.
More privacy tools and apps are in Chapter 11’s digital security
section

***

Fact-Checking on Social Media

If you are passing through the American History Museum at the Smithsonian
in Washington, D.C., you may see an early version of an iPhone on display.
The phone once belonged to former NPR journalist Andy Carvin, who used
his Twitter app on that phone to cover the Arab Spring in 2011.
Carwin communicated with protesters in the Middle East over Twitter
to verify eyewitness accounts from the front lines. He debunked rumors,
 Social Media 103

crowdsourced, fact-checked photos and built an elaborate network of sources

and fellow fact-checkers. Carvin’s widely considered the first journalist to use
Twitter in such a way.
In a world where everything is true and nothing is true on the Internet,
fact-checking over social channels can be challenging. Misinformation and dis-
information flowed freely during the early years of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account was a conga line of disin-
formation and attacks on the press.
There are some basic steps we can take to verify what we find online. Here’s
a list of steps to follow, taken from some of my own lectures as well as the book
“Social and Mobile Media Journalism” (Routledge, Adornato):

1. Be skeptical. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. If there’s a link to

a story or a graphic, click on it. Always read past the headline and check
sourcing and attribution in the story.
2. Review the original source’s social media accounts. What else is the per-
son or organization posting? Is it reliable? Who are they retweeting or shar-
ing content from? How long has the account been around?
3. Cross-check the information with other sources. Contact the source
directly. Ask for a phone number. Vet them. It’s worth the extra few min-
utes to get it right.
4. Check the geo-location of the post. Where is the post coming from?
5. Seek corroboration on social media. If someone sends you a photo of a
fire in a downtown Chicago high-rise building, do an image search on it to
see if it appears elsewhere online. Search for other photos and eyewitness
accounts on social channels.
6. Seek official corroboration. Call the fire department to confirm the fire.
Look it up online.
7. If an image seems suspicious, reverse image search it in Google (images.
[Link]). Check images’ metadata if you can. Many social channels
remove metadata and Exif data from the image when you post. But Twitter
and some other tools now give users the chance to include Alt information
by tapping on the photo. Any image you see with “Alt” in the lower left
corner includes information about the photo. Tap on it to see.
8. Use Google Earth to verify photo locations. More on this in Chapter 8.

Social Media Analytics

Earlier in this chapter, Aguilar and Johnson talked about how to engage audi-
ences over social media. But to do that, you need analytics to measure success.
What’s the best time of day to tweet? Which beats or topics are generating the
most Facebook shares? Which are getting the most engagement and replies/
comments from the audience? What stories get the least engagement?
These are all questions reporters and editors need to track on a daily basis.
Many newsrooms have large monitors running Chartbeat, Sprout Social,
104 Social Media

Buffer or other analytics tools to measure website and or social media traffic.
Google Analytics will tell you when and what social platforms are generating
traffic to the site.
***

Measure Twitter Performance

One of the best ways to experiment with social media analytics – for free – is
to log in to your Twitter account and go to [Link]
(Figure 4.10).
This interface gives you an overview of your top-performing tweets, impres-
sions (people who have scrolled by your post), profile views, follower count,
mentions and more.
Now click on the “Tweets” tab in the top left corner of the page and you’ll
get a more detailed interface that breaks down the top-performing tweets.
Scroll through and look at what topics have done well to get a quick snapshot
of performances (Figure 4.11).

Figure 4.10 @journtoolbox Twitter analytics home page on May 24, 2023
 Social Media 105

Figure 4.11 @jourtoolbox Twitter activity and analytics

Here you can see your top performing tweets, replies, etc. Again, it’s a
good, quick snapshot to see how your account is performing.
In the upper right corner of the interface, you can select various dates from
a pulldown menu. It defaults to the last 28 days, but you can shorten or
lengthen that time in the pulldown. Once you have dates set, click on the
“export data” button to the right, select “By Tweet” and a spreadsheet of all
of your tweets over that timespan will download.
Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets and you can sort the data by vari-
ous analytics labeled at the top of each column (Figure 4.12): impressions,
retweets, engagements, replies, URL clicks, etc. Sort them from highest to
lowest and widen column C so you can see the content of the tweet. Look for
these trends over time:

• Which tweets perform well, and which ones do not?

• Is there a certain day of the week that tweets perform better? A specific time?
• What topics/trends are doing well (sports, entertainment, types of news
stories, etc.)?

Apply this analysis to any of your social media analytics to find these trends.
It’s important to measure them over several weeks and months before mak-
ing any brash decisions about adjusting coverage and resources. I always use
analytics to look at what we can change or improve in coverage, design or
presentation rather than what can be cut.
[Link]
106 Social Media

Google Sheet with @journtoolbox analytics (Link to the spreadsheet:

Figure 4.12 
[Link]

Putting Analytics to Work

One of the first things I did as the founding digital production director of
Cronkite News at Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in
2014 was teach my students in the bureau how to look at website and social
media traffic. We used Chartbeat, Google Analytics, YouTube, Twitter and
other social analytics tools to write weekly traffic reports that were circulated
among the newsroom at Cronkite News, which airs weeknights on Arizona
PBS.
The reports included charts and graphics showing traffic trends, top-­
performing stories, tweets, etc. The Cronkite News broadcast team used those
analytic reports to design a Friday newscast called Cronkite News Refresh that
ran for several years. The 30-minute show featured the top-performing ­stories,
tweets and Facebook posts/comments of the week. Producers embedded the
social posts as pop-ups into the stories as they aired. It became a popular
way to wrap up the week’s newscasts – all driven by website and social media
analytics.
***
 Social Media 107

Video: Landscape Social Image Resizer

Learn how to size images perfectly for various social channels using
this free browser-based tool from Sprout Social. [Link]/
watch?v=LnEIdmjSoEk

***

Visualizations on Social Media

Journalists often use text cards – graphics that focus on a single stat or quote –
to feature on Twitter posts teasing a story. These text cards can be easily built
with tools such as Canva (desktop and app), Adobe Post or Photoshop (desk-
top and app) and other tools that are detailed in Chapter 6.
They also can be built as animated GIFs with Google Data GIF Maker and
other tools. These tools are handy for breaking stories – election night analy-
sis, highlighting a stat or quote from a study or speech, budget figures, crime
statistics and more.
Some journalists pull graphics from their stories and attach them to tweets
and provide a link to the story. The graphics grab readers’ attention as they
scroll through Facebook or Twitter. Canva can be used to make text cards
for Instagram stories. Apps such as Chartistic and Icongraph help journalists
build charts on a phone or tablet that can easily be shared to social channels.
National Public Radio’s Social Media Desk created an excellent style guide
detailing the types of social graphics you can build for stories. It provides links
to tools, examples and sizing recommendations. While dated, it’s still an excel-
lent resource for thinking of social media graphic ideas.
[Link] is an AI-driven video editing tool that can trim a long video into
several short social media clips in about a minute. The tool makes logical cuts
that work as audiograms and other clips. You just load the three-minute or
longer video (or paste a link to it) in the browser-based tool and in a matter of
minutes, you have your clips.
It lets you select which social channel you want to create videos for: Tik-
Tok, Instagram, Facebook, etc. After about a minute, the tool will edit over
30 short clips from the video that will work in the platforms you selected. It
emails you a reminder when the clips are done processing.
I tested it on video of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s election-night
victory speech and it produced some top-notch edits and clips (Figure 4.13).
But it did struggle in spots with transcription. For instance, the words “to
choose” in the speech were transcribed as “tool.”
108 Social Media

Figure 4.13 [Link] video editing interface with clips from Chicago Mayor Brandon
Johnson’s victory speech

The free verison of the tool gives you up to 75 minutes of video edits per
month. Paid packages offer more minutes and additional features, such as add-
ing logos and branding. Prices range from $300 to $500 per year.

***

Video: How to Use [Link]

Learn how to create animated graphics for social media using the Jitter.
video desktop tool. [Link]/watch?v=O7w4jWgBrX4

***

Key Social Media Tools

Beyond Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and the other obvious apps, here are some
complementary social media tools that can help with download, analysis,
workflow and more.

Hootsuite
[Link]
Manage multiple social accounts on one dashboard. Compress links and
schedule posts.
 Social Media 109

TweetGPT
A chrome extension that uses ChatGPT to write tweets.
Twitonomy
Tool can be used to observe a specific account’s activity and quickly identify
signs of suspicious behavior. You also can browse, sort and remove people
from your lists.
[Link]: Twitter Video Downloader
[Link]
AI-driven Twitter writing tool
[Link]
Track hashtags in real time.
Social Searcher
Collates postings on social media networks.
LinkedIn for Journalists
Does training tailored to journos every few weeks.
***

What’s in Dímelo’s Toolbox?

Students experiment with a variety of mobile apps and desktop tools
when building stories for Dímelo social media channels. But Aguilar
targeted five critical ones every social media creator should have.
“Canva is probably the most popular tool we use for social media,
almost on a daily basis,” Aguilar said. “Adobe Rush is great for mobile
video as well as Apple Caps. Anchor is amazing for quick audio edits and
podcasts. I know people have said GIFs are dead, but we use Giphy all
the time for the memes.”

***

Bellingcat: Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Verification

Wired: A Beginner’s Guide to TikTok
Bellingcat: TikTok Hashtag Analysis Tool
Allows researchers to collect a dataset of TikToks associated with specific
hashtags over lengthier periods.
Snap Map
Live map of public stories people are sharing on Snapchat.
[Link]
110 Social Media

A non-public Facebook keyword search for people who work in the public
interest. It allows you to search keywords on specific dates. You are granted
access because of your work.
Stalk Scan
Scan Facebook profiles to see where people are posting.
School of Journalism: How to Use Instagram as a Journalist
Maximize Instagram for Journalism
Some great tips in this Medium post by Tshepo Tshabalala.
TweetGram
Makes it possible for users to automatically tweet their Instagram photos and
videos on Twitter. This will help to save time because they only have to post
once on Instagram and have it on Twitter automatically.
Gramfeed
An Instagram search tool.
***

Exercises

Exercise 1: Live-Tweeting

Based on what you learned in this chapter, find a public meeting or speech
to cover on or off campus. Live-tweet from it. Begin with an introduction
and a photo from where you are, then tweet what is said or what happens.
If the city council takes a vote on something, tweet it. If someone says
something, share it. Share photos and describe what is happening around
you. Shoot for 20–25 tweets maximum. Sports events work well for this
assignment, too.

Exercise 2: Social Media Graphic

Pull data from the Brewers Association on craft brewery sales by state (start
with yours). Pull a few statistics and put them into a graphics program such as
Jitter, Canva or Infogram. Then export the static graphic, attach it to a tweet
and share. The graphic also can work in a story, should you write one.

Brewers Association data: [Link]/statistics-and-data/

state-craft-beer-stats

Exercise 3: AI Split-Testing on Social Media Posts

Have ChatGPT or Google Bard (see Chapter 9 for details) write some Twit-
ter or other social media posts for three stories. Then have one of your social
media editors write posts for the same stories. Share both and see which get
better engagement: the person or the machine.
 Social Media 111

Exercise 4: Develop a Targeted Social Media Channel

Based on what you learned about Dímelo in this chapter, form teams of three
or four and research a specific audience or topic you want to reach on social
media. What’s the best channel to use? The audience, and what content are they
looking for? How can you shape the channel’s voice to reach that audience?
Do your research, and present concepts to the class or newsroom later in
the year.
***

Footnotes

2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report: [Link]

uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf
BBC Africa: Anatomy of a Killing: [Link]
44153583616
Bellingcat: Beginners Guide to Social Media Verification: [Link]/resources/
2021/11/01/a-beginners-guide-to-social-media-verification
Bellingcat: TikTok Hashtag Analysis Tool: [Link]
hashtag-analysis
Brewers Association Data: [Link]/statistics-and-data/state-craft-
beer-stats/
Business of Apps: TikTok Usage 2023: [Link]/data/tik-tok-statistics
Chart: World’s Most-Used Social Platforms (April 2023): [Link]
studio/visualisation/13843462
Dart Center: Self-Care Tips for Journalists: [Link]
tips-for-news-media-personnel-exposed-to-traumatic-events#.U1w0Fa1dWjI
Data GIF Maker: [Link]
Dímelo: [Link]
Dímelo Instagram Reels: [Link]/reel/CkbqsiSDhsL/?utm_source=ig_
web_copy_link
Dímelo Instagram Stories: [Link]/stories/highlights/1788348791534
7335/?hl=en
Dímelo Instagram Video: [Link]/tv/B7wfVbdAHmw/?utm_source=ig_
web_copy_link
Dímelo Snapchat: [Link]
76c7225/143620961502003
Dímelo Spotify Playlist: [Link]
kSPF?si=908eaeab1b71427c&nd=1
Dímelo TikTok: [Link]/@uscdimelo/video/6787518313489632518?is_
copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Gramfeed: [Link]
112 Social Media

Hootsuite: [Link]
Jodi Cohen: ProPublica Illinois, UIC and FOIA Law: [Link]
jodiscohen/status/1108417904830238721?s=12
Journalist’s Toolbox Mental Health: [Link]/category/mental-
health-for-journalists
Journalist’s Toolbox Twitter Analytics: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
LinkedIn for Journalists: [Link]
journalists
Maximize Instagram for Journalism: [Link]
instagram-for-journalism-627a6eccf27d
NPR Social Media Desk: Social Media Graphics Guide: [Link]
[Link]/post/136328417707/social-graphics
New York Times: Social Networks Spread Defiance Online: [Link]/2009/
06/16/world/middleeast/[Link]
Pew Research Center 2022 Social Media and News Fact Sheet: [Link]/
journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet
Pike County: Key Testimony from the Trial Tweet: [Link]
status/1597331981565538305
Pike County Trial the Case Heads to Jury Tweet: [Link]
status/1597720267580547074
Pike County Trial Closing Arguments Tweets: [Link]
1597328363307544576
Pike County Trial Cross-Examination Tweet: [Link]
1593363811284619266
Pike County Trial Jury Deliberation: [Link]
1597999709272297474
Pike County Trial Tweet: [Link]
3003392
Pike County: Video Update from Outside the Courthouse Tweet: [Link]
pattinewberry/status/1597578868856070146?s=20&t=Jm5zw78z3nIvoBS6zog99g
Pike County: Writing with Context During Testimony Tweet: [Link]
chrisgraves/status/1593363798131232768
[Link]: [Link]
ProPublica: Migrant Children: [Link]
171014664
The Red Line Project: [Link]
Sarah Smith: Fact-Checking Ben Carson on Houston Housing: [Link]
sarahesmith23/status/1130975400732106758?s=12
School of Journalism: How to Use Instagram as a Journalist: [Link]
[Link]/blog/how-to-use-instagram-as-a-journalist
Smart Insights: Global Social Media Statistics Research Summary 2023:
[Link] [Link]/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/
new-global-social-media-research
 Social Media 113

Smithsonian Magazine: The Phone That Helped Andy Carvin Cover the Arab Spring is
in the Smithsonian: [Link]/smithsonian-institution/the-phone-
that-helped-andy-carvin-report-the-arab-spring-is-now-in-the-smithsonian-7234442
Snap Map: [Link]
Social Media Today: Social Media in the Hudson River Plane Crash: [Link]
[Link]/content/social-media-hudson-river-plane-crash
Social Searcher: [Link]
Stalk Scan: [Link]/en/tool/stalk-scan
TRFilter: [Link]
Troll-Busters: [Link]
[Link]: Twitter Video Downloader: [Link]
TweetGPT: [Link]
TweetGram: [Link]
Twitonomy: [Link]
Twitter Analytics: [Link]
UIC Senior Charles Tharpe Used a Twitter thread
UIC Senior Chris Katsaros Twitter Thread
Video: Build Instagram Stories with Canva: [Link]/watch?v=leqfyU7oIWE
Video: Cronkite News Refresh: [Link]
cronkite-news-refresh-june-3-2016
Video: How to Use [Link]: [Link]/watch?v=O7w4jWgBrX4
Video: Landscape Social Image Resizer: [Link]/watch?v=LnEIdmjSoEk
Washington Post Reddit: [Link]/user/washingtonpost
Washington Post Reporters Reddit: [Link]/r/Virginia/comments/smwwkt/
comment/hvz39c7/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
[Link]: [Link]
Wikipedia: Elon Musk’s Acquisition of Twitter: [Link]
Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon_Musk
Wired: Beginners Guide to TikTok: [Link]/story/how-to-use-tik-tok
5 Data Journalism

Key Resources
[Link]: [Link]
Global Investigative Journalists Network Resource Center: [Link]
[Link]/support/home
This site links to tools helpful to investigative journalists around the world.
Topics include data journalism, reporting tools, digital security and more.
It’s a must-bookmark.
Flourish: [Link]
Datawrapper: [Link]
Google Dataset Search: [Link]
Our World in Data: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Eurostat: [Link]
***
Elliott Ramos, an investigative data journalist for CBS Chicago, noticed in late
2021 that the station’s tip line was inundated with calls of Kia and Hyundai
owners’ cars getting stolen.
Several Chicago reporters covered the incidents as they happened each day,
but then Chicago Police began to issue more alerts about the car thefts hap-
pening dozens of times in a night, affecting multiple neighborhoods.
Ramos is responsible for the station’s data-driven investigations, specializ-
ing in data visualizations and obtaining and analyzing large government data-
bases via FOIA requests. He thought it was time to take a big-picture look at

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-6
 Data Journalism 115

the theft trends through data storytelling. Maps could show where the thefts
were happening. Charts and graphics could explain increases over time and,
with some extra legwork, focus on the most popular makes and models of the
stolen cars.
“When the initial reports came in during the summer, I would check the
city’s open data portal to see how many thefts were occurring,” said Ramos,
who also has taught data journalism part-time at Chicago universities. “At the
end of 2021, Chicago was averaging 1,000 motor vehicle thefts a month. By
summer that jumped to 2,000, and by October it reached a 22-year record for
most in a month with more than 3,100 reported vehicle thefts.
“But we were only able to pin some of the car thefts on Kias and Hyundais.
The manufacturers weren’t in the open data reports.”
This led to a series of stories on car thefts that aired on the station along
with stories and visualizations on its website. For the first story, they mapped
the worst blocks in the city, and anchor/reporter Brad Edwards hit the streets
to find affected owners. Residents already knew why he was there when he
walked up with a camera crew.
Meanwhile, Ramos was tasked with getting the makes and models of the cars
to add to the dataset. He knew vehicle makes and models were recorded on
incident reports when they’re stolen, so he filed a FOIA request for 12 years’
worth of data so he would have a basis of comparison. He found that Kias and
Hyundais accounted for about 38% of motor vehicle thefts.
“I created some area charts at first so people would have an idea of how
much those cars were accounting for the spike in [2021 and] 2022,” Ramos
said. “I wanted to convey the rate at which they were getting stolen, which by
October had reached 65 a day.”
Ramos loaded the data into Flourish’s animated bar chart template to illus-
trate the change. He worked with the broadcast editors and produced static
maps that work well on TV, and used the same file to produce an interactive
one on Flourish.
Ramos’ process is one many data journalists follow when reporting and
visualizing investigative and even day-turn stories.
In this chapter, we’ll explore how to think like a data journalist, find
data and visualize it. You’ll also learn how to focus your data stories with a
human-centered narrative approach, how to simplify your writing with just a
few numbers per paragraph, and how to scale the data to make sense to the
reader. Then you’ll learn how to visualize data using several free, intuitive
tools.

Making an Impact: The Need for Data Journalism

For many years, data journalists – or computer-assisted reporters, as they were
once called – worked in far corners of the newsroom to analyze large datasets
for investigative stories. But as digital tools began to become more main-
stream and visualizing datasets became easier, data skills spread throughout
116 Data Journalism

the newsroom to other departments, said Andy Boyle, former data editor with
the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Sports reporters already know this: Data is used constantly,” he said.
“A quarterback’s passing yards. The average spin on a pitcher’s fastball. The
average free-throw percentage in basketball. They use data constantly in their
storytelling, as an often objective measure to show how players and teams are
doing in comparison to others.”
This approach applies to other beats. Doing culture writing? How often do
the local concert venues book artists of one race versus another? How about
men versus women? Covering education? You’ve got enrollment data, you’ve
got attendance data, you’ve got student testing data. You’ve also got discipli-
nary data (are certain groups being disciplined more than others?), teacher
retirement data (are teachers being forced to retire more?), and school budget
data (what are they spending money on?).
“Everything you cover in journalism can have a data component,” Boyle
said. “And being able to understand the basic concepts of how to use data to
empower your storytelling not only makes you a better journalist, but also a
more versatile one.”
Once that process is complete, journalists must translate those findings into
language free of jargon that makes it clear what is at stake – and who is impacted
by the facts underlying the data. In addition, articles that rely on data should
show their work and allow others to replicate – and expand on – their findings.
“It’s one thing to have a handful of anecdotes saying something is bad,”
Boyle said. “It’s another to have data that shows that thing is bad. If you com-
bine them, you’ve got the most powerful version of a story possible.”
Data reporting makes a difference, as Boyle’s and Ramos’ work shows. Prior
to joining CBS Chicago, Ramos worked as a data journalist for NBC News,
covering a range of topics including energy, public transit, policing and the
pandemic – analyzing CDC data and reporting on vaccinations, hospitaliza-
tions and virus hotspots.
He was previously the data editor for WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR station, where
he examined the disparate impact of Chicago’s ticketing and debt-collection
practices as part of a collaboration with ProPublica Illinois. The work spurred
numerous legislative reforms and triggered several class-action lawsuits. He
has also done investigations into the city’s towing practices.
***

Data Visualization on Deadline

Data editor John Walton and his team at the BBC produce data visualizations
both on deadline and for big investigative projects. As the data journalism edi-
tor for BBC News, he oversees journalists and designers who build primarily
for digital graphics but they also work with BBC’s broadcast team with con-
verting some graphics for television.
One of the biggest projects the BBC undertook was building a COVID-19
infographic titled “UK: How Many Coronavirus Cases Are There in My Area?”
 Data Journalism 117

that’s been updated regularly since the start of the pandemic. It was produced as
a collaboration between the BBC’s Visual and Data Journalism teams.

Figure 5.1 BBC Coronavirus map

“The challenges here were large, although perhaps no different to the issues
that face most data projects,” Walton said. “Mainly, how to make a complex story
understandable, and how to enable the audience to find their place in that story.”
The BBC broke the story down into a series of key elements to allow the
reader to keep up to date with the figures on the most important aspects of
the pandemic. For example, they showed how many cases, deaths and hospi-
talizations were happening, and also whether the number for the pandemic
was rising or falling.
They produced a daily overview graphic, for the top of the page, to give
people a quick but comprehensive grasp of the story. They also had a local
view of the cases happening in each area of the UK, which people could search
through using their postal code, as well as a map where they could look up
cases per 100,000 people.

Understanding Data Visualizations

Ramos uses a simple way to define data storytelling to newbies – tacos!
In this series of graphics Ramos created (Figures 5.2 – 5.8), you’ll learn
fundamentals of data journalism. You’ll also get pretty hungry.
118 Data Journalism

Figure 5.2 Clip art via the Noun Project

Source: Akshar Pathak – Taco; Ian Rahmadi Kurniawan – Chicken, Cow

Figure 5.3 Elliott Ramos’ tacos chart illustrates how data can be grouped and analyzed

Data journalism sharts with counting. How many homicides on your site
this year? Last year? Two years ago? Then think through how you can repre-
sent that change over time, which we see in the next graphic.
By grouping information by dates, whether they be days, weeks, months,
years, etc., you’ll see patterns form. In Ramos’ example, he appears to have
been hungrier on Tuesday than he was on Friday, unless the tacos were differ-
ent sizes. You need to take many factors into account when evaluating data.
Not only can you group data over time but also by what type. For example,
what makes and models of cars are stolen most often in your city? What color
are they? Model year? When are they stolen? Which month has the most or
least? What day of the week is most common for having a car stolen? These
questions can be answered through a simple sorting and filtering of crime data
in a spreadsheet. Crime data is public record, and you can access it through
law enforcement portals or by contacting the FOIA officer in your city or
county police or sheriff’s department.
 Data Journalism 119

Figure 5.4

Figure 5.5

When you have more detailed data – in this case the time, type and quantity
of tacos – you can begin to organize them on an x- and y-axis as a line chart or
column (bar) chart. This is a basic form of data visualization.
You can organize them in greater detail by creating the grouped column
chart you see in Figure 5.5. Another option is to organize it as a stacked col-
umn (bar) chart by placing the chickens above the cows.
Another way to look for patterns is to map them. In the example in
­Figure 5.7, Ramos ate his tacos at restaurants on the north and northwest
sides of Chicago. (Chicago is a good taco town, by the way. Very underrated.)
120 Data Journalism

Figure 5.6

Figure 5.7

Figure 5.8 details four key types of data in terms of tacos. But imagine it as
the crime data we referred to earlier. The text would be the type of crime (homi-
cide, stolen car), numerical is simply how many of those incidents occurred and
time of date would show when those crimes occurred (or reported to police).
Finally, the geospatial data tells us where the crime occurred.
Most crime data would be organized in a spreadsheet this way: what, when,
where and how many.
By sorting and filtering that data, you can, in essence, interview the data
much like you’d interview a source. Data journalists often use the term “inter-
viewing data” when talking about analysis. Ask the same questions of the data
that you would a human source: who, what, when, where and how much. The
why question is often left out of the data analysis, as you typically have to get
that context from a human source.
 Data Journalism 121

Figure 5.8 

Organizing with Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are handy for more than just data analysis. Freelance reporters
use them to organize assignments and track budgets. Teams of investigative
reporters use them to manage workflow and share updates and information.
ESPN national college football writer Adam Rittenberg uses Excel for larger
projects in which he needs to share the information with colleagues. In spring
2023, he worked on a project about the University of Colorado football team
and its roster transformation under new coach Deion Sanders. The mini-­database
was shared internally so other reporters could track the conga line of players com-
ing and going from the roster through college football’s transfer portal.
“I created an Excel sheet showing Colorado’s incoming and outgoing
transfers, as well as players who had transferred in after Sanders’ hiring, only
to transfer back out,” Rittenberg said. “I regularly updated the sheet as players
who left Colorado finalized their transfer destinations.”
***

Elliott Ramos: Five Tips Every Young Data Journalist

Should Know:
1. Familiarize yourself with whatever open data is available in your city
or state. It can be a lifeblood of information that you can keep tabs on
while others aren’t looking.
2. Document your methods and back up your data. When you get in the
weeds, it’ll help navigate you back to where you want your story to be.
3. Put in FOIAs early and often. When stuff starts to happen, it’s likely
been happening for a while. Getting ahold of data ahead of everyone
else is a surefire way to break the story.
122 Data Journalism

4. Interactive graphics are great, but there is an earnestness and wider

understanding of bar and line charts. They can do a lot of heavy lift-
ing for your story.
5. Learning code is important, but Excel basics can carry you far in your
career while you pick up the more complicated stuff. Great feats of
journalism have been accomplished with pivot tables.

***
Building Charts: Types of Charts
A good chart can make readers smarter. They show trends and patterns that
might not be obvious when looking at numbers in raw data. But, as Cairo has
pointed out, charts can lie. And charts can be confusing or misleading, espe-
cially if the journalist chooses the wrong chart to present the data. Dozens of
types of charts are available, so to get started, let’s focus on some of the basic
charts and what data they can visualize.

Bar/Column Chart

Horizontal bar charts – or vertical column charts – feature rectangular bars

with heights or lengths proportional to the values that they represent.
They’re often used to compare year-to-year figures, percentages, etc., usu-
ally over time or between entities. For instance, it can show an increase in
campaign contributions to a candidate over a 12-month period, or an increase
in COVID-19 positive tests over a few weeks.

Line Charts

A line chart displays information as a series of data points called markers

(data points) that are connected by straight or curved lines. Line charts
 Data Journalism 123

are popular for sports data and stock market/finance charts, as it shows
an asset’s historical price action that connects a series of data points with
a continuous line. The charts show continuous growth or decrease over a
scale (typically time).
Line charts and bar charts can be interchangeable with some datasets, but
bar charts break out individual points (years, etc.) whereas line charts repre-
sent continuous growth and change.

Pie Charts and Treemaps

Pie charts and treemaps are typically used for budgets or breaking down
parts of a whole. The “pieces of the pie” must be proportional to the data
corresponding with it. So if 10% of a city budget is going to the police
department, the proportion in the graphic should amass 10% of the overall
chart (or pie).
Treemaps are a popular and effective way to break down a budget and
other data. They are ideal for displaying large amounts of hierarchically struc-
tured (tree-structured) data. The space in the visualization is split up into
nested figures, usually rectangles that are sized and ordered by a quantitative
variable. In this example: [Link] Chicago’s 2022
city budget by department has been organized into a treemap. The hierarchy
shows which departments are getting the most funds. For the smaller areas,
you can hover over the interactive chart to see the data pop up for each
department.

Interactive and Animated Charts

Interactive charts allow the user to control what they see: zooming, hovering
over a marker, using a search bar or a pulldown menu, for instance. It also can
enable the exploration of data via the manipulation of chart images, with the
color, brightness, size, etc. This gets the reader engaged and involved in the
data.
124 Data Journalism

Animated charts illustrate data by creating changes and movements in

the chart. Changes over time are a great way to use animated graphics, for
example:

• 2020 COVID-19 Cases by State and Country ([Link]

chart)
• Baseball home runs in the steroid era ([Link]
visualisation/8443792)

Venn Diagrams

Lucidcharts defines Venn diagrams as “overlapping circles or other shapes to

illustrate the logical relationships between two or more sets of items. Often,
they serve to graphically organize things, highlighting how the items are simi-
lar and different.” Common elements of the sets are represented by the areas
of overlap among the circles, which shows relationships or common areas of
interest.

Hierarchy and Organizational Charts

According to [Link], hierarchical charts are typically used to show

roles, ranks, levels or positions of people or things. They are designed in a
format that shows the relationships between the entities, with the top of the
chart typically kept for the most important or significant part of the system.
These diagrams look like organizational charts in some ways, and you can use
org chart makers to draw hierarchy charts as well.
There are many other types of charts – timelines, scatterplot, etc. Be sure to
look through chart libraries in tools like Flourish, Datawrapper and other tools
we explore later in this chapter to find more templates and designs. Many of
the templates have “dummy data” in them so you can see how to format the
spreadsheet to make the chart work seamlessly.
***
 Data Journalism 125

Learn to Build Graphics by Playing with Legos

Before opening any design software, here’s a creative way for you to
learn how to build a graphic.
Matt Waite, a professor of practice at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln, was searching for a way in 2015 to get his students to understand
form, function and scaling a graphic. He reached back to his childhood
for the answer – Legos.
Waite had his students create bar charts using a set of Lego blocks to
illustrate Super Bowl statistics. Students had to grapple with scale: what
did each block size represent: 10 yards? 20? 100?
Students worked in teams to scale the bar charts. Sticky notes can
serve as labels and other “scaffolding” that Cairo refers to. The exercise

Figure 5.9 University of Illinois at Chicago students use Legos to build bar

charts during the second week of class. (Photo/Mike Reilley)
126 Data Journalism

is an effective way to help students understand design concepts before

ever touching software.
“The Legos let them focus on representing the data with shape,” Waite
told The American Journalism Review. “There wasn’t any, ‘Did I miss a
semicolon? Did I use the wrong function? Did I press the wrong button?’ ”
In the past several years, professors from many other universities
have experimented with using Legos. It works with many datasets –
­homicides, COVID-19, sports, etc.

***

Tools for Visualizing Data

Ramos suggests young data journalists start by learning these five pieces of
software:

1. Excel: No way to get around learning the basics with Excel. Ramos does
most of his work with Excel if the dataset is small enough.
2. Open Refine: This is a free and intuitive tool to clean up dirty datasets that
require a more manual approach.
3. QGIS: The ability to map out data and combine it with multiple datasets
for analysis is a game-changer.
4. Flourish: It’s free, and it’s a great way to explore data viz if D3 is too
daunting.
5. Pandas/Python: Using the Pandas library with an iPython notebook is a
user-friendly way to handle large datasets while documenting your work in
comments and markups.

Medill’s Mackenzie Warren, who oversaw digital reporting for Gannett, rec-
ommends five basic visualization tools as “must-haves” for young journalists
starting with data reporting. You’ll eventually graduate to more challenging
software such as R and ArcGIS, but here are five tools to get started with:

• Google MyMaps: Still the simplest and most powerful tool for mapping.
Beneath the “How do I get there from here?” primary function lies powerful
databases that bring every address richly alive. [Link]
• Infogram: Good at combining interactive charts and maps with individual
data points. [Link]
• Canva: Extremely flexible collaboration and publishing tool. One feature
I like is the Docs to Decks tool, which enables you to convert any docu-
ment into a presentation. [Link]
 Data Journalism 127

• Flourish and Datawrapper: Easily build interactive maps, charts and

­animations based on structured data. [Link] | [Link]
[Link]

There are hundreds of other mapping, chart and infographic tools on the mar-
ket, including Venngage and Tableau Public; the latter is excellent for building
dashboards of data using just a single dataset.
All of these tools have free models with paid upgrades for various features.
The key is to find the right tool that works for you, which we’ll explore in the
exercises at the end of this chapter.
***

Finding Data
Reporters have many options for finding datasets. They can file a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request, like Ramos did for the Chicago police reports
for his story. They can build the dataset themselves, like Ramos did when he
merged the stolen cars dataset with the police report data that included the
cars’ make and model.
Reporters can pull datasets from a local, county, state or federal govern-
ment data portal, which you can find listed on the Journalist’s Toolbox: www.
[Link]/category/public-records
Medical associations, advocacy and nonprofit organizations compile data.
The Pew Research Center is always a good place to start for large studies on
breaking news trends.
There also are independent data portals and search tools that maintain large
datasets, some of which are outlined next:

Google Dataset Search

[Link]
This micro-search tool works much like Google Scholar, which searches
only academic journals and case law. Dataset Search links you directly to a web
page with raw datasets and provides a short summary of who created the data-
set, methodology, years the data covers, etc. While Google doesn’t fact-check
the data, it does provide that short summary that reporters can use to decide
if they want to download it.

Our World in Data

[Link]
With nearly 3,400 charts on more than 300 global topics, this tool was indis-
pensable during the pandemic. Searches provide links and embed code on inter-
national health, business and other census-level datasets. You can easily link to or
embed the prebuilt charts or download the datasets to build your own.
128 Data Journalism

[Link]

[Link]
Founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, this nonpartisan, non-
profit organization cleans up census, health, economic, immigration and other
data and visualizes it. Much like Our World in Data, you can link and embed
the charts or download the datasets. USAFacts also writes stories about some
of the data it posts.

Eurostat

[Link]
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union. The clearinghouse
site provides hundreds of economic and some health datasets on European
countries.

Google Public Data Explorer

[Link]/publicdata/directory
This is more than a portal; you can actually design the graphic in the tool,
which directly links to the dataset. No need for spreadsheet downloads or
learning a new tool. This is a popular tool for day-turn graphics, such as a chart
of unemployment rates by state (Figure 5.10).

Figure 5.10 Unemployment rates by select state, 1990–2023, in Google Public Data
Explorer

***
 Data Journalism 129

Video: How to Find Datasets

[Link]/watch?v=czd3Vs84xhk
Learn how to use the data search tools in this training video.

***

Scraping Data
Data scraping, also known as web scraping, is the process of importing infor-
mation from a website, a PDF or other document into a spreadsheet or local
file on a computer.
It’s an efficient way to get data from the web beyond a download button on a
page. A scraping formula creates a link between the web page being scraped and
the spreadsheet. Then, when the web page updates, so does the spreadsheet.
This saves time, is more efficient and produces cleaner results than cut-and-paste.
Scraping can be done over Google Sheets, but Microsoft Excel has some
scraping functions as well. They can be done by writing short formulas, or
with free and paid third-party tools and browser plug-ins. You can easily find
some third-party tools in the Google Chrome Store. Most offer short training
videos on how to use them. [Link]
web%20scraping

Writing Data Stories

In December 2016, the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette-Mail reporters
wrote a series of stories called “Painkiller Profiteers” on the state’s rising num-
ber of prescription drugs. In the fifth paragraph of the in-depth story, reporter
Eric Eyre wrote a summary paragraph for the ages.

In six years, drug wholesalers showered the state with 780 million hydroco-
done and oxycodone pills, while 1,728 West Virginia families fatally over-
dosed on those two painkillers, a Sunday Gazette-Mail investigation found.
The unfettered shipments amount to 433 pain pills for every man,
woman and child in West Virginia.

In two sentences, Eyre encapsulated the issue using three key data points,
the last of which he calculated by dividing the 780 million pills by the state’s
population. More importantly, the 433 pain pills per resident brought the
story into a crystal-clear focus and scaled the issue in an alarming way.
When writing for the web, specifically mobile, a paragraph should never
be longer than three sentences in order to maintain clarity and readability on
those devices. Spreading the data throughout the story and balancing it with
130 Data Journalism

human-centered anecdotes, quotes and context helps increase reader under-

standing of the issue, said Heather Cherone, who writes many data-driven
stories as WTTW Chicago’s political reporter.
Cherone favors keeping one or two statistics per paragraph and keeping the
stories focused on the people impacted by the numbers, not just the statistics
themselves. She and many other data journalists are the first to tell you: Great
data stories don’t read like data stories. They are stories about how issues
impact human beings.
“Many readers’ eyes glaze over at the sight of numbers, and they are very
likely to stop reading and head over to TikTok and never return,” she said.
“Talking about a person rather than a percentage can make an issue come alive
for readers, and make it clear what is at stake.”
To prevent this, you need to declutter your data stories. Jennifer LaFleur
and Holly Hacker, speaking at the 2022 NICAR conference in Atlanta, said
reporters must simplify numbers and present them in a concise way. They
offered these tips:

• The number 29,912 can be rounded up: Nearly 30,000.

• Round off percentages, too: 62.2% is 62%; 79.9% is 80%; 75% is three-
fourths or three in four.
• The percentages 12.55% of women and 25% of men can be 1 in 8 women
and 1 in 4 men.
• Instead of a 100% increase, say it doubled. It’s easier for the reader to
understand.
• Break data into bullet-point lists and pullout boxes.
• Could the data be better presented in a chart, infographic or database?
Does it need to be written?
***

Mapping
Some of the most common mapping tools used by journalists include the
aforementioned ArcGIS, the cloud-based mapping software from Esri; Carto.
com (great for animated timelapse maps), Google MyMaps, Open Street Map,
MapBox, Maptive, StoryMap JS and the aforementioned Tableau Public,
among many others. Flourish and Datawrapper are among the most popular
as they have simple choropleth, symbol and locator maps templates that are
intuitive and easy to use.
MyMaps is one of the most basic tools for map-building. It will han-
dle a spreadsheet of data up to 1,000 rows and geolocate the addresses or
other location data in the map. It allows for layering shapefiles and offers
nine ­different basemaps. Developers have control over shapes of the pin-
points and colors and can easily integrate text, images and videos into
the pinpoints. The exercises in this chapter will get you started with this
tool.
 Data Journalism 131

Types of Maps
There are dozens of different types of maps that you can use to tell a story, but
these are some that are most commonly used by journalists:

• Pin map: The most-common type of interactive map uses geocoding to

assign map coordinate locations and provide data about that location. This
is typically done through loading a spreadsheet into a tool such as Google
MyMaps, [Link] or another mapping tool. The map will geocode city
names, names of buildings, street addresses, longitude-latitude, postal
codes and more.
• Cluster map: Also known as a bubble map, a cluster map is an excellent
alternative to a pin map that might have several tightly packed markers
together in one area, according to Maptive. So instead of a large conglom-
erate of pins, you get a clean cluster icon that displays key information
and corresponds with the number of markers contained in it. Zooming in
reveals individual markers that are clickable.
• Choropleth map: Popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, these maps
shade areas based on a value. For example, a country with more positive
COVID-19 cases is shaded darker than a country with fewer. A legend
typically shows the gradient scale and range of the data. They’re common
because they are easy for readers to understand
• Symbol map: This map appends symbols to show location or another form
of data that can be applied to geographical locations. Tableau Public cites
symbol maps as a way to point out the cities that have been hit by hur-
ricanes throughout a period of time, with each symbol sized (scaled) to
indicate the total number of hurricanes.
• Locator map: Shows the location of a particular geographic area within its
larger and presumably more familiar context. The map can be used on its
own or as an inset for a larger map – for instance, highlighting Ireland in a
map of the world to show its location.
• Heat map: Unlike choropleth maps, heat maps are not tied to a bound-
ary. Instead, they have a color-code using the density of points. If there is a
high density of crimes in an area, it shades the area as red. Fewer cases are
orange, yellow, etc.
***

Cool Google MyMaps Examples

For seven years I did Google tools trainings in newsrooms all over the
United States and the world. Traveling to 41 states, I taught journalists,
professors and students how to build basic maps in Flourish and Google
MyMaps. Below are four basic MyMaps produced in newsrooms where
I did trainings.
132 Data Journalism

For students, MyMaps is a good “starter tool” for learning mapping.

Santa Barbara Mudslides/Fires Evacuation Zones

A Santa Barbara Independent map shows 17 of the 23 victims from the

mudslides may have been living under no evacuation notice of any sort.
This illustrates an important role mapping plays in keeping people safe. It
was built by the Independent’s Brandon Yedgari. [Link]
com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1cHTu9A0R2oZjex4umwbIqqA6TEFgBV
L4&ll=34.42604599418186%2C-119.58643346234783&z=13

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Homicides Map

A great visual archive of the year’s homicides. Note the link at the bottom
of each summary to the news story. [Link]
multimedia/special/st-louis-area-homicide-map/html_5964376e-
[Link]

Knoxville: Underground Railroad Bike Tour

The Knoxville News Sentinel found an effective way to complement a

story on the Underground Railroad by building this map. [Link]
[Link]/story/money/business/2018/06/12/conservative-
liberal-bike-underground-railroad-route-inspire-unity/684846002

Nashville Pothole Repairs

The Nashville Tennessean built this map with data produced off the city’s data
portal. [Link]
potholes-interstate-traffic-tennessee-department-transportation/408620002

***

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Data Journalism

In 2022, investigative reporter Samantha Sunne and I authored a book “Data +
Journalism” and featured a bonus chapter on our book’s blog about diver-
sity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI, in data reporting. Sunne, who
authored the chapter, raised some critical questions: “How can we incorporate
data, and keep up with trends, while keeping diversity and inclusion in mind?
How can we avoid leaving some groups behind, or emphasizing a status quo
that leaves historically excluded communities at a disadvantage?”
Part of the answer came from Neema Roshania Patel, editor of The Wash-
ington Post’s Next Generation team, who wrote a terrific set of five framing
questions for a story for Poynter:
 Data Journalism 133

1. Are we including the voices of the people most affected by what’s

happening?
2. How are we defining “experts” in this story?
3. Are we engaging with a diverse range of sources, even when the story isn’t
explicitly about marginalized groups?
4. Are we making assumptions about our readers?
5. How are we explaining our process to sources?

As with any story, data-driven pieces need diverse sources and voices. This goes
beyond interviewing people impacted by the issue. It also involves actively
seeking diverse expert sources in stories on any subject.
But how do we find them? Here are some excellent databases:

Sources of Color
Journalists, PR pros and diverse experts all in one place. The site is free for
journalists but charges PR pros.
[Link]
Database of experts features underrepresented voices and perspectives in sci-
ence, health and environment work.
NPR Diverse Sources Database
Find experts from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the media. It
also includes a featured “source of the week” and a state-by-state map of
experts in your area.
People of Color Also Know Stuff
This online platform connects journalists with subject matter experts and peo-
ple of color who have stories to tell. POC uses customized matching to
connect journalists with a diverse pool of potential interviewees.
Editors of Color: Database of Diverse Expert Databases
CUNY: Diverse Expert Databases
Library lists research guides helpful for finding diverse sources.
AAJA Studio – AAPI Sources
The Asian American Journalist Association’s curated directory offers news-
rooms a platform to connect with trusted AAPI media leaders, established
policy experts, academics and community leaders.
***

Video: Data Visualization Playlist

Select from more than 20 videos in this playlist of data visualization tool train-
ings: Flourish, Datawrapper, Tableau Public, Google MyMaps and more.
[Link]/playlist?list=PL6hKc1ARJkZI3vPhOj71kow6zcp
VM6VlJ
134 Data Journalism

Video Mobile Apps: Data Visualization

Learn how to build data visualizations on your smartphone or tablet
with mobile apps.
[Link]/watch?v=K32P5RJXJos

***

Exercises

Exercise 1: Scraping Data from a Web Page

Watch this video first, then follow the remaining steps to scrape data from the
FDIC Failed Banks list: [Link]/watch?v=yCSTqxcOrkU

1. Start with this formula:

=IMPORTHTML(“URL”,”table”, 0)
2. Add this URL to the formula. This is the page we’ll scrape: FDIC Failed
Bank List
=IMPORTHTML(“[Link]/resources/resolutions/bank-­
failures/failed-bank-list/”,“ELEMENT HERE”, NUMBER OF
ELEMENT ON PAGE HERE)
­
3. Add this type of element to the formula: table and 0
=IMPORTHTML(“[Link]/resources/resolutions/
bank-failures/failed-bank-list/”,“table”,0)
4. Code you enter into cell A1 on the Google Sheet. Just copy and paste this
into a Google Sheet:
=IMPORTHTML(“[Link]/resources/resolutions/
bank-failures/failed-bank-list/”,“table”,0)
**Note: Depending on your Google Sheets language settings, the delim-
iter in the function could be “,” or “;” It’s usually a comma.
5. One problem: If you go to type on the screen after you scrape, your data
disappears. This is because the spreadsheet is linked to the web page. When
the web page updates, so does the sheet.
=IMPORTHTML(“[Link]/resources/resolutions/
bank-failures/failed-bank-list/”,“table”,0)
6. To remedy the issue, highlight all the data on the screen and copy it. Then
click on the Plus Sign in the lower left corner of the Google Sheet to open
a new tab in the spreadsheet. Click on the “Sheet 2” language on the tab to
rename it “EDITS” or whatever you want.
Pro tip: You always, always, always work off a COPY of your dataset in case
you mess something up.
7. To paste the data into the new sheet, click into cell A1, then go to the
Edit > Paste Special > Paste values only menu at the top and click (see
 Data Journalism 135

Figure 5.11 Google Sheets pulldown menu

­ igure 5.11). Presto! Your data appears in the new sheet and is now e­ ditable.
F
You still have your original scraped sheet in the first tab.

Learn more: Practice the formula with these links below. Just paste one
over the words URL and then place the entire formula into a Google sheet.

=IMPORTHTML(“URL”,”table”, 0)

[Link]/fire-information/statistics/wildfires
[Link]/bridge/nbi/no10/[Link]
[Link] [Link]/covid-vaccinations#source-information-­
country-by-country
[Link]/[Link]/[Link]
[Link]/resources/resolutions/bank-failures/failed-bank-list
[Link]/origin/ny/[Link]
[Link]/origin/ny/2020/[Link]
***
Scraping PDFs and Images: Many times datasets are embedded in native
or scanned PDFs, such as older government documents or even data that
the government doesn’t want people to easily access. Data also can appear in
photographs.
So that leads to the question: What tools do reporters need to scrape data
from PDFs and images? There are many good choices:

Tabula: [Link]
Tabula is a free tool that you can download to your computer’s hard drive. It
scrapes tables out of. PDFs and offers strong security and privacy compared
to other tools in which you upload a file to a live website.
Training video: [Link]/watch?v=eVQ93FTtph0
[Link]: [Link]
136 Data Journalism

Scrape native and scanned PDFs with this free tool. Be careful with
security as you are loading your document to a live website that could
get hacked.
TinyWow: [Link]
Dozens of free file conversion tools, including PDF to Excel, converting
spreadsheets, video, etc.
Training video: [Link]/watch?v=AvdpqJaMCQ8
CometDocs: [Link]

For more data scraping exercises, visit [Link]

***

How to Scrape Data from an Image

Set up a free account on Google Pinpoint ([Link]
[Link]/pinpoint), then watch the training video to see how to
extract data from an image.
[Link]/watch?v=PYY_WsEXkX0&t=34s

***

Exercise 2: Chicago Homicides by Year Column Chart in [Link]

Before starting on the assignment, set up a free account at [Link].

Then follow these step-by-step directions:

1. Download the data from this folder: [Link] It’s

labeled “1chihomicidesbyyear1990–[Link]” on the far left.
2. Open the Column Chart template, hit the upload button in the upper
right and upload the data. Click back on the preview tab to see what your
data looks like. Note: The horizontal bar chart and line chart templates
will work for this as well.
3. In the upper left corner, type this into the Untitled Visualization field:
Chicago Homicides by Year (1990–2021).
 Data Journalism 137

4. In the preview mode, click on the Footer menu on the right side of the interface.
5. Place this text in the Title field: Chicago Homicides by Year (1990–2021).
6. Place this text in the Text field: Chicago ended 2021 with 797 homicides,
the most since 1996. It was 23 more than recorded in 2020 and 291 more
than 2019. Chicago had 3,561 shooting incidents in 2021, just over 300
more than were recorded in 2020 and 1,415 more than in 2019.
7. Go to the Footer menu on the right side of the page. In the Source: field
type: Chicago Police Department. In the Source Link: field paste this link:
[Link]
8. In the notes section underneath the Source fields, add your credit:
Graphic/Your Name.
9. Hit the Export and Publish button in the upper right and follow the directions.
• You also can add a second graphic with a searchable table by loading the
same spreadsheet into the Table (default) template on Flourish.
10. Here’s what the chart should look like when finished: [Link]
[Link]/visualisation/8289582
***

Exercise 3: Datawrapper Choropleth Map

I first learned this exercise during an online training by John Keefe, editor of
weather data at The New York Times. It’s one of the best ways to learn how
to build a choropleth map.

1. Set up a free account at [Link]

2. Then download this data slugged Datawrapper COVID counties from this
public folder: [Link]
orfEgTZU8OccqjEqnAQ
3. Then open Datawrapper and choose maps from the Create new project folder.
4. Then choose the Choropleth Map option on the left side of the page. Now
start the build:
a. Select USA-Counties (2022) from the list of map templates (should be
on the first screen or search for it).
b. Load the dataset into the map (note some read columns are special PR
codes; not an issue).
c. Go to the Match tab and change Values from Column E to Column G
(rate). Click the bar to the right side of Column G and make sure Values
is selected from the bottom of the pulldown menu (Figure 5.12).
d. Proceed to color palette and set to this: Steps, Natural Breaks (Jenks),
categories at 5 and the red-yellow palette, the second from the top of
the pulldown menu (Figure 5.13). Make sure the top setting, Select
Column, is set to cases average per 100k.
e. Under Annotate, add headline, byline, etc. Here’s the link to the source data
from The New York Times to drop in the Link to Data field: [Link]
com/nytimes/covid-19-data. Here’s how it all should look (Figure 5.14):
138 Data Journalism

Figure 5.12 Example of how to scrape data from a website using a Google Sheet

Figure 5.13 Datawrapper choropleth map settings

f. Now let’s fix the tooltips so it shows the right information when you
scroll over the counties. Turn on the tooltips toggle at the bottom of
the Annotate tab (see Figure 5.14). Then delete the GEOID code from
the top field and hit the blue “+county” button at the bottom to sub in
the name of the county. That way people will see the county name and
the data when they roll over the county on the map.
7. Finally, go to the Publish and Embed tab in the upper right corner and
select the Visualization Only and Responsive iFrame Settings, then hit
the blue publish button. Then copy the link or embed code as needed.
***

Exercise 4: Create a Data Dictionary

A data dictionary provides a detailed description of the dataset, which includes

the meaning of each column, the type of the data and any other relevant infor-
mation. Let’s make one with a simple dataset:
 Data Journalism 139

Figure 5.14 Datawrapper choropleth map settings

Prompt: Make a data dictionary with the following dataset, then paste the
header and first 8–10 rows of data into ChatGPT.
Now try it yourself. Here’s a practice dataset of bridge inspections: https://
[Link]/bridgedataset
Copy the first eight rows and paste after the prompt: Can you make a data
dictionary with the following dataset:
Or paste this after it if you’re using the ebook:

State Bridge Counts Bridge Area (Square Meters)

All Good Fair Poor All Good Fair Poor

ALABAMA 16,162 6,740 8,768 654 9,892,013 3,660,437 5,987,624 243,952

ALASKA 1,595 706 744 145 745,016 285,999 401,686 57,330
ARIZONA 8,320 5,098 3,085 137 5,875,021 3,193,076 2,598,212 83,732
ARKANSAS 12,902 6,598 5,678 626 6,807,904 3,293,464 3,207,207 307,234
CALIFORNIA 25,771 13,707 10,267 1,797 30,105,500 16,365,750 11,584,467 2,155,282
COLORADO 8,785 3,550 4,769 466 5,059,489 2,328,947 2,469,248 261,294
CONNECTICUT 4,336 1,256 2,805 275 3,439,401 590,320 2,498,953 350,127
DELAWARE 879 248 603 28 1,018,350 193,808 769,982 54,560
DIST. OF COL. 244 60 174 10 566,541 74,311 437,114 55,116
FLORIDA 12,518 8,279 3,878 361 17,673,167 11,507,507 5,855,382 310,278
GEORGIA 14,940 6,796 7,703 441 10,336,351 5,189,559 4,938,988 207,804

Result: You should get a table with a perfect dictionary of header terms,
examples of the data and measured distance.
***
140 Data Journalism

Footnotes
These resources do not include links from the exercises and training videos.
2020 COVID-19 Cases by State and Country: [Link]
story/690567/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=story/690567
American Journalism Review: How Journalism Professors Used Legos to Teach Super
Bowl Data Visualization: [Link]
legos-teach-super-bowl-data-visualization
BBC: COVID-19 in the UK: [Link]/news/uk-51768274
Canva: [Link]
CBS Chicago: More Than 7,000 Kias and Hyundais Have Been Stolen in Chicago:
[Link]/chicago/video/more-than-7000-kias-and-hyundais-have-
been-stolen-in-chicago-this-year/#x
Chartbeat: Most Engaging Stories of 2020: [Link]
most-engaging-stories-2020
Data + Journalism Blog: DEI and Data Journalism: [Link]
2023/01/02/bonus-chapter-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-data-reporting
Datawrapper: [Link]
Eurostat: [Link]
Flourish: [Link]
Global Investigative Journalists Network Resource Center: [Link]
org/support/home
Google Chrome Store: [Link]
Google Dataset Search: [Link]
Google MyMaps: [Link]
Google Public Data Explorer: [Link]/publicdata/directory
Infogram: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox Data Journalism: [Link]/category/data-
visualization-and-online-tools
Journalist’s Toolbox Public Records: [Link]/category/public-records
Lucid Charts: What Is a Venn Diagram?: [Link]/pages/tutorial/venn-diagram
OrgCharting: What Is a Hierarchy Chart: [Link]/what-is-a-hierarchy-chart
Our World in Data: [Link]
Pew Research Center: [Link]
ProPublica: Driven into Debt: [Link]/series/driven-into-debt
Treemap: Chicago 2022 City Budget Graphic: [Link]
8988206
[Link]: [Link]
WBEZ Chicago: Chicago’s Towing Program Is Broken: [Link]
brokentowing
WBEZ Chicago: Lawsuit Challenges Constitutionality of Chicago’s Car Impound P ­ rogram:
[Link]/stories/lawsuit-challenges-constitutionality-of-chicagos-car-impound-
program/c29c21ef-abcd-482d-b890-257a942fc73f
WBEZ Chicago: Tens of Thousands of People Lost Driver’s Licenses Over Unpaid
Parking Tickets. Now, They’re Getting Them Back: [Link]/stories/illinois-
governor-pritzker-signs-law-ending-license-suspensions-for-parking-tickets/
5da945db-08a0-4690-9a04-8f5f2f9c5904
6 Mobile Journalism

Key Resources
Smart Film School: [Link]/
The Smart School platform, founded by “Mobile Journalism” author Robb
Montgomery, delivers certificate-level courses in mobile journalism, digital
storytelling and smartphone video production that are used by universi-
ties, journalists, broadcasters, and media development training programs
worldwide.
Luma Fusion and VN Video Editor apps
***
Shortly after the iPhone debuted in 2007, Robb Montgomery stood on a
stage in Egypt, pulled his shiny new iPhone out of his pocket and told the
audience that “this is the most powerful reporter’s notebook ever invented.”
Although BlackBerrys and other PDAs, as well as video phones, had
been on the market years before Montgomery stepped on that stage, he
saw the iPhone’s potential. Some reporters had already practiced “backpack
­journalism” – carrying small point-and-shoot cameras, an HDV camcorder, a
Zoom H4 audio recorder and a laptop – dating back to the early 2000s.
But the iPhone – along with the Androids and other smartphone competitors –
changed everything. Now journalists carried a mobile newsroom in their
pockets. They could document history with the push of a couple of buttons.
It was truly a game-changer and still is 17 years later.
“The tools have gotten smaller and far more capable, but the opportuni-
ties for journalists to go out into the field to find, capture, edit, script and
transmit a story without ever returning to the newsroom are the same,” said

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-7
142 Mobile Journalism

Montgomery, author of two journalism textbooks: “Smartphone Video Story-

telling” and “Mobile Journalism.” “It is the fluency with picture language that
is missing from most reporters’ toolkits, not the tech.”
When the iPhone debuted, the camera was “probably the worst feature of
it,” said Montgomery, a former Chicago newspaper editor who now teaches
mobile documentary and short-form storytelling at his Smart Film School,
which has served thousands of journalists from news organizations from India,
Europe, the United States, Asia and the Middle East since 2015.
“It’s the exact opposite of where we are now,” he said. “With something
like iPhone 13 ProMax, you have the ability to do amazing cinematography,
documentary journalism, photojournalism and broadcast radio reporting –
whatever you want to do.”
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to use a smartphone to record video and
audio, what apps to use to cover news stories, how to manage your mobile
workflow, how to organize apps and how to build stories for a mobile audience.

Mobile Journalism: Past, Present and Future

Before exploring where journalism is headed with mobile journalism, it’s
important to first understand its roots. Photojournalists have been using port-
able tools since the 35mm Leica camera hit the market in 1913. It gave report-
ers freedom to capture news from nearly anywhere.
As technology progressed, cameras became lighter. Video cameras meant
news could be documented remotely and not shared only from a studio news
desk. By 1940, RCA released the Walkie-Lookie, the first black-and-white
portable camera that let journalists record what they saw on tape.
Over the years, the technology got better – and smaller. By the early and
mid-2000s, small HD cameras, video cams like the Sony Bloggie Cam and the
DSLR cameras were widely used by journalists and the public. Technology is
improving at a rapid pace, but Montgomery says that if you want to get good
at “mojo,” journalists should remember that it’s not about the technology.
“The tech is only going to get better,” Montgomery said. “It’s never going
to go back. Technology never, ever marches backward.”
Mobile market data supports that perspective. As of 2022, there were
more than 6.8 billion smartphone users worldwide (Statista, 2022). With the
global population at 8 billion, that means a smartphone penetration of more
than 80%. The number has increased rapidly: In 2016, there were 3.7 billion
smartphone users, meaning the number increased by 86.5% in just seven years.
Mobile commerce sales hit $3.56 trillion by 2021.
Since 2013, mobile traffic began to surpass desktop traffic for many web-
sites, including news sites. News audiences wanted their information on the
go, which opened opportunities – and challenges – for journalists. While jour-
nalists are encouraged to write short, tight, stories for mobile, a 2016 Pew
Center report found long-form stories actually perform better with mobile
audiences.
 Mobile Journalism 143

Figure 6.1 Chart of U.S. cellphone and smartphone ownership from 2011 to 2021
Source: Pew Research Center. (Chart/Mike Reilley)

Pew studied 117 million mobile phone interactions on content from 30

news websites. It found that readers spend more than twice the amount of
time reading and scrolling through articles longer than 1,000 words than
they do short-form stories, according to the book “Mobile-First Journalism”
(Routledge, Hill and Bradshaw). The study also said readers spent more time
with longer content in the morning than in the evening.
Smartphones give everyone a chance to document history’s rough draft.
Mobile journalists are often the first to respond when covering crisis ­situations.
Many of them blend into the crowd and don’t stand out like a news crew.
Journalists, as well as eyewitnesses, can record breaking news stories from
a variety of angles and perspectives. That’s what makes crowdsourcing, which
we explored in Chapter 4, so important. Showing more perspectives on a story
gives the reader better context.
During the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis and Chicago in 2020,
video footage and photos from witnesses and the protesters themselves showed
a much different perspective from video that the media or even police body
cameras provided. Media showed wider shots. Protesters were in the trenches
and shared video of police violence. Police social media accounts shared video
of protesters assaulting police officers. One story, several perspectives.
The portability of smartphones gives journalists greater versatility to tell
breaking news stories from the field. Instead of loading photos onto a laptop
144 Mobile Journalism

and posting to a website, the images can be shared immediately from the phone.
Marc Settle, smartphone reporting trainer at the BBC College of Journalism,
says the phones have reduced backpack journalism to a small bag containing a
microphone, a tripod and some additional storage. A hotspot and extra battery is
helpful, but really only three things are vital – a phone, tripod and microphone.
Mobile-first thinking has been popular in Europe and many countries
around the globe, but has been slow to gain footing in the United States,
which still clings to more traditional online and broadcast storytelling. Still,
many see the potential . . . and progress.
Montgomery has taught mobile journalism workshops and courses in
broadcast, print and digital newsrooms in more than 30 countries, and he sees
a wide gap in the adoption rate globally. In Germany, the United States and
other “tech-centric meccas” for journalists, mojo has not really taken off yet.
“In Asia, Latin America, France, Austria, U.K., Spain, Africa, Austria, Italy
and Scandinavia, mojo is a well-known and practiced mode of operating in the
field for top-end broadcasters and everyone else for that matter,” he said. “The
mojo storytelling obstacles for reporters of almost every stripe that I have
worked with are the same.
“Their main obstacles are a lack of visual storytelling literacy rather than a
lack of tech fluency.”
Still, there’s hope in the United States and beyond.
In a 2022 Harvard Nieman Lab post, Columbia University professor and vis-
ual journalist Mario Garcia predicted more newsrooms would go mobile-first in
the coming years: “While there has been tremendous progress over the past year
in gearing content to mobile devices, it’s still a challenge – one that will deter-
mine how successfully media houses across the planet can become mobile-first
newsrooms, leading to more creation of stories crafted for mobile consumption,
which in turn lead to higher retention levels and, of course, more subscribers.
Garcia wrote that the transition will require two things:

1. Restructuring the newsroom: Doing so would incorporate more content

managers whose main job is to follow stories, updating them as needed and
using more video and audio as accessories to enhance content.
2. Incorporating new blood into the mix: The majority of those making
news content decisions should be digital natives. They understand that, in a
mobile world, they don’t follow editions – but rather concentrate on stories
and how to keep them constantly updated for those mobile readers who
lean forward into their phones at all hours of the day and night.

Visual Storytelling and Mobile Journalism

Montgomery said the key to visual storytelling is to understand the language
behind the technology – the language of filmmaking.
 Mobile Journalism 145

“That’s why I love to teach this language to journalists because once you
understand the language, then you begin to write,” he said. “You have to learn
how to speak and you have to learn how to listen to it.”
To do this, you must learn to write to images, both still and moving. So
once you have the photos and video in hand, you can write a script or do an
on-the-fly voiceover to provide details that the multimedia cannot.
“Mojo kind of flips the script on you and says: No Picture, No Story,”
Montgomery said. “So we start out by learning how to report in pictures as
a photojournalist, then working with shots as a filmmaker, and then learning
how to write with those pictures like an editor, and then writing to those pic-
tures like a scriptwriter.
“And that process is powerful. That allows you to practice it every day
because the phone is in your pocket. The tech is always there. The apps are
either free or low cost. Really, the reason for illiteracy is not the tech.”
In his workshops, Montgomery helps journalists to produce compelling,
visually led stories with their phones by adopting a simple workflow:

• Report in pictures first

• Then write with pictures
• And lastly, write to pictures

“In newsrooms where this reporting flow is understood as a standard

reporting mode,” he said, “reporters, editors and producers are better
equipped to exploit the potential of the story forms that mobile journalism
unleashes.”
Montgomery followed that approach when building his award-winning
“Ice Swimming” video during a 2018 training trip to Helsinki, Finland.
In the 91-second video, he uses slow-motion shots, still images and other
video to show people climbing into the cold and hot pools while one of the
participants narrates the story. He matches the videos and images up to the
words the narrator says.
For example, when she mentions saunas, Montgomery uses a clip of people
walking to the saunas. When she talks about climbing in and out of the cold
pool, he has footage of that. When she talks about the warm pools, he has a
shot of the steam rising off of one. The piece was honored as the “Best Film
Shot on a Smartphone” at the Sunlight International Film Festival in 2019 in
Berlin, and was a finalist at many other competitions.
“That’s powerful to be able to write with pictures, and then be able to
write to pictures whether you have a voiceover or you have text over video,”
Montgomery said. “Text and sequences, news stories told like this, are not
something that were invented in the social media age. They’re more than a
century old.”
146 Mobile Journalism

Figure 6.2 Screenshot from Robb Montgomery’s “Ice Swimming” video, including

closed captioning

Montgomery used the video and clips as a training example for the Nor-
dic Press Association on that trip. He had never had a source do a voiceover
to video and images before. He told the woman in the story that the “pic-
tures are now going to interview you” and had her watch the video as she
spoke.
“Mojo unlocks new ways of thinking because there are no limitations,” he
said. “You’re looking at a sequence you’re like, ‘You know what, I could do
a voiceover or I could do the traditional broadcast thing.’ I could ask you to
write a script and you will go through and make it very methodical.
“But I wanted something that was a little bit more immediate. And my
sense was that if it was immediate, [it] might have some more emotional body
and it worked. She just recorded what she saw and what she remembered in
the movies. It was the pictures interviewing her.”
***

Producing Smartphone Video

Early in the semester, I do a lecture with my students called “The 10
Commandments of Shooting Mobile Video.” The training is built off a
digital video training presentation Al Tompkins did at the Poynter Insti-
tute in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2010. I always liked the framing for this
lecture – I do my best Charlton Heston impression – but some of the tips
and tricks have changed over the years as mobile phone camera technology
improved.
 Mobile Journalism 147

My latest version of the 10 commandments:

1. Thou Shalt Not Zoom with Thy Lens. Zoom with your feet, not the
lens. Move closer to your subject and frame the shot. You’ll get better-
quality video and audio. Use the lens zoom on your phone only if you’re
in a restricted area and can’t get closer to the subject. Remember, you’re
after sequences: wide, medium and close, so you’ll want to move around
a lot and shoot a variety of distances and angles.
Think about the makeup of a story as sequences:
a. 50% closeups
b. 25% medium shots
c. 25% wide shots
The key is to shoot tightly and get those close shots.
A great example of shooting in sequences is this digital video about
Mexican grey wolves produced by Laura Sposato, one of my former
students at Arizona State’s Cronkite News Digital Production Bureau.
Sposato produced a video entirely narrated by the source and mixed in
that range of sequences. Like Montgomery, she tied the audio to the
video at key transitions. She used both an iPhone and a DSLR camera
when shooting.
2. Thou Shalt Compose Thy Shots on the Thirds: Your smartphone
allows you to turn on the thirds framing option (it varies by type of
phone). The intersecting lines on the third should have key elements of
the shot. If you’re shooting someone in an interview, don’t center them
in the shot. Instead, have them off to the left or right a little bit, so their
face intersects with the upper thirds (see Figure 6.3).
3. Thou Shalt Keep Thy Shot Steady for at Least 10 Seconds With
B-Roll. Bring a tripod, even if you don’t think you’ll need it. If you don’t
have a tripod, use your elbows on a table to form a tripod. Or hold your
elbows close to your body to stabilize the shot. Smartphones are heavier
than you think, and after about 30 seconds, your hands will begin to shake.
4. Thou Shalt Think in Terms of Context, Not Just Soundbites. Be
careful with editing too tightly. Quotes can be edited down so tightly that
it changes the meaning of what the person was saying. Remember to edit
to the full context of what was being said, even if you have to paraphrase
in a voice-over.
5. Thou Shalt Shoot a Variety of Angles. Sposato’s video was a classic
example of this step. But the rule also applies when shooting and editing
interview videos. Try not to cut off the top of a source’s head or make
them look squat when framing the shot. When you must frame a body,
frame it in logical places, such as the waist, not the ankles, elbow or wrists.
148 Mobile Journalism

Figure 6.3 Mobile journalist Rob Layton uses the rule of thirds to frame his shot
Source: Photo/Rob Layton

And apply the rule of thirds – one-third of the frame above the eyes,
one-third below the neck. The space at the bottom is especially impor-
tant if you’re going to identify the source in lower-third text under-
neath their face. You don’t want the text to run over the lower part of
their face.
6. Thou Shalt Focus Thy Story Into Three Words. “Who Did What?”
or Noun-Verb-Object. It’s a simple way to start the editing process. My
students are sometimes overwhelmed by all of the video they have. That’s
a good thing, because they can be selective with edits and what they
want to use in the story. But editing an hour of content into a three-
minute mobile video can be daunting. Start with “who did what,” then
decide how you want to organize it: narrative, timeline, process, chapters,
etc. Once you have that organizational structure, editing becomes much
easier.
7. Thou Shalt Always Wear Thy Headphones When Recording and
Editing. I’m stunned by how many students don’t wear headphones or
at least ear pods when recording. If you don’t have headphones, at least
do some test audio before starting the interview.
8. Hold Thy Camera the Right Way. Hold it vertically if you’re shoot-
ing video for social channels, which use “vertical video.” But if you’re
 Mobile Journalism 149

shooting for TV or YouTube, hold the phone horizontally. An easy

way to remember it is, your TV sits horizontally, so should your
phone.
9. Thou Shalt Seek Great Natural Sound and Not Talk While Shooting.
Over the years, I learned that I often said uh-huh as I interviewed people.
This was OK as a newspaper journalist, though it probably annoyed some
of my sources. But when I started to use my audio for the web, it was
a catastrophe. I made an easy adjustment: Rather than speaking, I just
nodded my head to show the sources that I understood what they were
saying.
The same holds true with background noise. Interviewing someone near
an elevator? Move away as the ding and the bustle from people getting
on and off the elevator is distracting in the background. Avoid loud air
conditioners, traffic, anything that can ruin the audio, unless you have no
choice.
10. Thou Shalt Put the Camera on the Shadow Side of the Subject. Pay
attention to perpendicular lighting that’s coming from the sides of your
subject. Move to the darker side of their face and shoot from that angle.
If you shoot from the lit side, the opposite side of their face will look dark
and sinister.

Figure 6.4 How to hold your smartphone

Source: Illustration by Billy O’Keefe
150 Mobile Journalism

I also remind students to bring a lens cloth to keep the lens clean (don’t
use your shirt) and to set the phone to airplane mode so incoming calls
and alerts don’t interrupt the video. Montgomery has these tips and
many more in a poster you can hang in your newsroom or classroom
(Figure 6.5).

Figure 6.5 Robb Montgomery’s smartphone video tips

 Mobile Journalism 151

Ten Types of Mobile Video

In his book “Mobile Journalism”, Montgomery focuses on 10 kinds of mobile
videos that journalists can make with mobile devices. The most-common
forms are as follows:

Quick Hit: Short pieces of multimedia shot and produced in the field. It can
be a quick scene or a short interview edited into a social media clip for
Twitter, Instagram Stories, TikTok or SnapChats. This also can be some
raw video from a breaking story.
Livestream: Typically from a breaking news scene, this video is streamed over
the reporter’s phone to a livestream embed on a website or through a social
media channel, such as Facebook Live or Twitter. Reporters will often nar-
rate the video for a breaking story, unless it’s a stream of a live interview or
press conference.
Demonstration: This type of video shows a process: how a chef makes a dish,
how a bartender builds a cocktail, or how a musician plays a song. Try to
think of stories that follow step-by-step processes.
Explainer: This approach provides background on a complex issue, such as
a whiteboard video explaining how mail-in voting works (built with the
VideoScribe app). They typically display a sequence of events to provide a
quick overview.
Kinogram: This is a text-over-video approach that became popular during
silent movies. It works well with short mobile videos as the text narrates
the story if the audio quality is poor for some reason. You can layer in some
rights-free music in the background to give the video a little more flavor.
News package: These are shot as a traditional newscast video and features a
reporter’s voice-over, sound bites and visual sequences. The reporter also
may do a stand-up introduction and close on the video.
Walkthrough: The reporter acts as a tour guide of sorts through a scene,
which can be done through video clips, selfie filming or a wide shot. The
reporters narrate the scene as they walk through it.
Graphical: A “by the numbers” story that can include charts, maps and other
graphics to explain the issue. Whiteboard videos work well here, as well as
slideshows in [Link], which you can play through as a slideshow
and narrate as the graphics pop up. All you need to do is record your desk-
top on Quicktime Video or another screencasting tool, such as Screenr or
Screencast-o-matic
Slideshow: If you have a strong mix of photos and videos, slideshows are a
great way to tell a story. I combined the slideshow approach with a timeline
to show how an old building was torn down next to my home and a new,
10-floor apartment complex was built there.
Short documentary: The most-demanding of all the approaches, these videos
can last up to several minutes. The reporter uses visual sequences, natural
sound and interviews with sources to build the video along with graphics
and some text.
152 Mobile Journalism

When you pitch a story idea to editors, think in terms of these types of videos
to have a plan going in. Think of a “shot sheet” of sequences you can shoot.
But also be flexible; many times my students returned from shooting a video
and shifted to a new type of video format during the shoot. Let the content
dictate the format, not vice versa.

What’s in Your Bag? Mobile Gear

Phone, battery/charger, tripod/mount and microphone are the essentials,
but Montgomery’s gear kit also includes a grip that securely attaches your
phone to any tripod, large or small, to keep shots stable. He also suggests
using a lapel mic that can attach to your subject, and a facelight or reflector to
illuminate your subject.
Røde Vlogger kits are useful for capturing good sound, and it also includes
a small LED light, Montgomery said. Røde, Sennheiser and Shure micro-
phones all produce great audio, he said. For iPhones, he recommends adding
the Røde SC6-L two mic adapter.
A basic mobile kit can be relatively inexpensive if you watch for online sales,
anywhere from $200 to $300 maximum. Kodak’s lightweight tripods run $30
and include a carrying case.
The gear is lightweight and easily fits in a small bag, making it appealing
to journalists who travel or are working in remote areas and poor conditions.
***

Settings for an iPhone’s Native Camera

Rob Layton, Assistant Professor of Mobile Journalism at Bond Univer-
sity in Gold Coast, Australia, said the most important app for any visual
journalist is the native camera. He advocates for this ahead of third-party
apps because it’s an essential starting point.
“Journalists should understand what the native camera can do and set it
up for their needs,” he said.
“For example, Apple users should go to Settings > Camera and ex-
plore the list of options. Under Formats, decide whether you need High
Efficiency or Most Compatible. High Efficiency will use Apple’s propri-
etary HEIF/HEVC format, which will reduce file size for sending but
the files may not be compatible with non-Apple devices.
“Most Compatible will do as it says but image quality will be reduced.
Another tip, while exploring Camera Settings, is to set video frame rates
to match the country’s electricity hertz cycle. This will avoid lights flick-
ering in the video. For example, in Australia – and most of the world –
 Mobile Journalism 153

the hertz cycle is 50hz per second, so set the frame rate to 25 as it is
evenly divisible into 50.
“In the U.S., it’s 60hz, so set the frame rate to 30. Further, look at the
actual camera app and understand the functions. With Apple devices, tap
and hold the screen to lock exposure and focus. Then, run a finger up or
down to adjust exposure.
“You also need to understand the different focal lengths of each of
the phone’s cameras and how they will serve the story: ultra-wide/wide
for establishing shots, 2x for medium shots, 3x for narrow field of view
and bringing far objects closer. Once the native camera is understood,
move on to more professional video camera apps, such as Filmic Pro,
Cinema P3, BeastCam and Mavis.”

***

What’s Next? Wearables and . . . Bikes?

Layton is using smartphones, Apple Watch and other mobile technology to
document stories in new ways along Australia’s Gold Coast. A surfer, journalist
and educator, he incorporates mobile concepts and hands-on training into his
classes at Bond University as well as his documentary projects.
For the past few years, Layton has been syncing the Apple Watch with his
iPhone, iPad, laptop and other devices to produce incredible images in places
you cannot shoot with a traditional tripod set-up. He mounts them to surf-
boards, his car’s mirror and other places. The Apple Watch lets him zoom, set
exposure and take photos without touching the iPhone, iPad, etc.
“The watch has really become an integral part of my mobile journalism
workflow,” he said. “I really struggle to think how I ever live without it.
“I use a watch as a remote for the native camera and for the filmic Pro app,
which is probably the main reason that you would use your watch in mobile
journalism. But I also use my watch for a lot of instant information. I’m work-
ing on a documentary about surfing so I need to know weather conditions at
any given moment. My watch face is filled with at-a-glance information, such
as sunrise and sunset times, wind strength and direction, swell size and direc-
tion, tides, all the conditions I need to know. Journalists should arrange their
watch faces to reflect their areas of expertise.”
Layton uses the Apple Watch app on iPhone to install the native camera
interface to the watch face. That makes it possible for him to adjust some set-
tings directly on Watch by tapping the three dots next to the shutter button,
such as Live photos, HDR or swapping rear and front cameras. It also enables
154 Mobile Journalism

setting a timer, which is handy for quick behind-the-scenes shots. However,

most settings should be done through the phone app itself.
Other features the watch provides:

• Use a Watch remote to frame yourself if you’re doing a piece with a camera.
Often solo journalists need to press record, then step in front of the phone
for a moment, stop recording and playback to see their positioning. Apple
Watch remote allows you to frame up in real time.
• On the native camera you tap and hold the screen to lock focus and expo-
sure, and then run your finger up or down to adjust exposure. Once you
have yourself framed, it is possible to set the focus and the exposure directly
on the watch, but it’s not possible to adjust exposure. It’s best to do this
directly on the phone first.
• It’s also possible to toggle through the phone’s cameras by turning the
watch’s crown dial.

The BBC is experimenting with mobile journalism in a different way. In

the spring of 2023, it launched a “Bike Bureau” for green broadcasting. The
modified electric cargo bike has a desk, several mounts for mobile cameras,
microphones and lights. The desk provides a stable surface for a laptop or iPad
if the reporter is doing a remote standup. It’s designed for solo-operated and
solar-powered TV and radio live reports, as well as other newsgathering tasks.
Montgomery said the bike bureau has potential with newsrooms large and
small.
“If you don’t have the BBC’s budget, you’ve just got a waterproof bike bag,
a tent and a German touring bike, and you’re set,” said Montgomery, who
documented his own 1,000-kilometer bike trek in “The Grand Budapest Bike
Tour.” “You can get going for less than 100 bucks.”
***

Figure 6.6 Rob Layton’s iPhone rig to a sailboat (left) and the image it produced (right)
 Mobile Journalism 155

Figure 6.7 Using the Apple Watch to change settings and shoot images on a car-
mounted iPhone
Source: Photo courtesy Rob Layton

Jeremy Caplan: Seven Key Apps to Have on Your

Smartphone
Caplan, CUNY professor and author of the Wonder Tools newsletter,
lists his five critical phone apps he uses regularly:
Google Photos is great not just for viewing and backing up my photo
library but for sharing images and printing photo books.
Seek and Picture This are great nature apps for identifying animals
and plants.
Wakeout is excellent for mini exercise breaks during the workday.
Snipd is my podcast app of choice, with a unique feature that makes
it easy to highlight, save and share the best moments of whatever you’re
listening to.
Substack is what I use to publish my newsletter. I rely on the mobile
app to read dozens of other Substacks and to publish Notes, short Tweet-
length thoughts and curated tidbits. Along with Readwise Reader, it’s
where I do much of my online reading.

***

Apps, Apps and More Apps

This book’s introduction offered tips for managing your apps and organizing
your mobile life using periodic check-ins to delete unused apps, erase photos,
156 Mobile Journalism

video and audio off your phone or storing them in apps like Google Photos.
Google Drive or other multimedia servers.
It’s also important to measure your screen time. My iPhone sends me
weekly updates on whether my screen time is higher or lower than the pre-
vious week. Journalists also should organize their apps in a way that makes
sense to them, so they can find them quickly without having to search for
them.
If you have a lot of apps, like I do, you should organize them into folders
by type of tool. This helps you stay organized and can easily access more of
your most-used apps by simply tapping once to open the folder and once to
open the app. If you leave your apps all over your phone, you’ll have to swipe
through many screens before finding what you need. The search field requires
you to type, which also causes delays. So if you’re using your phone for cover-
ing breaking news, I strongly recommend that you organize your apps similar
to folders.
***

Sports Coverage: Four Key Apps from ESPN’s Adam

Rittenberg
Besides [Link] for transcriptions, Rittenberg uses four phone apps for report-
ing on national college football issues for ESPN. Here’s how he uses them:

YouTube: The video archive helps on a number of levels, from press confer-
ences or one-on-one interviews to game highlights or specific plays that I’m
writing about. I will always watch coaches I don’t know well to get a sense
of how they approach the media and interviews, and how they conduct
themselves in games. YouTube can be particularly helpful for older games
or news broadcasts.
Instagram: Many college athletes use IG as their preferred platform for major
announcements, like whether they will stay in school or go to the NFL
draft, or their transfer destinations. Although I am not active on IG, I will
monitor it along with Twitter and other platforms to ensure we don’t
miss any major news items.
iTunes/Apple Podcasts: The access these apps provide to notable pod-
casts are helpful to not only keep up with major storylines around college
 Mobile Journalism 157

football, but research for specific stories. I can also listen to full-length
interviews with coaches, players, administrators and other key figures
around the sport.
Twitter: I have a fairly large base of accounts I follow, which includes teams,
coach accounts, athletes and many key media members, both national and
local/regional. Twitter is particularly helpful during Mondays and Tues-
days of game weeks, as many coaches hold their main news conferences.
I also use Twitter for post-practice updates, key in-season and offseason
meetings, and to monitor major personnel announcements.
College football has become much more transactional with the transfer por-
tal, so following key players on social media – or the media members who
cover them – is essential to keep up. Twitter is also very important in the
recruiting space. Although I don’t cover recruiting 24/7, I want to keep up
with key commitments and signings, especially heading into the December
signing period.
ESPN/Fox Sports/CBS Sports/NBC Sports: I have to monitor as
many key games as possible during college football Saturdays, and these
apps help me keep track. I can watch live broadcasts or replays, as well
as highlights of plays or press conferences generating the most interest/
traction.
***

Apps for Journalists

This is by no means a comprehensive list of apps for journalists. A report-
er’s or photojournalist’s needs for apps vary by beats, platform and personal
taste. New apps come to market every week, so there’s always a new tool
to try.
Most of the apps listed here are free, but a few will cost a few bucks. But if
you think you will use them often, it will be money well spent. Always remem-
ber to check the iTunes or Google Play stores for updates. This will add new
features to your apps and fix any bugs.

Video and Audio Recording and Editing

Video shooting: Filmic Pro (iOS and Android)

Video editing: Luma Fusion (iOS only, $29), VN Video Editor (iOS and
Android and free and a paid upgrade), Kinemaster (iOS and Android),
VLLO, CapCut, PowerDirector, Alight Motion, FilmoraGo, Ferrite
Adobe Premiere Rush: Basic video editor; a step up from iMovie app
VidStitch: Build cool collage videos (think Brady Bunch opening or
Zoom)
DoubleTake: Record video with the front and rear cameras at the same time
Clips: Add text to live video (vertical video only)
158 Mobile Journalism

Figure 6.8 The DoubleTake app in action

Source: Photo courtesy Robb Montgomery

Clipomatic: Add text to recorded video (vertical video only)

Quik: Great video editing app from GoPro
Magisto and Flipagram: Build/edit videos and audio slideshows in these
easy-to-use apps
Emulsio: Video stabilization app; intuitive to use – just load your video and
adjust settings
Mojo: Video slideshows for Instagram stories
Audio recording: Voice Record Pro (iOS), RecForge Lite (Android)
Audio editing: Ferrite (iOS only), Hokusai, Anchor, Audio Evolution Mobile
Studio (Android)
Stills photography: VSCO (iOS, Android)
Photo editing: Snapseed (iOS, Android)
Slideshows: Inshot (slideshows), Adobe Spark Video, Storyline
Summary: Luma Fusion is the Ferrari of mobile video editing apps. It’s costly, but
the interface resembles Adobe Premiere for desktop and you can do detailed
editing. It’s worth the cost. But if you’re cash-strapped, try VN Video Editor,
which has both free and paid versions. The basic free version offers many of the
basic editing tools you’ll need: layers, text, audio, music, transitions, export, etc.
***

Videos: How to Use Multimedia Editing Apps

VN Video Editor: [Link]/watch?v=vQV743JqvnE
Hokusai (Audio): [Link]/watch?v=6NjzojQE2o0
Anchor (Audio): [Link]/watch?v=tr8deLLg4bw
***
 Mobile Journalism 159

Reporting

Notability
Create a reporter’s notebook on your phone. Catalogs everything – photos,
notes, video, etc.
[Link]
Transcribe audio in an instant. Chapter 1 covers how to use this tool, and its
benefits and drawbacks.
Police Radio
This app allows you to listen to police, fire and rescue and other emergency
calls in several cities across the country, including Chicago. It may not be
perfect, but it beats lugging a police scanner around.
ZIP Finder
Not sure of a city or neighborhood’s ZIP? Find it here. Also: Google it.
The basics: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Factbook, Wolfram Alpha
Look things up quickly, fact-check, etc.
CalcBot 2 (formerly Convertbot)
Great tool for converting heights, weights and other measurements. I use it
several times a week along with the calculator. Great for quick fact-checking
on stories, too.
WeatherBug
I like the interface better than the Weather Channel’s.
FlightTrack
Helpful for journalists who travel. I’ve found it to be very accurate for my
flights the few times I’ve used it.
AP Stylebook
Some journalists like this app, which costs $30, because it updates each year
and they don’t have to buy new print stylebooks. I prefer the online desktop
or the print version as they’re a little easier to use – and are a few dollars
cheaper.
Summary: CalcBot is very useful for data journalists, and its interface pro-
vides greater versatility on the fly than just typing a conversion or math
problem into Google. WeatherBug and FlightTrack are must-haves for any
journalist traveling.

Photography, Photo Editing and Effects

Camera +
One of the best tools to shoot with. Zoom and has a “rule of thirds” grid that
you can turn on when shooting.
Adobe Post
Layer text over photos. Super apps. Great for building mobile graphics. We’ll
use this in class. Other good ones: WordPhoto, Layout, Screenshots,
ThingLink (make it interactive).
160 Mobile Journalism

Figure 6.9 The This! App lets you layer text over images
Source: Graphic by Mike Reilley/photo courtesy @WrigleyAerials

Mojo, Type Art, Hype Type and Ripl

Animated type for extra effects. These tools work well for creating social media
graphics you can use on the fly.
This!
App by Tinrocket that lets you layer text and arrows on a photo to label things
(Figure 6.9).
GIF Toaster
Allows you to create GIFs out of anything – photos, video, photo bursts, and
live photos.
Lightroom, Photoshop Express
Editing and effects that the iPhone camera won’t let you do. It’s only basic
edits, but if you’re working as a backpack journalist or filing a mobile report,
this is a handy tool.
MultiResize
Batch edit photos for better productivity.
Photo Album
Keep all your photos in one place. It’s a good alternative to Google Photos.
PhoneGrafer, Snapture, CameraBag, Camera Zoom
Zoom and add various lenses and features to your iPhone camera shoots.
Choose one or two as you see fit. PhoneGrafer is my favorite, as it offers
many settings and effects and has a built-in level to make sure your shot is
true. PhoneGrafer usually costs a few bucks, but I picked it up for free dur-
ing a holiday sale. Keep any eye out for a deal in the iTunes store.
Other photo editing apps: Stop Motion Studio, Before & After and Life
Lapse
Summary: My students love the This! app. You can use it to label locations on
an aerial shot, drop in descriptions on recipe foods and much more.
 Mobile Journalism 161

Recording Audio

Pro Recorder
One of the best field reporting audio apps around. CBS Radio reporters are
using this app to record, store, edit and send sound bites.
Recorder
Another good recording app, but this one will allow you to record phone
conversations. The app actually TELLS the person you are calling that the
call is being recorded. As a journalist, you need to tell them as well. Never
secretly tape a phone interview. It’s illegal in many states, including Illinois.
Tape-a-Call
See recorder. Great for recording phone calls. Price fluctuates between $3 and $6.
Call Recorder
The mobile version of the great Skype desktop app. This comes in a paid or
free version. Very similar interface to Tape-a-Call.
Voice Record Pro
This app offers a simple feature that’s invaluable to many journalists: It can add
a bookmark during a recording. A gentle tap on the screen (not so hard
that it gets picked up by the microphone) produces a marker on the display
so that when listening back, you can see exactly when a key moment hap-
pened during the recording.
n-Track and Røde Recorder
These cost a few bucks but have some great audio editing features. Inter-
faces are pretty easy to use. Very powerful tools. Good if you plan to do
some radio work. Twisted Wave and iSaidWhat?! Apps are other pricy
alternatives
Others: Voice Record Pro, Ringr, Call Recorder and Luci Rooms (record
up to five lines at once for a group podcast or interview and export as an.
MP3 file.)
Summary: Regardless of what recording app you use, you must use an iRig
or other top brand mic, lapel mic or a shotgun mic with your phone when
recording audio and video, or your audio won’t sound good. Your mileage
may vary with these apps, but I prefer Pro Recorder for in-person interviews
and Tape-a-Call for phone interviews. [Link] and Descript will record and
export transcriptions, if you need that.

Timelapse Video

iMotion Pro ($3)

The pro version gives you great flexibility on intervals, etc. and shoots in HD.
The free version is powerful, too.
Lapse It ($2)
Dashboard isn’t as intuitive as iMotion, but it has a lot of settings and is a great
tool.
162 Mobile Journalism

Frameograph ($5)
Only has 1-second to 10-minute intervals, but is otherwise a good app.
Time Lapse Camera ($1)
Good, basic camera app. Has a free version, too. I’d spend a couple more
bucks and get the Cadillac of time-lapse cameras, though.
Summary: Each has strengths and weaknesses, but I like the flexibility of iMo-
tion’s Pro app the best. These tools go beyond the basic timelapse built into
the iOS camera and provide greater stability.

360-Degree Camera Apps

Google Streetview
Shoot 360 photospheres and view online or in VR headset/Google
Cardboard.
Bubbli
iOS only. Shoot 360-degree photo bubbles. Hold your phone horizontally
and paint up and down in a circle to capture the area around you.
Fyuse
This 360 app allows you to shoot inward – walk around a car, statue, etc. – to
capture a 3D circular tour. There are many great examples from users when
you log in to the app.
Theta and Insta360 Nano
Apps work with the mobile 360 cameras. Control the cameras remotely from
your phone.

Data Journalism: Charts and Graphics

Chartistic
This app can be used to create bar charts or pie charts with labels on the x-axis
and y-axis.
Icongraph
Has a huge range of templates where you only need to add the data relevant
to your story.
Alight Motion
For fast production of animated graphics, nothing beats Alight Motion. You
can create templates for graphics you use all the time, too, so you can edit
a package for the evening bulletin or web update without going into the
office. It’s available on iOS and Android, and costs $5 a month.
Summary: Both Chartistic and Icongraph produce static images but if you
screen record while the image is generated, that will provide a video
instead.
***
 Mobile Journalism 163

Video: Mobile Apps: Multimedia

Use these Journalist’s Toolbox training videos to learn how to build videos,
edit audio, build data visualizations and more.
Useful Mobile Apps for Journalists: [Link]/watch?v=
DoAzaB_zQ8s
Data Visualizations: [Link]/watch?v=K32P5RJXJos
Learn how to build data visualizations on your smartphone or tablet with
apps.
***

The Chicago Stumbler Tumblr

In 2012, I was walking in my neighborhood when I rolled my right ankle in
a large sidewalk divot about a block from my home. Poor sidewalk conditions
are common in Chicago, and I wasn’t paying close attention to where I was
stepping.
I limped home, iced and elevated the ankle. Then I had a thought: Chi-
cago’s pothole problems have been well-documented by the local media. The
potholes sprout like flowers every spring due to all of the salt on the streets
and cold conditions from harsh winters. But what about the sidewalks? Has
the media covered the city’s poor sidewalk conditions?
A few web searches gave me the answer: There was very little reporting
on sidewalk conditions. So I gave it some thought. How could my DePaul
University journalism students who write for The Red Line Project website
([Link] cover the issue in an interesting way?
I had been toying with the idea of launching a Tumblr site to accompany
The Red Line Project site, but I didn’t have an idea to build it around. This
was the opportunity: The Chicago Stumbler Tumblr ([Link]
[Link]) was born (Figure 6.10).
We launched the site later that year and teased it off The Red Line Project
home page. The concept was simple: Students would use their smartphones
to shoot photos of poor sidewalk conditions and geolocate them. They would
upload the photos to Tumblr from their phones and write a short description
of the conditions and the precise location of the issue.
Students were required to shoot at least two sidewalks, and at the end of
each post, they would include a “call to action” (Paul Bradshaw describes the
call to action in Chapter 1) that told readers how to report broken sidewalks
through a 311 phone call to the City of Chicago or through a website. The
posts also asked readers to tweet their own photos of poor sidewalks to our
@redlineproject Twitter account so we could retweet them, which many did.
After a few academic quarters, we had documented hundreds of poor side-
walks. My teaching assistant, Lindsey Murphy, began to map the locations on
[Link]. We soon learned that the sidewalk issue was citywide
164 Mobile Journalism

Figure 6.10 The Chicago Stumbler Tumblr

and not isolated to one area. We found that some of the worst conditions were
in high-traffic areas: business districts, parks, downtown, Wrigley Field, etc.
The Chicago media began to notice. The Stumbler was featured in the Chi-
cago Sun-Times, CBS 2 Chicago, WLUW (88.7 FM) radio and several com-
munity blogs. In January 2014, NBC 5 investigative reporter Chris Coffey
emailed me with an interesting idea: What if my students teamed up with his
reporting team to do a two-part investigative series on the city’s poor sidewalk
conditions. We didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Over the next few months, during a brutally cold Chicago winter, Coffey
and his team accompanied my students as they documented the sidewalk con-
ditions. They pulled public records of sidewalk complaints and tracked how
many were repaired . . . and which ones have not. The records weren’t hard to
find. They’re posted on the City of Chicago Data Portal.
They researched the city’s “adopt a sidewalk” repair program in which the
city shares repair costs with residents and local businesses. That program often
went broke three months into the year. More importantly, they crowdsourced
and found dozens of Chicagoans had sued the city – up to $6 million a year
in some cases – over injuries sustained tripping over poor sidewalk conditions.
The two-part series aired in March and May 2014. Coffey interviewed
some of the students, and I worked the videos into a web-only package. His
producer, Katie Smyser, worked with us to build maps and post PDFs of the
sidewalk complaints. A form on the NBC 5 website fielded more sidewalk
complaints from viewers.
 Mobile Journalism 165

Now, 12 years after I stepped in that divot and hurt my ankle, my students
continue to document poor sidewalk conditions all over the city. The Stum-
bler project teaches students many modern storytelling techniques:

Mobile photography: It requires them to frame a photo properly and from

the safety of the sidewalk (a potholes project would require them to step
onto dangerous Chicago streets). They have to shoot during the day, be
wary of shade and shadows and shoot at a tight angle that shows the scale
of the problem.
Think in terms of scale: How can we show how big or deep that sidewalk
divot is? I’ve had students use soft drink cups, skateboards and their back-
packs to show scale. One sidewalk hole was so deep that it swallowed nearly
half of the student’s backpack when she set it in the hole.
Involve readers: It teaches them about the aforementioned “call to action”
and how to encourage the reader to get involved in the story and issue
beyond just scrolling through the photos.
Think of others: It shows them to show compassion and concern for oth-
ers. Poor sidewalks are dangerous to everyone, but what about a person
in a wheelchair? Someone skateboarding or pushing a baby stroller? To a
small child who has just learned to walk? To the elderly who may be using
a walker?
Geolocation: Students have to be aware of where they are when shooting
the photos and documenting them on the site. They need to give the
precise location of the sidewalk: Street address, businesses nearby, north
or south side of the street, at a corner, etc. Thinking through this can be
challenging, especially if there’s no street address available (vacant lot,
etc.). I often use Google Earth to double-check the locations when grad-
ing the assignments.
Write descriptively: As Chris Graves mentioned in Chapter 1, journalists
must learn to write what they see and hear, and write that in clear, descrip-
tive language.
Use public records and mapping: With the NBC 5 project, they learned
how to use public records of 311 complaints to show the scale of the
issue beyond the examples they documented with their smartphones. And
by mapping the problem, they showed the reader how widespread the
issue is.
***
166 Mobile Journalism

Exercises

Exercise 1: Develop Your Own Mobile Product

Creating your own Chicago Stumbler project can be done in any city or on
any college campus. If not sidewalks, maybe it’s something else. Map the loca-
tions of emergency call phones on campus and document which ones aren’t
in working order.
Whether you’re in a newsroom or classroom, organize into teams of three.
Look over the Chicago Stumbler. Then each group can develop a concept
for a stand-alone project that requires mobile reporting and photography to
address a similar issue on or off campus.
Take a week to huddle and develop the ideas. Then present the ideas to the
overall group. Stuck for ideas? Think about public safety and service to the
community. Think about crowdsourcing and other ways to get the audience
involved.
Then have the group vote on what they think is the best project and if they
can turn the idea into an actual project. They can choose a couple and split
them into groups. If it’s in a classroom setting, introduce it in the first couple
of weeks of the semester.
When your project is complete, share it on Twitter to the #toolboxproject
hashtag so everyone here can see your work.
***

Exercise 2: Explainer or Process Video

Record some video clips that explain a process or complex topic. Think of
wide, medium and close sequences that you can shoot. Remember, these vid-
eos typically display a sequence of events to provide a quick overview, so the
length is under two minutes.
Once you’re done shooting, use Luma or VN Video Editor to assemble the
clips, record the narration and add clips. If you don’t have strong visuals, try
the VideoScribe desktop tool (the phone app was discontinued in 2022) to
create the video. Watch this video on how to produce basic whiteboard videos
in VideoScribe: [Link] Doodly
is another whiteboard option. Both tools are fee-based but you get seven-day
free trials, which works for this assignment.
When your video is complete, share it on Twitter to the #toolboxproject
hashtag so everyone here can see your work.
***

Exercise 3: Text on an Image

Shoot a photo with your phone and use the This! app to layer text and
directional arrows to various locations or items in the photo. A simple start:
 Mobile Journalism 167

Lay out the ingredients to a recipe on a table and shoot down on them.
Then label each using This! Or shoot down on a construction area from a
nearby building and label the areas under construction, similar to the Wrig-
ley Field example in this chapter. Then share your graphic over social media.
Watch this video on how to use This! [Link]/watch?v=
SShKsacb2tE.
When your image is complete, share it on Twitter to the #toolboxproject
hashtag so everyone here can see your work.
***

Exercise 4: Interview Story

Prepare some “person-on-the-street” questions about current events, topics

and issues in your area. Then take a tripod and mount your smartphone on it
in landscape mode. Plug in a clip-on or handheld microphone and interview
three people on your list of questions.
When shooting, make sure the camera is on the shadow side of the subject
and that you’re shooting from the chest up. Give the person plenty of space
under their chin in case you need to add a lower-third to identify the person.
If possible, record some B-roll or photos that you can use to incorporate
into the story.
Now load the clips into Luma Fusion or VN Video Editor, edit the clips
and add text. Shoot for two minutes. Group the clips together by topics and
use text cards as transitions. Export it, post it to YouTube and share over social
channels, including the #toolboxproject Twitter hashtag so everyone here can
see your work.
Types of questions: Public safety, campus issues, how you’ll vote in an
upcoming election and why, social justice issues, etc.
***

Footnotes
ABC 7 Chicago: George Floyd Protests: [Link]
looting-suburbs-in/6222518
BBC: The BBC Unveils Bike Bureau for Green Broadcasting: [Link]/news/
av/entertainment-arts-65511794
The Chicago Stumbler Tumblr: [Link]
City of Chicago Data Portal: Pothole Repairs: [Link]
?q=pothole&sortBy=relevance
Doodly: [Link]
Google MyMaps: [Link]
Google Photos: [Link]/photos/about
Graphic: 10 Tips for Making Better Videos with Your Smartphone: [Link]
com/-pkfg3rx2QDk/WbJQ4LdOuHI/AAAAAAAAGpg/upm_rHR6UIc9efBL
es5qfgCB6RK9UhG8ACLcBGAs/s1600/[Link]
168 Mobile Journalism

Graphic: U.S. Cellphone and Smartphone Ownership (2011–2021): [Link]

[Link]/visualisation/13822878
[Link]: The Three Pillars of Mobile Journalism: [Link]/
news/the-three-pillars-of-mobile-journalism-q-a-with-marc-settle-smartphone-
trainer-at-the-bbc/s2/a720043
Journalist’s Toolbox: Drones and VR: [Link]/category/drones-
and-vr-journalism
Journalists Toolbox Training Video: VideoScribe: [Link]/watch?v=EgZP3pIrNSc
Mobile Journalism Textbook, Robb Montgomery: [Link]
NBC 5 Chicago: City Shells Out Millions to Settle Sidewalk Injury Cases: www.­
[Link]/news/local/chicago-sidewalk-settlements-judgements/125061
Nieman Lab: More Newsrooms Go Mobile-First: [Link]/2022/12/
more-newsrooms-go-mobile-first
Oberlo: How Many People Have Smartphones in 2023?: [Link]/statistics/
how-many-people-have-smartphones
Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet: [Link]/internet/fact-sheet/
mobile/?tabId=tab-7cfdecc4-bb29-4a14-96f5-5ba4acd5c1a9-data
PictureThis: [Link]
Readwise Reader: [Link]
The Red Line Project Video: How Mail-in Voting Works: [Link]
Seek: [Link]/pages/seek_app
Smart Film School: [Link]
Snipd: [Link]
Substack: [Link]
Technologies Blog: Mobile Journalism: [Link]
journalism-constantly-online
Twitter: The Red Line Project: [Link]
Video: The Grand Budapest Bike Tour: [Link]
budapest-bicycle-tour
Video: How to Use Anchor (Audio): [Link]/watch?v=tr8deLLg4bw
Video: How to Use Data Visualization Apps: [Link]/watch?v=K32P5RJXJos
Video: How to Use Hokusai (Audio): [Link]/watch?v=6NjzojQE2o0
Video: How to Use This! App: [Link]/watch?v=SShKsacb2tE
Video: How to Use VN Video Editor: [Link]/watch?v=vQV743JqvnE
Video: How to Vote by Mail in Illinois: [Link]/watch?v=veRjTWTWDfY&
embeds_referring_euri=http%3A%2F%[Link]%2F&source_ve_path=
OTY3MTQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt
Video: Ice Swimming: [Link]/watch?v=GyzRy3-wXAU
Video: Mexican Grey Wolf Count: [Link]/watch?v=U6U1cyDx-FU
Video: Useful Mobile Apps for Journalists: [Link]/watch?v=DoAzaB_zQ8s
VideoScribe: [Link]
Wakeout: [Link]
7 Multimedia
Podcasting | Audio | Photo Editing

Key Resources
Audio

Journalist’s Toolbox AI Transcription and Audio: [Link]

ai/transcription-and-audio
Adobe Audition
Part of the paid Adobe creative suite, the more advanced audio editor for
higher-end editing
Adobe Podcast
Record and edit podcasts quickly and easily
Audacity
Free audio-editing software you can download; has high-quality output and
settings
Hokusai
iOS audio editing phone app
[Link]
Record and distribute a podcast with just a couple of clicks on this iOS phone app
[Link]
AI-driven text-to-speech tool

***

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-8
170 Multimedia

Photos

Journalist’s Toolbox AI: Image Creation Tools: [Link]

ai/image-and-video-creation
Adobe Photoshop: [Link]/creativecloud/business/[Link]
Adobe Firefly: [Link]
National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics: [Link]
resources/code-ethics
Adobe: Image User Guides: [Link]/legal/permissions/images-user-
[Link]
Covers legal permissions on photos
***
When Victor Hernandez arrived at WBUR in March 2021, he and his staff
grasped the opportunity to try a new approach for the Boston NPR member
station’s podcasts.
Michelle Wu was elected Mayor of Boston that year, representing a back-
ground and lived experience dramatically different from her predecessors
going back 200 years. Shifting demographics were also playing out in Bos-
ton neighborhoods as the city’s population continued to rise among residents
identifying as nonwhite. Boston’s population was also growing younger, as
nearly one-third of its residents that year were age 20–34, which is younger
than most other major cities in the country.
The city’s arts scene was also changing in the evolving post-pandemic era,
as creators and cultural institutions bounced back from an extraordinary few
years of duress.
Transportation, housing, education, technology, health care and other sig-
nificant industries were also deeply impacting the lives of Bostonians and were
being challenged, and in some cases, transformed before their very eyes . . .
and, in WBUR’s case, ears.
In November 2021, WBUR launched “The Common” (see Figure 7.1), a
daily podcast that explores civic issues and local changemakers influencing a
rapidly changing New Boston.
The daily podcast publishes on weekdays at 6 a.m. and taps into news
reporting and analysis from WBUR’s newsroom as well as other journalists,
experts and community voices. Each episode focuses on a single issue or chal-
lenge shifting the civic, political or cultural landscape of a changing Boston.
Episodes are a listener-friendly 15 minutes or less.
“The Common” is hosted by Darryl C. Murphy, who was previously a trans-
portation reporter at WBUR. Behind Murphy is a team of two dedicated pod-
cast producers and a sound designer. WBUR Podcast executive producer Ben
Brock Johnson oversees pod production efforts, including “The Common,” and
typically edits and reviews the episodes before they are prepared for publishing.
“What’s different about ‘The Common’ in comparison to our broader port-
folio of podcast products is this is aimed at a local audience and through a daily
(habit-forming) listening experience,” Hernandez said.
 Multimedia 171

Figure 7.1 WBUR’s “The Common” podcast

“Most of WBUR’s podcasts are geared toward a national/global audience

(‘Endless Thread,’ ‘Last Seen,’ ‘Circle Round,’ ‘On Point,’ ‘Here & Now,’
‘Anything for Selena,’ ‘Dear Sugars,’ etc.); however, we’ve been interested for a
long while in developing a unique and engaging daily pod positioned to serve
Great Boston communities.”
Hernandez and his WBUR team are tapping into one of the biggest markets out
there for journalists – podcasts. According to DemandSage, there are 464.7 mil-
lion podcast listeners globally as of 2023. This number is predicted to reach
504.9 million by 2024. The podcast industry market size is $23.56 billion. There
are over 5 million podcasts globally with over 70 million episodes between them.
In Chapter 6, we covered audio-recording apps and microphones you can
use with your mobile devices for audio reporting. In this chapter, you’ll learn
how to tap into the podcast market, and learn about the basic tools you need
to record and edit podcasts and audio clips. You’ll also learn how to edit pho-
tos using paid and free photo editing tools, as well as use the handy Adobe
Firefly text-to-image tool to produce illustrations.
***

Popular Audio Formats:

MP3: These compressed files are the most popular and play on nearly
every platform or device.
172 Multimedia

WAV and AIFF: Uncompressed, large audio files that are high quality
but don’t play well over Wi-Fi. These files can be easily compressed
and formatted as MP3 files in any audio editing software.
WMA: Windows Media Audio files that can be converted into mp3 files
easily.

***

Audio Editing and Podcasting Tools

We have already learned how mobile devices have made recording video less-
intrusive than large cameras, the same holds true for audio recording equip-
ment when journalists engage reluctant or hard-to-access sources. A simple
Røde, iRig or Shure MV7 hand-held microphone or small, wireless clip-on
mic can provide high-quality audio without being as intrusive as a large
recording device or a studio. Podcasting equipment is highly portable: a lap-
top, Blue microphone or even just recording on Zoom can put a guest or
source at ease.
Before working with the editing tools, watch this video on writing for pod-
casts to learn the key steps for developing introductions: [Link]
com/watch?v=dfcongAw53g.

Adobe Audition
Part of the paid Adobe creative suite, the more advanced audio editor for
higher-end editing.
Adobe Podcast
Record and edit podcasts quickly and easily.
Audacity
Free audio-editing software you can download. Has high-quality output and
settings.
Hokusai
iOS audio editing phone app.
[Link]
Record and distribute a podcast with just a couple of clicks on this iOS phone
app.
Sodaphonic
A browser-based audio editor.
AudioTrimmer
Similar to SodaPhonic, a basic audio editing tool.
SoundCloud
Podcast hosting site.
 Multimedia 173

[Link]
Transform your podcast into a video.
PodBean
A podcasting app that has received a lot of attention from developers in recent
years. The app works well for listening to and creating podcasts – and it
integrates with the desktop version.
[Link]
Remote interview recording software that supports local audio and video recording
in studio quality. You receive separate audio (WAV) and video (MP4) tracks for
each guest. Allows up to eight co-hosts/guests to join the recording remotely.
Snipd
Listen to podcasts, save highlights and discover highlights from others.
Descript
Audio word processor. Good for transcribing audio from interviews. The first
30 minutes are free, and paid after that. Also does podcasting, video editing
and more.
[Link]
AI-driven text-to-speech tool.
***

Video: Edit Audio with Hokusai

USC’s Amara Aguilar shows how to edit audio on your smartphone with
the Hokusai app: [Link]/watch?v=j-QgUIIHQUg&list=
UU8CCl01DmsE65wh-qPqjSLQ&index=6

***

Measuring a Podcast’s Success

Based on in-depth audience survey information conducted in 2021, local
audiences told WBUR that they’re interested in more local stories that offer
depth and context. The station is bullish on the opportunity to engage this
curious audience.
174 Multimedia

Hernandez saw the early momentum: In just the first few months, the pod-
cast saw a growing local audience, a steady flow of positive feedback notes
from listeners and above-industry-average completion rates near 85%.
“We saw a marketplace opportunity with the lack of local daily news and
culture pods available in Boston and knew we could add to the news diets of
our local curious and community-concerned audiences through a new and
compelling podcast,” said Hernandez, who previously worked at CNN, Cas-
cade Public Media and a tech startup.
“However, we’ve also provided space for Darryl and the team to drill into
interesting topics, often deeply influencing changing Boston, through a more
congenial and authentic approach than many daily news briefing-type pods
out there.”
Hernandez said it was important to WBUR that they sound more inviting
and less buttoned-up than the garden-variety daily news pods. This grounding
also allowed them to more carefully steer topics, voices and format to better
connect with younger and more diverse audiences, which is a coveted strategic
goal for most public media institutions seeking continued relevance across
future generations.
“We also know the content and presentation will best land with local audi-
ences who care about what is happening and why across the rapidly changing
Boston region,” Hernandez said.
To measure success, WBUR paid close attention to the following data
points:

1. Who’s listening? (demographics insights)

2. How many are listening? (subscribers and downloads)
3. How are they coming to “The Common”? (platforms and behaviors –
example: so far, Amazon Alexa smart speaker is the most popular platform
people are listening on)
4. When are they listening? (so far, 8 a.m. is the #1 listening time)
5. Are they returning regularly, or do they listen once and move on?
6. Completion rates – are they sticking around for most/all of the episode?
7. Is the cross-platform promotion of other WBUR products/platforms see-
ing any measurable uptick when referenced in “The Common”? (example:
when Darryl calls out more information or value additive in specific WBUR
broadcasts, newsletters, live events, etc., are those audience members show-
ing up elsewhere?)
8. What is the level of offline engagement? (social media, showing up at “The
Common” in-person events, etc.)

WBUR’s metrics checklist mirrors that of many industry podcasts: who is lis-
tening, when and for how long. Podcast production platform [Link]
encourages creators to dig deep into their analytics and be patient. It takes
time to build an audience, so make sure you take measure of it over a period of
 Multimedia 175

weeks and months, not just a few episodes. Understanding how the analytics
work and exactly what they’re measuring is key, too.
For example, Riverside says it’s important to understand that “total listens” –
or the number of times someone presses play – can mean repeat listens or
people listening to episodes in two (or more) instances. It doesn’t necessarily
mean your audience has grown. Also, podcast subscriptions and downloads
don’t mean the person has listened. Instead, look for common themes in lis-
tener peaks, make changes to content when episodes don’t perform well, and
do more of what does well in multiple metrics, Riverside recommends.
Other recommendations from Riverside:

Study timing: Could you get a bigger audience releasing the episode on a
different day? A different time? Are you pushing it out over your social
channels at the right time of day with the right hashtags?
Audience engagement: Analyze your listener drop-off rate: are people skip-
ping over your intro or ads? An NPR study showed that podcasts lose up to
a third of their listeners in the first five minutes, so frontload the show with
what’s to come and a good hook or guest to make an early splash.
Use your social media and subscription or donation site analytics as well to see
how your fans interact with you outside of their podcast listening platforms.
Make sure you’re engaging with them in the comments section to show you
value their support.
Location and device type: Use this to discover where to host live events and to
pitch to local brands for sponsorships for extra monetization opportunities.
Learn about your listeners’ device type and platform, and leverage this data to
provide added value to these listeners.
For example, if they’re listening via YouTube, you can easily create additional
content like video and live podcasting and share the podcast to a video
audience as well. YouTube is often overlooked as a podcast platform. Riv-
erside offers a live virtual recording studio. You also can use free audiogram
tools like [Link] to produce visual podcasts for YouTube, Vimeo as
well as social media teasers.
Leverage your assets: Could you pull clips from your show and share them
over social or share with other shows? Do you have transcripts from your
shows? Post them online as a value-added feature. They’re also searchable.
Study the outliers: As with all data, you should always be wary of outliers
and extreme changes in your statistics. For example, a recent data inflation
issue with podcasts on Apple Watches showed much higher download rates.
Look at the traffic for your best- and worst-performing episodes in the first
four months. At what point in the podcast did they stop listening? Was a
specific topic driving or hurting the amount of listening time? Too much
banter from the hosts?
It’s also key to set reasonable benchmarks for your podcast in the first year.
According to Podcast Host, the average podcast gets only 27 listens per
176 Multimedia

episode, but the top 1% have almost 3,200 listens per episode. Eighty per-
cent of podcasts don’t survive past 10 episodes. You’ll need time to build
that audience.

Remember, there are no set lengths for podcasts. Some are short – just a few
minutes – while others extend beyond an hour. Track your analytics to see
how far into a podcast people are listening, and trim the length for future ones
if you need to.

Podcast Hosting Platforms

Most podcast hosting platforms come with additional features to grow your
following. If you know what to look for in a podcast host, you can easily select
a platform that will meet all of your needs and simplify your podcasting experi-
ence, instead of complicating it.
Apple Podcasts, Spotify for Podcasters, [Link], YouTube and RedCircle
are free podcast hosting sites. Buzzsprout and Podbean have both free and
paid options. Simplecast, AudioBoom, Clyp and [Link] all charge for
hosting. You’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of free sites vs. paid hosting.
Before choosing one, make sure to study the analytics and SEO support that
each offers.
Some of these platforms are all-in-one tools that allow you to record, edit
and host all in one place, which could save you time and money in the long
run. For shorter podcasts, you can easily record into Substack, the popular
newsletter publishing tool, or Wordpress.

Recording Audio: Apps and Best Practices

We explored [Link] and Descript for recording interviews in Chapter 1, but
there are other options for recording calls and in-person interviews over your
smartphone. App stores are full of options, but three reliable ones are:

Rev: A free call recorder tool that produces clean audio. It’s simple to use and
might be a good option if you’re just starting out.
VoiceRecord Pro: It’s a free download in the App Store, but you can do paid
upgrades.
TapeACall and Call Recorder Pro: Paid apps with many great features. Use-
ful for reporters who want to post the audio clips in a digital story.
Voice Recorder & Audio Editor: It’s a free download with in-app purchases
that can get expensive. But it’s a great all-in-one recorder and editor that
produces quality audio.

Regardless of what app you’re using, try to wear headphones when recording
audio and definitely when editing. Do a test run with the app and audio before
starting the interview, just to make sure you’re getting quality sound. If you’re
 Multimedia 177

outdoors, put a foam windsock on the microphone if it’s windy, but test it first
to make sure it doesn’t muffle the sound too much.
Make sure you get the source’s permission to record the call at the start,
as it’s illegal to surreptitiously record conversations in many countries and
states. Make sure that permission is on the recording at the start of the
interview.
Whether you’re doing a podcast or just an audio interview, make sure you
keep a relaxed, accessible style to your interviews. Have questions prepared, but
don’t read off a list. Keep control of the microphone and try to keep it about
four to six inches from a source’s mouth when recording. If you’re in a podcast
studio, coach the source on how far to sit from the mic before the show begins.
Try to avoid distractions, like rustling papers during the interview or pod-
cast recording. If you make a mistake when recording, simply do the segment
again or repeat the question later in the interview. You can always edit around
it later.
***

Create Audiograms
Learn how to create an audiogram with the [Link] desktop tool
in this training video: [Link]/watch?v=kIodgJEGcqg

***

Podcasts for a Student Media Outlet

Student media outlets have been slow to embrace podcasts, particularly stu-
dent newspapers. I’ve always blamed semester-to-semester staff turnover and
changes in student interests and expertise for failure to maintain long-running
podcasts. Student radio stations have had much greater success with them, but
even they can lag from year to year as students come and go.
One example of a terrific student podcast was Home Ed ([Link]
[Link]/podcast), created by Mary Steffenhagen of
the City University of New York. The award-winning, one-off topical podcast
explored the political, religious and legal forces surrounding the homeschooling
178 Multimedia

movement in the United States. In less than 25 minutes, she examined a tragic
incident in West Virginia when a student was being abused by her family and
was pulled out of school when teachers reported the abuse. It exposed lax laws
for homeschooling and care for the student. It incorporated many interviews
and exposed serious issues about a growing trend in education.
During the pandemic, my UIC data and digital reporting students stepped
up their efforts by using more audio and podcasts in our reporting for The
Red Line Project ([Link] the student media outlet that
covers news and urban affairs in Chicago neighborhoods.
With the student reporters and sources on lockdown, it was difficult to
shoot live video interviews and get B-roll. Zoom video interviews looked like
an episode of “The Brady Bunch” with all the small boxes. So we stripped the
audio out of the Zoom interviews or recorded phone calls. We used audio,
photos and audio slideshows instead of video.
We used SoundCloud to host and embed the audio into the stories. Most
were short interviews with sources that featured interesting quotes or emo-
tional interviews. We also launched a student-hosted podcast each semester
called “Reporters Roundtable”, ([Link]
line-project-radio), where a few reporters would be interviewed by a student
host about the stories and issues they wrote that semester. We posted them
as a single podcast (see Figure 7.2), but we also broke up the interviews and
posted them at the end of each student’s story. We felt that it would lend

Figure 7.2 Red Line Project Radio Reporters Roundtable podcast

 Multimedia 179

additional transparency to our reporting process if the reporters, in their own

words, explained how they went about it.

The AI Factor: Text-to-Speech Tools

In late 2022, a flood of free and paid text-to-speech applications flooded the
digital tools market. They’re primarily used for voice-overs for radio promos
or advertising. Instead of hiring voice talent, you could just type a short para-
graph and tailor the voice to make it sound how you wanted.
This raises many legal and ethical concerns among journalists: Did the
person actually say this? What do I believe? Should journalists even consider
using a piece of audio in a story? Much like the ethics of AI-generated images,
which will be explored later in this chapter and again in Chapter 10, the best
approach to take is cautious curiosity. Ethical guidelines for custom text-to-
speech may include getting approval of voice talent; disclosure of synthetic
voice use; permission from voice talent for use to create and train AI voice
models for editorial or advertising/promotional use.
The free tools are easy to use. For example, [Link] lets you upload a script
or just type a few sentences into its interface. You can adjust the pitch and
speed, add pauses and make the voice sound angry, happy, sad, excited or
friendly. You can choose the gender and age group (young adult, middle-
aged) of the speaker.
It also has a setting called “newscast.” I tested this setting by upload-
ing a script of Walter Cronkite detailing President Kennedy’s shooting and
later death on Nov. 22, 1963. It’s one of the most famous newscasts in
history.
While Cronkite’s call showed compassion and, for a brief moment, emo-
tion, the text-to-voice newscast was very robotic, direct and lacked the human
element of delivering such horrible news to viewers.
Here’s the text: Try it for yourself:

The breaking news bulletin: Here is a bulletin from CBS News in Dallas,
Texas. Three shots were fired at President Kennedy’s motorcade in down-
town Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously
wounded by this shooting.
My audio: [Link]
Kennedy’s death: From Dallas, Texas, the flash apparently official, President
Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, 2 o’clock Eastern Standard
Time, some 38 minutes ago. Vice President Lyndon Johnson has left the
hospital, but we do not know to where he has proceeded. Presumably he
will be taking the oath of office shortly and become the 36th president of
the United States.
My audio: [Link] | Cronkite’s call: [Link]
cronkiteJFK
180 Multimedia

The lesson I learned from this exercise: Tone and showing compassion, being
human, matters in audio reporting. It’s particularly important when delivering
bad news to people. AI text-to-audio will certainly improve over time, but for
now, it’s not a sound option for hard news delivery.

***

Ethics and Editing Photos

Before my students ever touch Photoshop or any other photo-editing software,
I have them read two things:

1. National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics: [Link]

org/resources/code-ethics
2. Adobe Image User Guide, which covers legal permissions on photos: www.
[Link]/legal/permissions/[Link]

Understanding ethics and copyright law is critical for photo editing. For
instance, are you editing the photo for clarity or manipulating what the reader
is seeing? Do you need to explain the edits to the reader? If it’s a photo illustra-
tion or rendering, you need to label it as such in the cutline.
For news photos, I stress cropping and only light edits in brightness/con-
trast, color balance and sharpening for online posting. Dropping out back-
grounds, extreme crops or flipping an image horizontally can completely
change the context of the image. Ask yourself: Am I editing this photo or
manipulating it? If it’s the latter, you shouldn’t publish it.
If you’re working with photos that are not yours or your publication’s,
make sure you have the rights to use it. Copyright law protects original works
of authorship, meaning the person (or employer of the person) who shot
the photo maintains those rights. You need written consent of the author to
use that photo. Twitter embeds, stock photos, rights-free photos from Crea-
tive Commons and other sources are fine to use, but you must cite that in
the cutline/credits of the photos. Photographers use reverse image search in
TinEye and Google Images on a regular basis to track who is stealing their
photos. At best, you’ll get a cease and desist letter from them. At worst, you
could be sued.
Photoshop has launched several generative AI tools that allow text commands
to make photo edits, including removing backgrounds and even watermarks.
A TikTok user took Photoshop’s new AI tools in June 2023 and removed an
image’s watermark in only 30 seconds. That can put millions of dollars of photo
revenues from stock images at risk and also violates copyright law.
There are legal ways to get images, including fair use, shoot them your-
self, the aforementioned written consent, rights-free images through Creative
Commons licenses or through stock image sites:

[Link]: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
 Multimedia 181

Adobe Stock: [Link]

[Link]: [Link]/
Rights-free photos, illustrations, music and video

MidJourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion burst on the scene in 2022 and

2023 to offer users new ways to create illustrations. And with them, they
brought many ethical and copyright questions that we will explore in Chap-
ters 9 and 10. Using these text-to-image tools can be helpful for building a
section banner, creating an image for a food page or a cutaway illustration of
a car. But it could be harmful to use it to mislead readers by building a fake
news photograph.
In Chapter 10, we will use MidJourney to build the food and automobile illus-
trations for stories. Here, we’ll use Firefly ([Link] – Adobe’s
free entry into the text-to-image market – which was still in beta at the time this
book was written.
Adobe trains Firefly using Adobe Stock images and other diverse image
datasets which have been carefully curated to mitigate against harmful or
biased content while also respecting artist’s ownership and intellectual
property rights. It’s regularly tested and updated to avoid perpetuating
­
harmful bias.
The tool is intuitive and incredibly easy to use. Once you open it, simply
type your prompt in the field at the bottom of the screen. Here’s a prompt
I wrote to build a cutaway illustration of a two-story home.
Prompt: Cutaway of a two-story, four-bedroom light gray home with red
shutters, flowers and other landscaping
My initial prompt was: cutaway of a two-story, four-bedroom. I added
more detail to the prompt to get this version (Figure 7.3).

Figure 7.3 Adobe Firefly interface

182 Multimedia

What Firefly offers that MidJourney does not: A tool panel to the right with
settings for art, photo, etc., filters, color and tone, lighting and composition – tools
similar to what you find in Photoshop’s pulldown menus. In MidJourney, you
have to write those filters into the prompt. Adobe has streamlined that process.
Which tool is the best? There are fans of DALL-E, MidJourney, Firefly and
Stable Diffusion, as well as other tools. I like MidJourney’s quality the best,
and the ability to tailor a prompt to my exact needs. Firefly is not far behind
because of its user-friendly interface and image quality.
Regardless of the tool you use, it’s important to tell the reader that it’s an
AI-generated photo illustration. Some media outlets even mention what tool
it was created in.
***

Find Rights-Free Images

Learn how to use Creative Commons and other search tools to find
rights-free photos for your stories. Ideally, you’ll shoot your own photos
or use a staff photographer to shoot them. But if you’re stuck and need
a feature photo or a shot for a banner, these search tools will be helpful
for finding images that you can own or use legally.
[Link]/watch?v=OaCplDh7XFs

***

Photo Editing Desktop Tools and Mobile Apps

There are dozens of great photo editing tools on the market, some paid, some
free. Keep in mind that some of the tools’ editing features also may appear in
your phone’s basic camera editing suite as well. For example, the Google Pixel
camera has a magic eraser you can eliminate items from a photo.

Adobe Photoshop
[Link]/creativecloud/business/[Link]
Paid software and the industry standard for photo editing. Built-in generative
AI tools allow you to prompt editing commands. Also available as a phone
app as PS Express.
 Multimedia 183

Adobe Firefly
[Link]
Text-to-image tool that also works with Google Bard.
DALL·E 2 ([Link])
[Link]
An AI system that can create realistic images and art from a description in
natural language
Microsoft Bing Image Creator
[Link]/images/create
Create images right in chat. Just start typing what you want to create and the
software will guide you.
PhotoLeap
[Link]
The AI-driven iOS phone app has cloud-based photo editing software that
offers a number of editing options, including adding layers, using blending
modes and applying special effects. It also uses AI to improve images and
transform them into different images. You can also generate photos from
scratch by writing text prompts.
PhotoPea
[Link]
A free, browser-based photo editor with tools similar to Photoshop. Good for
file conversion and works with many formats.
Pixlr
[Link]
Another free, browser-based photo editor.
Fotor Background Remover
[Link]/features/background-remover

Note: For more AI text-to-image software, go to Chapters 9 and 10. More

mobile photo editing apps can be found in Chapter 6.
***

Landscape Social Image Resizer

Learn how to size and crop images perfectly for various social channels
using this free browser-based tool from Sprout Social.
[Link]/watch?v=LnEIdmjSoEk
184 Multimedia

***

Exercises

Exercise 1: Design a Podcast and Target an Audience

Apply what you learned from Victor Hernandez in this chapter about develop-
ing a podcast. Form groups of two or three and brainstorm some topic ideas.
Think of niche audiences and topics that would appeal to them. Think about
a podcast that might appeal to a broad audience. Should it be campus-based?
Community driven? Topical (sports, entertainment, etc.) Or could it appeal to
a regional, national or even global audience?
Research the topic and see what is/isn’t being done in your area – are there
other podcasts that touch on this topic? Survey your potential audience using
Google Forms: what do they want to know? Who are some potential guests
you could have on the show?
When you plan, think of ways you can visualize the podcast so it can be
made available on YouTube as well as podcast-streaming platforms.
Then write a one- to two-page plan explaining the topic, target audience(s)
and how you would execute it. Share with your class or team and vote on
whether to pilot an episode.
***

Exercise 2: Record and Edit an Interview

Record a two- to three-minute interview with someone who can speak with
authority on a topic or series of topics (campus safety, elections, etc.) and edit
the clip down to 30 seconds to one minute.
As you do the interview, make sure not to interrupt. Let the source finish
and have a short pause afterward. This “dead air” in the interview will make
it easier for you to edit. Keep eye contact with the source and nod as they
answer, rather than saying “uh-huh,” which will ruin the audio.
You can use the Hokusai app to edit it on your phone or download it to
your desktop to edit in [Link] or [Link]. The Voice
Recorder & Audio Editor app also is a good option.
When you’re done editing, launch a free [Link] account and
post the clips there. Share them on social media or post to your Wordpress site
or Medium account.
Try to create at least two clips from the interview.
 Multimedia 185

Think about ways you can incorporate these clips into your daily reporting
with breaking or even project stories. Can you use short clips on social media
to tease an upcoming story?
***

Exercise 3: Create Photo Illustrations Using AI

Log in to Adobe Firefly ([Link] and try some of the

prompts below to see what results you get. Try out the filters and editing
tools on the right panel to fine-tune your results. Once you have an illustra-
tion you like, download it and tweet it to #toolboxAI so others can see your
work. Provide an explanation in the tweet that includes the prompt you used
to build the image. If you have multiple images to share, post them in a Twit-
ter thread with explanations.
Here are a few prompts to get you started:

Prompt: Rendering of downtown Chicago view from Lake Michigan

Compare your results to an actual photo of downtown Chicago. Is it accu-
rate? (I had two that were and two that were not.)
If so, how would you describe it to the reader in a social-media post or story?
Prompt: Overhead rendering of Dubai at sunset
Repeat the exercise with the filters and edits. Compare it to an actual sunset
shot of Dubai. How accurate are your renderings and how would you
present it to readers?
Remember, you can include your prompts in an image’s metadata (alt tag).
You also can add alt tags when you load an image into Twitter. We cover how
to do that in Chapter 4.
***

Footnotes
Adobe Audition: [Link]/creativecloud/business/[Link]
Adobe Firefly: [Link]
[Link] – Spotify for Podcasters: [Link]
Adobe: Image User Guides: [Link]/legal/permissions/images-user-guides.
html
Adobe Photoshop: [Link]/creativecloud/business/[Link]
Adobe Podcast: [Link]
Adobe Stock: [Link]
Audacity: [Link]
AudioTrimmer: [Link]
186 Multimedia

The Boston Globe: WBUR’s Top Content Executive Makes Big Bet on Podcasts:
[Link]/2022/10/24/business/wburs-top-content-executive-
makes-big-bet-podcasts
CUNY Home Ed Podcast: [Link]
DemandSage: 48 Podcast Statistics: [Link]/podcast-statistics
Descript: [Link]
Fotor Background Remover: [Link]/features/background-remover
[Link]: [Link]
Hokusai: [Link]
Microsoft Bing Image Creator: [Link]/images/create
[Link]: [Link]
National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics: [Link]
resources/code-ethics
PhotoLeap: [Link]
PhotoPea: [Link]
Pixlr: [Link]
PodBean: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Red Line Project Reporter’s Roundtable Podcast: [Link]
podcast-red-line-project-radio
[Link]: [Link]
[Link]: Podcast Analytics: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Snipd: [Link]
Sodaphonic: [Link]
SoundCloud: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Video: Knight Center: The Fundamentals of Writing for Audio: [Link]/
watch?v=dfcongAw53g
Video: Walter Cronkite’s Call on President Kennedy’s Death: [Link]
cronkiteJFK
WBUR Boston: [Link]
WBUR: The Common: [Link]/podcasts/the-common
8 Google Earth | Satellite
Imagery

Key Resources
From Above: [Link]
A guide for journalists on how to use artificial intelligence to identify visual
indicators in satellite images.
Google Earth Suite downloads: [Link]/earth/versions
GIJN: Journalists’ Guide to Using AI and Satellite Imagery for Storytelling:
[Link]
imagery-for-storytelling
***
In 2019, Reno Gazette Journal environment reporter Benjamin Spillman told
the story of how two skiers survived a Sierra avalanche on Jobs Peak, a remote
mountain an hour’s drive south of Reno on the Nevada-California border. It
was a harrowing story of one skier who was buried alive as his friend desper-
ately dug in the snow to find him. It included a sunset helicopter rescue that
saved their lives; they would have frozen to death after dark.
Spillman’s story began:

Aaron Zanto describes ski lines in snow the way a painter describes brush
strokes on canvas.
When he’s skiing the Tahoe area backcountry, the 44-year-old fire-
fighter from Kings Beach strives to make every line meaningful.
“Something that’s beautiful going up as well as beautiful going
down,” is how Zanto describes lines from a great day on snow.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-9
188 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

But not every line is beautiful, as Zanto learned during a ski day on
Jobs Peak when an avalanche turned his partner’s ski line into an ugly
smear across the snow.

The story detailed how rescuers used the skiers’ GPS trackers to locate them
just in time. Spillman and Gazette Journal colleague Brian Duggan used that
geolocation data to recreate the skiers’ path on the mountain using Google
Earth Pro, a free, downloadable software that allows users to create flyover
videos and layer locations use shapefile, KML files and GPS data over the
earth’s landscape.
The result was a 1 minute, 53 second, narrated video that accompanied
the story (Figure 8.1). It recreated the skiers’ path and gave readers a sense
of perspective of how difficult it was to reach the two men on the mammoth
mountain.
Spillman and Duggan had learned the basics of Google Earth Pro during
a series of training sessions I had done with the Gazette Journal staff over the
previous two years. But the two journalists took that training to the next level
with this story and multimedia project.

Learning How to Use Satellite Imagery

Google Earth Suite tools and other geolocation, mapping and satellite tools
can seem confusing, but they’re actually simple to learn with a little training.
Satellite imagery and interactive presentations fulfill a storytelling approach
journalists have used for years: Show, don’t tell. Don’t just tell the reader that

Figure 8.1 Screengrab from the Reno Gazette Journal video on the Jobs Peak skiers
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 189

urban sprawl is an issue around Des Moines, Iowa; you can show it with the
Google Earth Timelapse tools. Don’t just tell the reader that there was a lot of
flooding along the Missouri River in 2019; show it with satellite images. And
don’t tell the reader that the wildfire or hurricane damage was bad; show it.
Give the reader a bird’s-eye perspective on an issue.
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to use satellite imagery tools to produce
video flyovers, capture current and historical satellite imagery to tell stories
and create timelapses of environmental, disaster and urban changes over the
last 40 years. You’ll also learn how to use satellite images to fact-check stories
and photos.

The Tools
Among the most popular tools are the Google Earth Suite, which provides
journalists a bird’s-eye view of the world around them. It’s excellent for flyo-
ver videos and historical imagery (from Google Earth Pro), and you can even
build timelapses that show radical environmental changes in Google Earth
Engine Timelapse as well as Google Earth.
Since 2019, many journalists have shifted from Google Earth Pro –
­software that you download for free to your desktop – to Google Earth Stu-
dio, a browser-based tool used for building short video orbits, zooms and
flyovers. The tool also lets you export still images from the web-based inter-
face as well. Earth Studio has some, but not all, of the features of Earth Pro,
but it’s simple to use and produces fantastic 3D renderings of buildings and
landscapes.
***

Rights-Free Images
All images from any Google Earth tools are rights-free. Many come from
government agencies such as NASA, the USGS, etc., and are public
record anyway. Just make sure the Google Earth watermark appears on
the image or video, or add it to a cutline. If you have concerns, you can
look up the legal requirements in the Google Brand Center (https://
[Link]/permissions).
190 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

Images from other sites may require permissions and fees before or
even after downloading. Be sure to look for watermarks on photos and
reach out to the sites and owners to get written permission before pub-
lishing. Some of the images can be expensive.

***

Google Earth Pro and Telling the Story of Chicago’s Lakefront

Chicago’s beaches are quickly washing away. The city’s skyline that borders
Lake Michigan has seen a threat of rising lake waters over the past decade.
Beaches that border the lakefront are vanishing, homes on the North and
South Sides of the city are getting washed away. It’s a serious concern for city
officials.
In the fall of 2020, three of my UIC communication students set out to
document the problem as part of a class project they produced for The Red
Line Project, our lab website that covers news and urban issues in the city.
They used Facebook neighborhood pages to track down sources to inter-
view for the story. They shot photos of the beaches. They talked to expert
sources. But in the end, they had to show, not tell, the reader there was a
problem.
Illustrating it wasn’t easy. We didn’t have a drone and a chopper ride was
too expensive.
So we turned to three free tools:

• Google Earth Pro, which we downloaded to our lab iMacs.

• Juxtapose JS, an incredible photo slider tool developed by the Knight Lab
at Northwestern University.
• Adobe Spark Video (now part of its Express creative suite) that they used
to create a short social media video that also was embedded into the
story.

The students targeted several beaches: Foster Beach, Ohio Street Beach, Oak
Street, Montrose and the Belmont Harbor dog beach, which has nearly van-
ished in less than a decade.
The students opened Google Earth Pro, clicked on the “Show His-
torical Imagery” button (icon with the clock) at the top of the toolbar
(Figure 8.2).
To download the image, they hit the Save Image button (third from the
right) in that same toolbar. Some graphics will overlay the image. To turn
them off, click on the Map Options button and uncheck the radio buttons.
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 191

Figure 8.2 Belmont Harbor Dog Beach historical images interface in Google Earth Pro

Figure 8.3 Google Earth Pro map options button

Then hit the “Save Image” button to the right and the image will download
to your computer (Figure 8.3).
Now that they had the most current image – they vary by location – the
students used the slider at the top of the tool to move back in time and see
192 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

A Juxtapose slider of Chicago’s disappearing Foster Beach (Interactive

Figure 8.4 
graphic)
Source: [Link]

what the beach looked like three, seven, even 10 years earlier. They chose an
image from 2013 that showed a much bigger Belmont Harbor Dog Beach,
and downloaded.
Now that they had two before/after images, they placed the images on our
Wordpress server, saved the published link to the images and opened Juxtapose
JS. It’s an intuitive tool with a form on the home page interface that they used
to build the photo slider. They pasted the photo links into their respective field,
added the dates and source (Google Earth) and hit the publish button. Jux-
tapose gave them a hotlink and embed code to add it to the site (Figure 8.4).
Then the students downloaded before/after images of several other Chi-
cago beaches and incorporated them into a short video in Adobe Spark Pro.
Their original plan was to use the video to tease the story as part of a social
media campaign, which you learned about in Chapter 4; but the video turned
out so well, they embedded it at the top of the story.
Juxtapose isn’t the only tool where you can share slider images. Flourish.
studio has a slider tool. And the Indianapolis Star used Canva and Instagram
to share before/after images showing the growth of McCordsville, Indiana
(Figure 8.5) as part of a series of posts about urban growth in the area.
***
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 193

Figure 8.5 Indianapolis Star Instagram post with Google Earth images

Video: Basics of Google Earth Pro

Learn how to use the tool for fact-checking, zoom-in videos and how
to find locations on the moon and Mars. [Link]

***
194 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

Exercise 1: Pick a Chicago Beach and Build Your Own Photo Slider

Choose from this list of beaches and build your own photo slider like the UIC
students did. Or choose an area of your campus or city. Maybe you’ve had a
new football stadium or arena built, or a large retail or housing development.
What did the area look like before, during and after construction?

Belmont Harbor Dog Beach

Oak Street Beach
Foster Beach
Montrose Beach
Ohio Street Beach
***

How to Use Google Earth Engine Timelapse

Timelines are a powerful storytelling tool for journalists. As mentioned earlier
in the chapter, showing how an area changes over time can be worth thou-
sands of written words about it. As of early 2023, Google has two timelapse
tools that make it easy to incorporate timelapses into your reporting:

• Google Earth Engine Timelapse (1984–2021), which you can link to or

embed in a website.
• You also can do timelapses in the Google Earth browser-based version with
images from 1987 up to 2023, but you can only link to the interactives, not
embed them in your page as with the Earth Engine Timelapse tool.

Timelapses are helpful for telling many types of stories. For instance, if you’re
writing a census story about population growth in your area, you could do a
timelapse to see how the city has grown over the past 30 or 40 years.
For example, open Google Earth Engine Timelapse, then search on Las
Vegas and zoom out a bit. You’ll see the city’s explosive growth, but also note
how Lake Mead shrinks over time (Figure 8.6). You can get the embed code
or link by clicking the button next to the search field. You can adjust the speed
of the interactive player by clicking on the “0.5” link in the lower right corner
of the player.
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 195

Figure 8.6 Google Earth Engine Timelapse frame of Las Vegas, Nevada. (Interactive
graphic)

Some other cities to try are Dubai, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and your city.
The tool limits how far you can zoom in depending on the area. It stitches
together hundreds of thousands of satellite images and can take some time to
update.
An excellent example of how to use the tool came from a training I did at
the San Antonio Express News. Staffer Fernando Ramirez built a slideshow
of Earth images showing how Texas cities have changed over the years.
The expansion on the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio is
amazing.
You can show development as well. Search for O’Hare International A
­ irport
and zoom in. You’ll see the airport’s south runway expansion explode on the
earth’s surface. Search for suburbs in your community and see the growth.
***

Video: How to Use the Latest Version of Google Earth

Engine Timelapse
In this training video, learn how to use Timelapse to show popula-
tion growth and environmental changes: [Link]/watch?v=
TlmEz4o2wzQ
196 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

***
Timelapse tools are best at showing environmental changes and disasters:
wildfires, hurricane damage, flooding, drought, strip mining, deforestation
and more. For example, open Google Earth Engine Timelapse, then search
on Nebraska City, Nebraska. Watch the video play through and note that in
2019, the Missouri River, just to the east of the city, floods into farmland and
washes out two highways: Interstate 29 and State Highway 2 (Figure 8.7).
You can embed this graphic on your site, or do a screengrab of 2019 and use
the image with your story.
You also can try this with the Malibu wildfires, Napa Valley wildfires, the
Australia bushfires and the many hurricanes and typhoons that have hit cities
around the world.
***

Pro tip: Alternatives to Google Earth Pro for Historical

Images
While the Google Earth desktop version won’t let you find historical
images to download, you can use its timelapse tool to target a specific
year and do a screengrab of the image. It’s not as clean as the Earth Pro
archives, though, but it works in a pinch. You also can find historical
satellite images from other sources on [Link].

***

Figure 8.7 Missouri River flooding in 2019 in the Google Earth Timelapse browser-
based tool
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 197

How to Use the Google Earth Measure Tool

The measure tool is often overlooked by journalists, but it’s a very useful tool
that’s available in the Google Earth desktop version. For example, suppose
you are a reporter in Las Vegas covering the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest
Festival in October 2017, and you needed to know how far the gunman was
from the concert area. The gunman was perched in a suite in the Mandalay
Bay hotel across the street from the open, outdoor concert venue.
This distance is important to know if you have the type of guns the sus-
pected shooter was using. If you know the range of the guns and the distance
the shooter was from the venue, you could tell readers – and show them – if
all concert goers were in range of the gunfire.
Here are the steps to follow

1. Open [Link] and click on the ruler icon near the top left of the screen.
2. Type Route 91 Harvest Festival in the search field and hit return.
3. Use the +/− Zoom buttons in the lower right to show the concert area
(concrete slab) along with the northeast corner of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
4. Then click on the measure tool, a ruler icon at the bottom of the left tool-
bar on the left.
5. Now click at the base of the northeast corner of the hotel and then double-
click in the concert area. I chose the area near the bottom of the venue,
where the stage was. A dialog box pops up and shows the distance (360
yards on mine). You can drag the ends of the line around to adjust the dis-
tances (Figure 8.8).
6. You can adjust the type of distance in the pulldown menu in the dialog box.
You can set it to yards, feet, meters, inches, miles, acres (area), even nautical
miles over water.

Figure 8.8 Google Earth Measure tool from Las Vegas shooting
198 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

The tool also is helpful for measuring the distance of a police chase. You can
use it to measure area, too, by clicking on corners around a specific area. This
can be good for double-checking property and property tax records.
***

Video: Google Earth Measure Tool and [Link]

Watch a step-by-step exercise on how to use the Earth Measure Tool and
how to estimate crowd sizes using [Link]: [Link].
com/watch?v=L_3PeBUtcTw

***

How to Use Satellite Images for Fact-Checking

Journalists often use satellite and street view imagery from Google Earth and
other tools to fact-check images and other claims. The BBC News Africa Eye
team famously did this in 2018 to uncover the truth of the slayings of two
women and two children by the Cameroon military. The Cameroon govern-
ment initially dismissed the video as “fake news.” But BBC Africa Eye used
forensic analysis of the viral video footage, proving exactly where this hap-
pened, when it happened and who was responsible for the killings.
Google Earth played a key role in the forensics work, which was detailed
in a Twitter thread posted by the team as well as some stories and videos. The
BBC used Google Earth to determine the location of the slayings (Cameroon’s
government claimed it occurred outside the country) by matching mountains
in the background of the viral video to Earth’s 3D imagery of the landscape.
It places the scene on a dirt road outside a town called Zelevet, in the far
north of Cameroon, close to the border with Nigeria. Cameroon soldiers were
fighting the jihadist group Boko Haram in that area.
Once they confirmed the general location, the fact-checkers looked at other
details in the film – tracks, buildings, trees – and matched them with the satel-
lite imagery (Figure 8.10).
The team also used archival images from Google to determine that the
murders occurred during the hot dry season, matching the topography in the
video to the archived photos.
The team used the video to match the uniforms of the soldiers in the video
and their weapons to those worn and used by the Cameroon military. Another
search in Google Earth showed that a small military camp was located near
the area where the shootings occurred. A few searches on Facebook matched a
soldier’s page with that of the name of a soldier mentioned in the video.
Once the investigation was posted, the Cameroon government reversed its
position and admitted its military was at fault.
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 199

Journalists around the world have used many other satellite image tools to
fact-check and investigate coal plants, water conflicts, illegal flaring and Chi-
nese re-education camps. Ed Boyda and Dan Hammer for Earthrise Media
have recommended dozens of satellite imagery tools for investigations and
fact-checking.
***

Exercise 2: Fact-Check a Photo

Let’s say you’re working a social media shift for your outlet and someone
you don’t know tweets you a photo at you of this cathedral and it’s on fire:
[Link]
You’re unfamiliar with the Twitter account but nothing seems out of the
ordinary in the bio or the stream of tweets. The person identifies the church
as the Cathedrale de Monaco in Monaco City, near the Monaco Grand Prix
F1 race route.
As a journalist, take pause before sharing this. Go to [Link] and
search Cathedrale de Monaco. You’ll get a satellite view of the area. Now drag
the small, orange “peg man” icon in the lower right corner of Google Earth
to one of the blue lines that form in front of the church. You’ll have a “Photo
Sphere” of a streetview image of the church.
Upon closer examination, you’ll see the Cathedrale de Monaco in Google
Earth (Figure 8.9) looks nothing like the photo tweeted to you. That’s because

Figure 8.9 The Cathedrale de Monaco shown in a Google Earth photo sphere
200 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

the photo the person sent is actually the Duomo in Milan, Italy. This is a
­common prank people like to play on journalists – misrepresent a location or
even take an old news photo and say that it happened today instead of several
years ago.
Don’t fall for it. Take the time to fact-check on Google Earth.
***

Examples of Satellite Imagery in Storytelling

Newsrooms large and small have embraced the bird’s-eye view for storytelling.
Here are some creative uses of Google Earth and other satellite image tools
from professional newsrooms:

NBC Bay Area: Hunters Point Shipyard Contamination, Cleanup and

Development
[Link]/investigations/San-Francisco-Hunters-Point-Contam
[Link]
New York Times Graphic: Las Vegas Shooting: Chaos at a Concert and a
Frantic Search at Mandalay Bay
[Link]/interactive/2017/10/02/us/mandalay-bay-vegas-shoot
[Link]?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur
Fort Myers Beach, Hurricane Ian: Earth archived satellite images:
[Link]
51&t=He1_gWaGSB6La5vi7eN-nQ
Desert Sun: Wildfire Prevention Video in San Diego
[Link]/in-depth/news/2019/08/01/san-deigo-fire-chief-
oks-wildfire-hazard-development-new-homes-adara-otay-ranch-chula-
vista/1664951001
USA Today: Google Earth and Timelapse on Amazon Rainforest Wildfires
[Link]/in-depth/news/2019/08/23/amazon-rainforest-six-
charts-explain-why-fires-matter/2096257001
The Vanishing of Candlestick Park (Instagram) [Link]/
reel/CidnBmxASCj/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
USA Today Graphics: Social Video for Amazon Rainforest Wildfires
[Link]
Decatur (Illinois) Herald Review: Bridges Project
[Link]
county-engineers-study-options-for-local-bridges/article_46899560–
[Link]
Kelly Fincham: Before/After Slider: Concrete Sprawl in Bettystown
­Ireland Housing
[Link]
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 201

Wisconsin State Journal: Google Earth Pro Video of Wisconsin Men’s

Basketball Tour of New Zealand and Australia
[Link]/watch?v=MKu4Lzd9wi0
Los Angeles Times: Google Earth Pro and Open Street Maps: Kobe
­Bryant Helicopter Crash
[Link]
Los Angeles Times: Google Earth Pro: Analysis of Kobe Bryant Helicop-
ter Path
[Link]/projects/kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-3d-map
Louisville Courier-Journal: Tour of Nasty 9 Louisville Golf Holes
[Link]/story/sports/golf/2018/06/19/hardest-golf-
holes-we-love-hate-louisville/703597002
***

Satellite Imagery Tools

Besides the tools already mentioned in this chapter, here are some more
resources for finding satellite images:

Google Earthview Chrome Plug-In

[Link]
bhloflhklmhfpedakmangadcdofhnnoh?hl=en
NASA Worldview
[Link]
Satellite imagery galore.
NASA LandSat Image Gallery
[Link]
Hundreds of satellite images of Earth that are rights-free.
Digital Globe
[Link]
Satellite and geospatial data resources. Requires a fee.
GIJN: Resources for Finding and Using Satellite Images
[Link]
Chips App: Create Satellite Chips
[Link]
An interactive web app for creating Landsat or other imagery chips for any
location around the globe.
Kartaview
[Link]
Works similar to Google Street View.
***
202 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

Exercise 3: Create a Zoom-in with Google Earth Studio

Before using Google Earth Studio ([Link]/earth/studio), create a

login with your Google/Gmail credentials, hit the arrow in the green “Blank
Project” section and select one of the quick starts (spiral or orbit). Type a
location into the field and click the arrow right button. Your video will appear
(see Figure 8.10).
Then hit the red “Render” button in the upper right corner of the inter-
face. Here’s where it gets tricky. In the upper right corner, hit the request
button for cloud rendering. In a few days, you’ll receive an email granting
you access.
This will allow you to store future projects in the cloud, and, more impor-
tantly, export them as MP4 video files (see Figure 8.11).
Without cloud rendering, you can still export the video as a JPEG image
sequence, but you’ll need to convert it to a MOV or MP4 file in another piece
of software, such as Adobe Premiere. That’s a bit of a hassle, so signing up for
the free cloud rendering is the way to go.
Featured in Figure 8.11 is the export interface for an Earth Studio orbit
video of Wrigley Field. Note the “mp4” video option is checked in the upper

Figure 8.10 Wrigley Field orbit in Google Earth Studio

 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 203

Figure 8.11 Google Earth Studio video rendering interface

right. You also can move the Google Earth watermark using the tools to the
right of the video. The interface also gives you frames per second and dimen-
sions for sizing your video.
Once you hit the render button, the software will tell you the process has
started, and it will email you several minutes later with a link and download
option once it has finished.
***

Video: Google Earth Studio

Learn how to create zoom-in videos and export them in this browser-
based tool.
[Link]

***

Exercise 4: Google Earth Pro: Video Flyover of Big Ten Stadiums

When I traveled around the United States doing Google tools trainings from
2016 to 2023, one of the most popular exercises I’d do with journalists was to
teach them how to do tours in Google Earth Pro. You can do anything: A tour
of local sights in your state, your college campus, cool architecture around the
world, sports stadiums and arenas
204 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery

Start by downloading Google Earth Pro here. You also can do this exercise
in Google Earth Studio. Using Google Earth Pro, locate these stadiums and
create a tour of them, then try to record and export the tour from the folder
you create. Use the Earth Pro training video ([Link]
to see how Earth Pro works.

• Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio/Ohio State University)

• Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, Wisconsin/University of Wisconsin)
• Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Nebraska/University of Nebraska)
• Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor Michigan/University of Michigan)
• Spartan Stadium (Lansing, Michigan/Michigan State)
• Beaver Stadium (Happy Valley, Pennsylvania/Penn State)
• Ryan Field (Evanston, Illinois/Northwestern University)
• Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, Iowa/University of Iowa)
• TCF Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, Minnesota/University of Minnesota)
• Memorial Stadium (Champaign, Illinois/University of Illinois)
• Byrd Stadium (College Park, Maryland/University of Maryland)
• High Point Solutions Stadium (Piscataway Township, New Jersey/Rutgers
University)
• Ross-Ade Stadium (West Lafayette, Indiana/Purdue University)
• Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Indiana/Indiana University)
• The Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California/UCLA)
• The Los Angeles Coliseum (Los Angeles, California/USC)
• Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon/University of Oregon)
• Husky Stadium (Seattle, Washington/University of Washington)

Some stadium tour examples:

Hookem: Big 12 Stadium Tour in Google Earth

[Link]
Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Football Road Schedule
[Link]/watch?v=KO74tpmNts8
***

Footnotes
Adobe Express (Spark) Video Editor: [Link]/express/create/video
BBC News Africa Tweets on Cameroon Murders Digital Forensics: [Link]
com/BBCAfrica/status/1044186344153583616
BBC News: Cameroon: The Truth Behind a Viral Video Murder: [Link]/
news/world-africa-45681690
DNAInfo Chicago: Lollapalooza Stages Within Assault Rifle Firing Distance from Chi-
cago Hotel: [Link]/chicago/20171005/loop/chicago-hotel-las-vegas-
shooter-stephen-paddock-lollapalooza-blackstone-map
 Google Earth | Satellite Imagery 205

Exercise: Cathedral Photo: [Link]

From Above: [Link]
GIJN: Journalists’ Guide to Using AI and Satellite Imagery for Storytelling: [Link]
org/2022/02/16/journalists-guide-to-using-ai-and-satellite-imagery-for-storytelling
Google Brand Resource Center: [Link]
Google Earth: [Link]
Google Earth Engine Timelapse: [Link]
Google Earth Pro Download (Google Suite): [Link]/earth/versions
Google Earth Studio: [Link]/earth/studio
Journalist’s Toolbox Satellite Imagery: [Link]/2023/03/24/
satellite-imagery
Juxtapose JS: [Link]
Juxtapose Slider of Foster Beach: [Link]
The Red Line Project: Why Is Chicago’s Lakefront Washing Away? [Link]
org/rising_lakefront.php
Reno Gazette Journal: Broken Leg and Impending Darkness: How Two Skiers Survived
a Sierra Avalanche on Jobs Peak: [Link]/story/life/outdoors/2019/03/22/
nevada-skiers-barely-escaped-jobs-peak-accident-before-nightfall/2943310002
San Antonio Express News: How Texas Cities Have Changed Over the Years: www.
[Link]/news/local/texas/article/Google-Timelapse-shows-how-
[Link]
State of the Planet: How Journalists Can Track Down Great Satellite Images in Realtime:
[Link]
Tech Journalism: Fact-Checking with Open Source Satellite Images: [Link]
[Link]/fact-checking-with-open-source-satellite-images-part-
1-8a76962c76e5
Video: Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Football Road Schedule: [Link]/
watch?v=KO74tpmNts8
Video: Google Earth Pro Basics: [Link]
Video: Google Earth Studio Training Video: [Link]
Video: Hookem: Big 12 Stadium Tour in Google Earth: [Link]
Video: How to Use Google Earth Engine Timelapse: [Link]/watch?v=
TlmEz4o2wzQ
Video: How to Use the Google Earth Measure Tool: [Link]/watch?v=
L_3PeBUtcTw
9 Artificial Intelligence |
Productivity Tools

***

Key Resources
[Link]: [Link]
Google News Product Database: [Link]
Beginner’s Prompt Handbook: ChatGPT for Local News Publishers: https://
[Link]/ailocalbook
Partnership on AI: Responsible Framework for Synthetic Media: [Link]
[Link]/#read_the_framework
AI Tools for Local Newsrooms: [Link]
***
Editor’s note: This chapter was written in the summer of 2023. AI tools are
developing and disappearing on a daily basis, so some tools in this chapter
may have changed or no longer exist. Check the [Link] site for
updates.

Once upon a time, the world was a realm of unanswered questions and
there was room in it for poetry. Man stood beneath the sky and he asked
“why?”. And his question was beautiful. The new world will be a place
of answers and no questions, because the only questions left will be
answered by computers, because only computers will know what to ask.
Perhaps that is the way it has to be.
– British journalist James Cameron, 1969

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-10
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 207

Figure 9.1 AI may seem like an assembly line to some journalists, but it can speed
productivity
Source: Illustration/Billy O’Keefe

Google’s Simon Rogers posted Cameron’s cryptic quote in an “AI for Data
Storytelling” post in March 2023 as hundreds of new AI tools were pouring
into the market each week.
Rogers responded: “What Cameron didn’t know was that data journalists
would be the ones to answer those questions now; they just weren’t able to
find out the answers before AI was there to help them. That human factor
leads to some really powerful work.”
This chapter will examine the role that evolving AI tools play in the jour-
nalist’s daily workflow and how they can improve efficiency. You’ll learn from
hands-on exercises the benefits, limitations and drawbacks of AI tools and how
to use them correctly.
***
208 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

Video Playlist: AI Tools

Learn how to use dozens of AI-driven tools to make you more efficient
in this YouTube playlist: [Link]

***

The Gold Rush of AI Tools

The influx of AI tools in 2023 – they’ve been around for decades, by the way –
have set the news industry on alert. Would these automated tools eliminate
jobs? Could they generate accurate content? How much human supervision
does there need to be with the tools? Can they really make us more efficient,
especially in smaller, local newsrooms?
People fear what they don’t understand. When the web hit the main-
stream in the mid-1990s as affordable home computers and dial-up modems
flooded into homes, newsrooms feared that it would gut legacy media. Much
of that fear was justified. Newsrooms panicked again with social media when
Web 2.0 and smartphones arrived between 2005 and 2007. The shift to
video for newspaper companies failed miserably a few years later. So we have
seen a similar pattern as AI tools hit the mainstream market in the last couple
of years.
Ashley Hamer of Descript, an AI-driven audio, video editing and transcrip-
tion tool, summarized the concerns in a 2023 blog post:

For many creators, their first reaction to generative AI tools like Chat-
GPT and DALL-E is fear: fear that they’ll be replaced, or that human
creativity will stop being valued. Those fears are valid, but there’s another
way to frame this new AI-centered world we’re entering. That is, AI
tools can free humans of creative blocks and mundane tasks so they can
be more creative.
In fact, there is a wide world of AI tools designed specifically to help
specific kinds of creators free themselves from the tasks that slow them
down and hamper their creativity. Are you a playwright who’s trying to
come up with the next scene? Maybe a musician trying to mix up an
overused chord progression? Or, ahem, a podcaster who needs to make a
quick correction to something you already recorded? There are AI tools
out there for you.

So now, the question remains: How can AI be used ethically and accurately by
journalists while also saving time and making the product better? I encourage
journalists that I train to approach it with a “cautious curiosity.” Study it and
see how it can help you. Fact-check everything. Be skeptical but experimental.
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 209

Apply sound ethics and keep an eye on copyright and intellectual property
cases. Think before doing. Question everything. But stay open-minded.
“AI-fueled automation. The variety of digital storytelling themes have,
thus far, required a lot of time and technical expertise to do, especially at
the beginning,” said Mackenzie Warren, who oversees Medill’s Local News
Accelerator. “As time goes on, the tools get simpler and more powerful and
the producers get more capable. AI-fueled automation will accelerate both
of those trends even further. We will be able to have more social, mobile,
data and multimedia content than we’d ever dreamed possible – instantly and
on-command.
“This will require higher levels of scrutiny and editing to ensure that the
quality and trustworthiness of the content matches the volume and speed with
which we can create it. This also will raise the value of journalists as curators –
the ones to select and prioritize the small number of very best pieces of con-
tent from among an unlimited supply.”
Much of the early focus in the AI gold rush has been on ChatGPT (Gen-
erative Pre-Trained Transformer), the open-source AI tool that can help you
find information. It uses machine learning and pre-programming to find your
answers. It sometimes cites sources, but not always, so fact-checking anything
you find in the tool is paramount.
In early 2023 Microsoft invested $10 billion in ChatGPT to leapfrog
Google in the AI game. Some school districts banned it based on fears that
students will use it to cheat.
***

Video: ChatGPT Basics

Learn how to write basic prompts and see what the OpenAI tool does
well . . . and what it does not. [Link]

***
DALL-E, MidJourney and other text-to-image and text-to-video tools pro-
duce some stunning images, but also raise concerns about ethics, copyright,
intellectual property, transparency, truth-telling and commercial use of the
images produced.
Reporters also should be wary of PR press releases and pitches, some which
are generated by AI tools and are inaccurate. For example, Kashmir Hill (@
Kashmir Hill) tweeted in May 2023 about receiving a PR pitch that “expressed
admiration for a book I did not write and which does not exist. The PR firm
had used ChatGPT. Beware of AI hallucinations, early adopters.”
But while the AI tools raise concerns, they also introduce many opportuni-
ties, said Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor at the City University of New York
210 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

(CUNY) and author of the book “Geeks Bearing Gifts”. Jarvis wrote about
AI’s potential in a late 2022 blog post called “Writing and Exclusion”.
“I am struck by the opportunity presented by generative AI – lately and spe-
cifically ChatGPT – to provide people with an opportunity to better express
themselves, to help them write, to act as Cyrano at their ear,” Jarvis wrote.
“Fellow educators everywhere are freaking out, wondering how they can ever
teach writing and assign essays without wondering whether they are grading
student or machine. I, on the other hand, look for opportunity – to open up
the public conversation to more people in more ways.”
AI isn’t a means to an end with writing news stories – something we’ll
explore later in this chapter – but it offers many features that can help with
writer’s block, analyze and summarize text, rethink phrasing and help generate
sources and ideas, all of which will have to be double-checked for accuracy.
ChatGPT’s plug-ins, such as ScholarAI and Daigram, can summarize research
and visualize data accurately in a matter of seconds.
“This is an opportunity to teach students the limitations and biases of AI and
large language models,” Jarvis wrote. “Users must understand when they are
listening to a machine that is trained merely to predict the next most sensible
word, not to deliver and verify facts; the machine does not understand meaning.
“They also must realize when the data used to train a language model
reflects the biases and exclusions of the web as source – when it reflects soci-
ety’s existing inequities – or when it has been trained with curated content
and rules to present a different worldview. The creators of these models need
to be transparent about their makings and users must be made aware of their
limitations.”
Digital media pioneer Damon Kiesow said his skepticism of most new tech-
nology recently is the entirely blinkered and self-serving nature of its greatest
proponents.
“AI is going to be a huge benefit for journalists, if we think of it as a tool
to improve, not replace, our creative work,” said Kiesow, a Knight Chair in
Digital Editing and Producing at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the
University of Missouri. “If we think of the model as ‘spellcheck’ but for eve-
rything, and ‘Google Alerts’ but for everything – that is the foundation of the
news-specific directions I would like to see us chasing.
“Unfortunately, the venture capital money is intent on disrupting Google’s
search dominance – which is where the advertising money is – and has created
the most human-like AI to date: it thinks it knows everything and doesn’t
mind guessing with unearned confidence. We need to get past that hype cycle
to start creating real value for the tech.”

What Can AI Do for Journalists?

Joe Amditis saw the potential AI has for small, local newsrooms, so in early
2023 he wrote a free book on Notion entitled “Beginner’s Prompt Hand-
book: ChatGPT for Local News Publishers”.
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 211

Amditis, assistant director for products and events at the Center for Coop-
erative Media at Montclair State University, created the book to offer spe-
cific examples on how to write good prompts and unexpected use cases for
newsrooms.
“I decided to write this ebook after being duped into paying $2 for a shitty
prompt handbook that was clearly generated using ChatGPT instead of writ-
ten by a real person,” Amditis said. “It was frustrating to see the hustle-culture
grifters taking advantage of this emerging technology without taking the time
to actually explain its capabilities and limitations. I wanted to provide a reliable
and informative guide that would help local news publishers effectively use
ChatGPT to save time and stress.”
He’s quick to point out how AI can remove some of the routine, mundane
journalists and other newsroom staff perform each day:

Instantly generating summaries of public meetings and documents, cre-

ating tweets and social posts from news stories, drafting scripts for news
broadcasts, even suggesting different headline variations – all at the click
of a button – would be a game-changer for news organizations that are
already strapped for people and resources.
The same thing goes for generating invoices, public records requests,
and even basic outreach emails. Not to mention the implications of
ChatGPT’s ability to generate code using natural-language inputs.

Amditis lists dozens of uses for ChatGPT and other AI for news publishers in
his free book. Some of those, along with some examples from The Associated
Press, are in Table 9.1.

Table 9.1 Uses for AI in local newsrooms

Automate public meeting summaries Email sorting and classification

Rapid HTML construction, coding Organize and format police blotters
Draft scripts for news broadcasts or podcasts Generate interview questions
Create outlines for plans and stories Keyword lists and hashtags for SEO
Brainstorming headlines Help with writer’s block
Create transcripts of audio/video recordings Generate lists of story ideas
Data scraping Create data visualization
Language translation Translate coding languages
Create event agendas and materials Quickly creating lists of FAQs
Respond to FAQs for a project or story Summarize/extract info from a block
of text
Keyword extraction (metadata, reporter alerts)
Convert weather service alerts to other
languages
Suggest alternative angles or perspectives for a
story
Create social media calendars and publishing
schedules
212 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

Automating routine administrative tasks like

scheduling, invoicing and record-keeping
Draft meeting outlines, project budgets and
grant proposals
Generate templates for different types of news
stories, like obituaries, crime reports and
human-interest pieces
Generate customized newsletters based on user
preferences and interests
Analyze social media and other online sources
for story leads and trends
Generating news quizzes and other
information-based games and activities
Create and execute onboarding and employee
training protocols
Categorize and label community feedback for
later analysis and response
Develop AI chatbots for engaging with readers
and providing customer service
Act as a learning guide for personal and profes-
sional development

***
Amditis said ChatGPT can be used for generating partnership agree-
ments, memorandums of understanding for collaborative reporting projects
and other journalism initiatives. The ability to have ChatGPT generate and
populate template agreements like the Collaborative Journalism Partnership
Agreement or a Collaborative Journalism MOU have made it much easier –
and cheaper – for news collaboratives to use these types of documents as a start-
ing place for establishing the relationships and obligations for their partners.
“We’ve got a few templates like that up on our collaborative journalism resource
page,” Amditis said. “I’ve also worked with local publishers in New Jersey such as
Atlantic City Focus to use ChatGPT to help polish and refine grant proposals.”
Aside from his deep list of possible use cases in his ebook, Amditis also sees
potential in “superprompts” like TranscriptFixer 4.0 to have ChatGPT clean
and extract relevant quotes from meeting or event transcripts, generate social
posts based on the transcript and then explain the reasons and news judgment
behind the decisions to select each quote.
***

Making AI Work in a Newsroom

Aimee Rinehart is the program manager for the Associated Press (AP) Local
News AI initiative, which aims to narrow the growing technology gap between
national and local newsrooms.
Rinehart said the AP follows an “80/20” rule when implementing AI tech-
nology: 80% of the work can be automated, but 20% of the work must be a
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 213

human staffer editing and checking quality control at the back end before any-
thing publishes. The approach combines automation with human judgment
and reasoning, making the use of AI much safer.
Rinehart told an SPJ Ethics Week 2023 panel that AP uses AI for writing
earnings reports but that those reports are always edited by a person before
publishing. When AP uses natural language generation for earnings reports,
it adds a tagline at the bottom of the article that explains it was generated by
DataSkrive and data. The Washington Post also does this with its Heliograph
project, and The Los Angeles Times as well with QuakeBot. Rinehart said
each newsroom will have to develop its own rules on transparency.
Before incorporating AI into your student or professional newsroom’s
workflow, consider these questions:

How can AI help serve everyone in a community?

Where and how will it make the newsroom more efficient? Is it worth the time?
How will we train editors and reporters on how to use it properly?
What is the full breadth of AI potential within your publishing organization?
What can it do for the business side as well as the newsroom?

Dalia Hashim at the Partnership on AI is running a AI + Local News work-

stream, with a list of AI tools for publishers and a guidebook for procurement.
It also features a large database of tools and how they can be used by local
newsrooms. “Local newsrooms form the foundation of a healthy information
ecosystem, providing their communities with the context and meaning needed
to make sense of a complex world,” the site’s introduction says. “AI tools have
the potential to improve the business sustainability of these important insti-
tutions. These technologies also introduce new risks that AI-adopting news-
rooms will need to understand and discuss.”

Using AI in Small Newsrooms

Newsrooms of any size can benefit from the use of AI tools, but they’re par-
ticularly important for smaller staffs that need resources.
Art Director Matt Selva is one of six full-time staffers at Mainebiz, a business
publication in Portland, Maine. Selva was tasked with designing cover art for
reporter Renee Cordes’ story on the recent Silicon Valley bank collapse. Cordes
suggested they design the cover art as a scene from the infamous bank run in the
holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” She found an Alamy stock photo of the
scene, but they didn’t want to use it as is and weren’t sure of the legality of modi-
fying it for use on the cover. Selva had been experimenting with AI on his own
and thought this might be a good use case for it to generate a concept cover.
He created a number of image options with Midjourney using this prompt
and slight variations:

/imagine Jimmy Stewart standing on the right side foreground looking

left wearing a puffer jacket. Crowd in background. colorized vintage film
frame. “It’s a Wonderful Life”
214 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

Figure 9.2 Matt Selva’s Mainebiz cover of AI-generated Jimmy Stewart

“I eventually got a composition I thought would work well but the Jimmy
Stewart likeness wasn’t great,” he said, “so I used [Link] to mask off
the face and generate some new options. Once I was happy with that I upscaled
the image to print resolution with another AI tool at [Link].”
Then he brough the upscaled image into Photoshop and used some of the
AI neural filters in its (June 2023) beta release to enhance the facial details and
change Stewart’s eye gaze direction. He also did some old-fashioned Photo-
shop work and added blurring, vignetting and grain to give it less of a digital
sheen and obscure the faces of the crowd.
The magazine’s cover art credit made it clear to the readers that the image
was generated with the help of AI: “Image Generated with Midjourney and
DreamStudio AI.”

Learning AI
Jarvis believes journalism instructors will soon be teaching the skill of prompt
writing: how to get what you want out of a machine. ”We started exercis-
ing this new muscle with DALL-E and other generative image AI – and we
learned it’s not easy to guide the machine to draw exactly what we have in
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 215

mind,” he wrote. “At the same time, lots of folks are already using ChatGPT
to write code.”
Caplan, Jarvis’ CUNY colleague, introduces students to AI through a 3E
framework: “Explore, Experiment & Execute.” First, they read about new services
and capabilities and watch how others are using them. Then they experiment to
see how these tools work and to identify their capabilities and limitations. Finally,
they execute a project using AI in some way, to get a deeper feel for the tools.
“I try to take a sober approach, noting the potential and also the perils associ-
ated with new tools that disrupt traditional journalistic practices,” Caplan said.
“I find value in the ‘I do, We do, You do’ approach. I show something, we
explore it together, and then you, the student, give it a shot on your own or
in a small team. We look at examples of what others are doing and consider
the hurdles and potential pitfalls of relying on AI. Then we reflect on use-cases
and think through scenarios to be prepared for how things may go wrong, and
where the AI might be of most value.”
Caplan said he loves experimenting with new tools because that “helps me
learn and because every so often something arises that makes my work more
enjoyable and efficient, and that’s a gift.”

AI Newsroom Training
Warren oversaw the implementation of training and digital technology to large
and small Gannett newsrooms for more than a decade before joining Medill’s
local news accelerator. He sees AI’s potential to increase productivity as a way
to make newsrooms more efficient.
“At an everyday level, the software/tools available lower the barrier to
entry into the local news space because they further erode the control incum-
bents have wielded over the means of production and distribution,” he said.
“Broadly, that’s been the story of the Internet as relates to local news.
“These tools are the same story but playing out in a microcosm, sort of
at a Moore’s Law pace. The better and easier-to-use digital storytelling tools
become, the more opportunity there will be for new players to offer sophis-
ticated local news coverage. Ultimately, everyone having access to the same
tools means those that do the best reporting to feed into these tools will win.”
Gannett has taken a cautious route in implementing AI tools into its work-
flow. It requires staff members to get permission from their direct reports
before using it, and they must have a concrete reason why they need to use the
tool. They also apply an approach similar to the AP, where human interaction
is required before publishing.
***

Putting ChatGPT to the Test . . . and Failing

In January 2023, an ABC News reporter worked with ChatGPT on air during a
weekend edition of “Good Morning America.” His prompt to ChatGPT asked
216 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

it to write a script about ChatGPT in the style of an ABC News story. As the
software produced the script as the cameras rolled, the reporter was shocked to
find how accurate the script was, right down to the style, format and details that
ABC News uses (watch the story: [Link]
news/video/school-districts-banning-artificial-intelligence-tool-96738248).
But ChatGPT isn’t always so effective, or accurate. In early versions of the
software, its knowledge only runs up to 2021, so any more-recent requests
usually lead to a default error message. But sometimes the software does
strange things.
Shortly after the 2023 Chicago mayoral runoff election, I asked ChatGPT
to write a news story about the results of the race. On the first try, it gave me
the default error message. But a second try produced a result – with wrong
answers. Instead of detailing Brandon Johnson’s upset over the favored Paul
Vallas, it wrote a piece of fiction about Rebecca Martinez winning the race.
Problem is, she didn’t run for mayor (Figure 9.3).
I tried the same experiment in Google Bard, ChatGPT’s rival. The result
was a clumsily written, but accurate, rundown of the 2023 mayoral runoff.
Names were spelled correctly. The vote count was correct. The background
and bios appeared accurate on a first editing pass, save for one major error:

Figure 9.3 A case study in how NOT to use ChatGPT

 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 217

Figure 9.4 Google Bard’s result on story generation

Brandon Johnson is not the first African American to become Chicago’s mayor
since Harold Washington in 1983. Johnson’s predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, was
African American (third paragraph in Figure 9.4).
In March 2023, Google launched a free beta version of Bard, where you
can register for it through your Gmail/Drive login. I saw some instant benefits
and drawbacks

Benefits: The results weren’t perfect but much more accurate than ChatGPT.
The interface lets you rank the result with a thumbs up or thumbs down. It
has a button that lets you edit the prompt without entirely retyping it and
has a “Google It” search button.
Drawbacks: Still has some accuracy problems and it is spotty with attribution
and link citations from results.

I had my UIC Advanced Data Journalism students write more prompts about
various topics. Some asked ChatGPT or Bard to write about Chicago’s top
tourist attractions. Others asked it to write a story or bio about themselves –
or me. As a student read an AI-produced story about me in class, I could see
that it gleaned information directly from my official UIC faculty bio and from
[Link]. Google Bard produced a similar result.
218 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

Figure 9.5 Accurate HTML link code in ChatGPT

Figure 9.6 Accurate HTML table code in ChatGPT

At the end of class, I asked my students what they learned by working with
the technology. Their answer: Don’t ask ChatGPT and Bard to write stories
with you. Have it help with research summary, draft code (Figures 9.5 and
9.6) and other tasks, but the tools aren’t reliable enough at this point to write
stories.
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 219

Writing Good Prompts

At the Associated Press, Rinehart wants journalists to focus on eight tips for
writing good prompts. We’ll apply these tips in the prompt-writing exercises
at the end of Chapter 10.

1. Break complex tasks into smaller steps.

2. Use chain-of-thought and step-by-step prompting.
3. Provide training examples to help with new or complex tasks.
4. Add relevant contextual information whenever possible.
5. Repeat the main instructions at the end.
6. Include words or phrases to guide the responses.
7. Use clear punctuation, headings and section markers.
8. Specify the output structure you want.

Rinehart also warns to watch for gender bias in AI. For example, if you ask
ChatGPT to write a love story, you’ll get a typical heterosexual love story (e.g.,
ask it to write a Shakespeare-inspired love story). It’s programmed to write in
this format and doesn’t take LGBTQ into consideration. Another instance: a
result that assumes that the boss is a man and the assistant is a woman, Rine-
hart said.
In his book, “How to Start Writing Online,” author Nicolas Cole discourages
the use of single-sentence prompts, saying it’s “like having a Ferrari and driving
it 5 mph.” Instead, he encourages people to treat the software like you would
a newly hired intern. His five guidelines give a more structured path for the
OpenAI tool to follow, same as you would an intern who’s new to your industry:

1. Create constraints. Don’t encourage assumptions. If you give AI vague

information, it will give you a vague conclusion. If you ask it a broad ques-
tion, it will give you a broad answer. People who say ChatGPT “creates
mediocre content” are giving it mediocre prompts.
2. Treat AI like a “digital intern” and invest in its training. If you hired
an intern tomorrow, you wouldn’t give him/her one sentence of direction.
You would:
• Create a checklist
• Explain why
• Ask if he/she has any questions
Do the same with ChatGPT.
3. You do the “thinking.” Tell AI how to “do the doing.” You can’t expect
AI to think for you. Instead, whatever you want AI to help you create, you
need to first understand:
• Why you want what you want
• What, specifically, you need
• How you want it delivered
220 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

4. Talk to AI like a human, and give it only one task at a time. The best
prompts don’t ask AI to chase seven different ideas at once.
• You can ask AI if it’s confused.
• You can tell AI to “do that again.”
Remember: imagine you’re hand-holding a college intern.
5. If AI gives you the wrong output, that means you gave it the wrong input.
• Sometimes, you need to workshop your prompts more than 10 times to
figure out how to get what you need.
• Even though you’re writing English, think of it like you’re writing code.
***

The Best AI Writing and Editing Tools

During the AI gold rush, established tools such as Canva, Notion and Coda
were hustling to implement new AI features to their interfaces. While some of
it is hype, some of the tools have added some helpful AI features, Caplan said.
Caplan found that [Link] has the best-designed implementation of any of
the AI writing tools he has seen.

You hit/and it gives you some options for adding directly into whatever
doc you’re working on. It works on the Mac and Windows apps, on the
Web and on iOS.
You can use the AI feature to summarize or explain something; cre-
ate an outline; write a pros and cons list; generate keywords or hashtags;
suggest a title; add to something you’ve written; or translate your text
into English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Portuguese,
Korean or Japanese.

I have used the Magic Write tool in Canva Docs for some of my stories. It’s help-
ful when you’re stuck and can’t think of a transition or you need a quick writing
tip. You simply hit the plus sign (+) in the left margin and the pulldown menu
gives you options to style the text. At the top is the Magic Write tool. Select that
option, then write a prompt of at least five words and Canva will produce some
strikingly strong results. A test I tried with it is shown in Figures 9.7 and 9.8.
***

Video: Using Canva Docs with AI Features

[Link]
This training video demonstrates some of the AI writing features in
Canva Docs as well as the voice typing transcription feature in Google Docs.

***
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 221

Figure 9.7 Canva Docs Magic Write tool

Figure 9.8 Canva Docs Magic Write results

Caplan also predicts that the way we store, organize and use our notes is poised
to change dramatically in the years ahead. Instead of hierarchical, folder-based
notes services like Evernote, we’ll see new personal knowledge management
tools – PKM – expand, grow and gain popularity because they allow us to
connect ideas, search and update our own past notes with natural queries and
reliably find anything we need.
Caplan said that some of the new PKM services to watch include Tana,
Capacities, Anytype, Obsidian, Roam, Logseq, Reflect, Mem and Bloks. At
first they’re of interest to early adopters and techies, but like Notion, the best
of the bunch will find broad adoption.
222 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

You can find more AI writing and editing tools in Chapter 1 and on Jour-
[Link]. Among the best tools:

[Link]
AI text-generation tool.
[Link]
AI text-generation tool.
Notion AI
Similar to Canva Docs, the revamped Notion AI (February 2023) installed an
AI assistant that can offer writing/editing suggestions, generate idea lists
and more.
[Link]
AI-driven Twitter writing tool
[Link]
A basic AI copywriting tool that works for multiple platforms. Good for jour-
nalists, PR pros and more.
[Link]
A good writing assistant if you’re stuck with writer’s block.
[Link] – AI Writer and SEO Writing Assistant
Intuitive AI content tool that combines AI writing and an SEO assistant. Cost
is $29 a month.
AISEO
AI writing assistant, copywriting and paraphrasing tool.
[Link]
Tool for automating workflows. Good for autoposting social media.
Vista Social: AI Assistant for Writing Social Media Posts
Uses ChatGPT technology to help you write better social posts. Has a free
account option.
Canva Docs
Canva launched this tool in the second half of 2022 as a competitor for Google
Docs. It includes a few AI tools, including the “Magic” tool that lets you
type in a topic, and it gives you some text related to that topic. It’s good for
breaking writer’s block. Canva has a free account with some paid accounts
starting as low as $128 annually (Fall 2022 prices).
Fireflies
Transcribes notes from meetings, creates highlights, etc.
Google Pinpoint
This tool uses AI to analyze PDFs, strip text from images and transcribe audio.
[Link]
Takes meeting notes for you, transcribes them.
Google Sheets: Help Me Organize
Introduced by Google in summer 2023, this tool lets you load a prompt directly
into sheets for creating a template. For example, try this prompt: client and
pet roster for a dog-walking business. Then select the table or whatever
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 223

format you want. It will give you a table with dummy data to organize the
data into the table cells. This can be useful for organizing crime data, analyz-
ing city budgets or just organizing your source lists and tasks.

Editing Tools

DeepL Write
Cut/paste a selection of text and this tool will tell you how to improve it. Has
free and paid models.
QuillBot Paraphraser
Reworks copy into a more professional style. Good for writing formal emails.
Has free and paid models.
Headline Hero
Paste in a story and it gives you headline options based on settings you enter.
Hemingway Editor
Paste in a story and it analyzes and grades the piece based on active voice,
brevity, etc.
WordTune Spices
Advanced word processing tool. Has free and paid models.
***

Other Useful AI Tools

While AI tools are a huge help to reporters and writers, there are many other
automation tools that newsrooms can use. AI tools have emerged for podcasting,
video editing, creating images (MidJourney, DALL-E and others we’ll explore
later in the chapter). These tools can save thousands of hours of editing time
Hamer of [Link] outlined some of the best AI-driven multimedia
tools in a 2023 blog post ([Link]
ultimate-list-of-ai-tools-for-creators). Nearly all of the tools have free and paid
models. Here are some of my favorites from her list, along with her descrip-
tions of the tools:

Podcasting Tools
• Descript: An AI-powered editor that automatically transcribes your audio
and video recordings so that you can edit them just like text. It also uses AI
to remove background noise and improve recording quality with a click (via
Studio Sound), detects filler words like “um” and “uh,” and can insert AI
voices – even correct misspoken words with a synthesized version of your
own voice, if you want – via its Overdub feature.
• Podcastle: A cloud recorder and AI-powered editor that lets you record a
remote interview, edit, and mix all in one app. It also has transcription capa-
bilities, an AI-powered sound quality tool called Magic Dust, and AI voices.
224 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

• Resound: Resound is an AI-powered audio editor built to automatically

detect filler words like “um” and “uh” and remove them from your record-
ing. Another good option is Speechify, a text-to-audio tool.
• Adobe Podcast: This is Adobe’s answer to Descript – an AI-powered text-
based audio editor that can automatically enhance speech. It also enables
remote recording.
• Auphonic: Upload your file, and Auphonic will automatically optimize your
recording and polish up the quality of the audio. You can choose from a
variety of audio algorithms, including a leveler, normalization, filtering, and
noise reduction, and it can even stitch an intro and outro onto your episode
if you want.
• [Link]: Like Auphonic, Cleanvoice is a standalone AI audio tool that
can remove unwanted sounds, but it focuses more on speech imperfections
like filler words, stutters and those spitty, clicky mouth sounds.
• Listnr: If you want AI voices, Listnr’s got them. Paste text into their text-
to-speech converter, and the app will convert it into one of their 600 voices
in seconds. At that point, it’s ready to turn into a podcast, use as a video
voiceover, star in a “Home Alone” contraption to scare away burglars,
whatever you need it for.
• Alitu: Alitu brands itself as an AI-powered one-stop shop for podcast pro-
duction. You can record remotely with hosts or guests, polish up the audio,
edit the content, generate transcripts and publish all from a single platform.
• Dubb: If you’re more interested in the recording part of podcasting than
the marketing part, Dubb is for you. It uses AI to generate not only tran-
scripts, but episode titles, show notes, newsletter content, Twitter threads,
even generative AI TikTok videos.

Video Editing and Creation

• Runway: Half AI image generator, half AI-powered video editor, Runway
can either create a video from scratch using only text or edit your video
with futuristic tools like background or object removal, motion tracking,
and automatic “beat” detection, along with staples like automatic noise
removal and subtitles.
• Aug X Labs: Its automatic B-roll is powered by AI. Just upload an audio or
video recording, and Aug X Labs’ prompt-to-video tool will add relevant
images based on what’s being said.
• Pictory: Pictory is an AI-powered video generator and editor that can cre-
ate videos from scripts and blog posts with AI text-to-speech voices and
automatic B-roll footage. You can also use it to edit existing videos with
a Descript-style text-based editor, and even create short snippets for social
media with just a few clicks.
• Synthesia: You’ve heard of text-to-speech, but what about text-to-virtual-
avatar? With just plain text (in up to 65 languages), Synthesia generates
a realistic-looking virtual avatar to deliver your lines talking-head style.
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 225

Instead of watching stock footage paired with an AI voice, you can watch
a realistic “person” walk you through an instructional video or product
demo, which, while definitely in uncanny valley territory, is a lot more
engaging. (Descript uses Synthesia for internal presentations all the time, in
fact.) The personal plan is $30 for 10 video credits/month.
• D-ID: D-ID can generate talking humans, but it can also generate talking
monsters. That’s because it can combine facial images – either real ones or
AI-generated ones – with audio or text to make them speak.
• Elai: Elai mixes automatic video generation with AI avatars for a really easy
way to make videos in minutes. You can generate footage from a blog post
URL, product images and descriptions, or even a slide deck, then choose
your human avatar and put the AI to work.
• InVideo: InVideo lets you create entire videos in minutes from a script, article,
or blog post – or existing footage – with an eye-popping 6,000 templates organ-
ized by platform, industry, and content type. It can also remove backgrounds,
add AI voiceovers, and automatically resize your video for any platform.
• VEED: VEED is a web-based video editor that can do screen recording,
automatic subtitles, AI voiceovers and a bunch of other things to make your
videos look polished and professional.

Automation and Productivity

In March 2023, the International Journalists’ Network compiled a list of use-
ful AI tools for productivity: “AI-powered tools can help journalists streamline
information-gathering and uncover hidden stories within datasets. new/s/
leak, short for “NetWork of Searchable Leaks,” for example, is a free tool
that uses both language technology and visualizations to help journalists sift
through large amounts of text data and identify relevant material and unex-
pected connections more effectively.”
Other tools IJNET shared:

• Tagging: While automatic tagging might sound like a boring use of AI, it’s
an important step in assuring valuable information won’t be lost within the
databases. Varia provides a categorization system with intelligent search and
retrieval capabilities.
• Text-to-speech and speech-to-text: Text-to-speech AI, such as Eleven
Labs, can convert written text into natural speech, making information
more accessible for those with visual impairments. Speech-to-text software
like Trint can transcribe audio and video in multiple languages, facilitating
access to a broader audience, including those with hearing loss. YouTube
also offers free captioning capabilities.
• Monitoring events and topics in real time: This activity is crucial for
keeping up with the fast pace of news. AI has made this easier with tools
like NewsWhip, which predicts the stories and topics that will trend in the
hours ahead, tracking public and media interest.
226 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

• Social media: Another tech platform, Factmata, analyzes social media,

articles and blog posts to group similar opinions into narratives and offer
insights on popularity and virality. Using these, journalists can stay on
top of the latest developments and gain a deeper understanding of online
conversations.
• Text-to-audio: Audemic, a marketing tool, can also help journalists and
content creators save valuable time in their newsgathering and reporting
process. Users can upload a scientific paper, and the software will gener-
ate an audio version of the text. Additionally, they can quickly access an
overview, skip to specific sections, listen to the audio, highlight important
information and take notes easily.
***

MidJourney, DALL-E and Image-Generation Tools

Beyond ChatGPT, the other AI technology to make the greatest impact on jour-
nalism were the image-generation tools such as DALL-E (made by OpenAI),
MidJourney (which works through [Link]) and Stable Diffusion, among
others. Ashley Hamer’s blog post ([Link]
the-ultimate-list-of-ai-tools-for-creators) highlighted some of the best options:

• Midjourney: Midjourney is one of the many image generators that have

taken the art world by storm. In the free version, you use it by sending
chat prompts to the AI in Discord, which is good and bad – you get to see
everyone else’s art, but they also get to see yours. If you use a paid version,
your prompts and images can be seen only by you.
• DALL-E 2: Made by OpenAI, the same company that built ChatGPT,
DALL-E 2 is also capable of stunning AI-generated images. It’s particularly
good at copying different art styles and can produce photorealistic images
more successfully than other generators.
• Stable Diffusion/Stability AI: Allows you to ask for a particular image with
both a positive prompt and a negative prompt. You can also adjust a “guid-
ance” slider that determines how closely the image generator sticks to your
prompt.
• Lexica: A search engine for every image ever made using Stable Diffusion,
which can help you find/improve on prompts.
• [Link]: This tool is designed for practical purposes like book covers,
logos, posters, digital wallpaper, and the like.
• Adobe Firefly: Adobe has partnered with Google to integrate Firefly into
Google Bard, the company’s rival AI software to ChatGPT. This was intro-
duced at the Google I/O conference in May 2023. Users can prompt an
illustration in Bard, which will then connect seamlessly to Firefly to cre-
ate the image. Firefly has some cool features aimed at solving problems
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 227

for creatives and visual journalists: AI video editing, 3D modeling, text-to-

image, photo editing and more. Be careful with ethics when using this tool
on news photographs.

I’ve tinkered with many of these tools but have used MidJourney and Firefly
the most for various personal and professional projects. I find MidJourney’s
simple interface and ability to work well with [Link] streamlines my
workflow.
MidJourney launched in open beta in July 2022 by a San Francisco company
with only 10 employees. The team built an AI-powered text-to-­illustration
tool that lets you build original, high-resolution images in a few seconds. The
tool is free but has paid upgrades (I pay $10 a month), and you use the tool
through a bot in Discord. You’ll need accounts on both and must connect
MidJourney to Discord, which is easily prompted at setup. I recommend set-
ting up Discord first, then logging into it through a prompt that MidJourney
provides during its set-up process.

Using Text-to-Image Journalistically, Ethically and Legally

A competitor to Open AI’s DALL-E and Stable Diffusion, MidJourney lets
you create illustrations, memes, logos and other pieces of art quickly. I would
recommend labeling them as such if you publish them and even explain to the
reader how you made it. In fact, I used MidJourney to design the header logos
on many of the [Link] pages.
Amditis’ ebook, “Beginner’s Prompt Handbook: ChatGPT for Local News
Publishers,” offers specific examples on how to write good prompts and unex-
pected use cases for newsrooms with text-to-image tools. As with most tools,
MidJourney can be used for fake news. This was the case with the hundreds
of memes of Donald Trump “fleeing police” that made the rounds on social
media prior to his late March 2023 indictment.
Be careful with text-to-image. It can be dangerous in the hands of those
with bad intentions or those unprepared. Consult the SPJ and NPPA codes of
ethics for advice on handling photo illustrations. Also, Santa Clara University’s
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics has an excellent guide, “Ethical Questions
About Generative AI.” The U.S. Copyright Office ruled in late February that
images created with the tool don’t fall under copyright jurisdiction. This could
change over time, however.
Journalists are also closely watching a lawsuit that stock photo provider
Getty Images filed in February 2023 against Stability AI. The suit said Stabil-
ity AI misused more than 12 million Getty photos to train its Stable Diffusion
AI image-generation system. Getty said Stability scraped the images without
a license.
At the International Center for Journalists Media Party Conference in
June 2023, Dalia Hashim of Partnership on AI presented questions newsrooms
228 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

should ask before using generative artificial intelligence and text-to-image

prompts. Journalists also need to communicate to the audience how and why
they are using AI on the project. Questions Hashim raised in her talk included
the following:

• Are we comfortable with using generative AI tools that were trained using
others’ content without consent? Can we find or make tools that are not
derivative?
• How are we going to put guardrails around the use of AI tools in the
newsroom?
• Where could our workflow be automated? Where do we need a human in
the loop?
• If we are using AI to produce content, how will we label it?
• How will we ensure the accuracy of AI-aided content?
• If we’re collecting data from the audiences, how is it going to be used, and
who owns it?

Hashim also encouraged journalists to use the Partnership on AI’s framework

on responsible practices for newsrooms’ AI use, alongside its AI tools database
for local newsrooms.

Testing It Out
I’ve built a working document on AI tools on a Google Doc ([Link]
aiguides) that includes background on MidJourney and some prompts, lenses,
filters and ideas to get you started.
I began with some basic prompts by telling MidJourney to imagine A BMW
sports car on a beach at sunset, ultra realistic – v 5 – ar 3:2.
The last two prompts told it to use the most current “version 5” of Mid-
Journey and that the aspect ratio should be 3:2 (horizontal, 2:3 for vertical
iPhones). Other prompts let you add filters, lenses (which MidJourney is still
figuring out) and more. The result included the image presented in Figure 9.9.
It took about one minute to produce these images. By pressing a button
underneath these samples, I could “upscale” each image for a higher resolu-
tion that I could then download and use. I suggest using the MidJourney
Prompt Book, which features a variety of tips and a database of prompts that
you can use for greater detail.
Writing good prompts – both for the chat applications and the image-­
generation tools – is a useful skill for all journalists, but particularly for young
journalists coming out of college. The skill requires good descriptive writing,
the ability to research and edit on the fly. Working with my students, I’ve
found that MidJourney helps them understand how to write descriptively . . .
and then see instant results.
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 229

Figure 9.9 MidJourney results for a BMW on a beach

Source: Prompt by Mike Reilley

As newsroom budgets wane, money for food and dining photography for
the features section has dried up with it. That’s where AI-generated images
can help, as long as the journalist identifies it as an AI-generated photo in the
cutline. The SPJ Code of Ethics can be helpful here: Never deliberately distort
facts or context, including visual information. Clearly label illustrations and
re-enactments.
Let’s say you’re writing about healthy breakfasts and need an image of a
grain bowl and fresh fruit. Try this prompt in [Link]:

/imagine A breakfast bowl with whole great and fresh blueberries, ultra
realistic –ar 2:3 –v 5

Be sure to include your credit and “created using AI in MidJourney” in the

cutline. Figure 9.10 displays the result.
230 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

Figure 9.10 Breakfast bowl with blueberries, created by Mike Reilley using AI in MidJourney

***

Footnotes
Adobe Firefly: [Link]
Adobe Podcast: [Link]
AI for Data Storytelling, Simon Rogers: [Link]
data-storytelling
AI + Local News Workstream: [Link]
AI Tools for Local Newsrooms: [Link]
AI Tools for Local Newsrooms Database: [Link]
tblvwDhL4X23V1pTp/viwN8zctay9H2N0ir?blocks=hide
AISEO: [Link]
Alitu: [Link]
Audemic: [Link]
Aug X Labs: [Link]
Auphonic: [Link]
Beginner’s Prompt Handbook: ChatGPT for Local News Publishers: [Link]
[Link]/jamditis/Beginner-s-prompt-handbook-ChatGPT-for-local-news-
publishers-15d1f07d5b194265a41fdd42955679b4
 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools 231

Bloks: [Link]
Canva Docs: [Link]/docs
Capacities: [Link]
ChatGPT: [Link]
ChatGPT Exercises and Prompts, Mike Reilley: [Link]
Cleanvoice: [Link]
Collaborative Journalism Resource Page: [Link]
Collaborative Partnership Agreement: [Link]
RCBNduqFA8N20MPf-gNafEyDjQerlCnYxsSHzqJs/copy
Copy: [Link]
DALL-E 2: [Link]
DeepLWrite: [Link]/write
Descript: [Link]
Descript: The Ultimate List of AI Tools for Creators, Ashley Hamer: [Link].
com/blog/article/the-ultimate-list-of-ai-tools-for-creators
D-ID: [Link]
Discord: [Link]
Eleven Labs: [Link]
Ethical Questions About Generative AI, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: www.
[Link]/ethics-spotlight/generative-ai-ethics/ethical-questions-about-generative-ai
Factmata: [Link]
Fireflies: [Link]
Geeks Bearing Gifts, Jeff Jarvis: [Link]
Good Morning America: School Districts Banning AI Tool: [Link].
com/news/video/school-districts-banning-artificial-intelligence-tool-96738248
Google Bard: [Link]
How to Start Writing Online: [Link]
International Journalists’ Network: Non-Writing AI Tools Every Journalist Should
Know About: [Link]
know-about
InVideo: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox Training Video: Canva Docs: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox Training Video: ChatGPT Basics: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox: AI Tools for Journalists: [Link]/2023/05/
09/ai-tools-for-journalists
[Link]: [Link]
Lexica: [Link]
Listnr: [Link]/ai-podcast
Logseq: [Link]
232 Artificial Intelligence | Productivity Tools

Mem: [Link]
MidJourney: [Link]/home
MidJourney Prompt Book: [Link]
AI-Guide-41eca43809dd4d8fa676e648436fc29c
New/s/Leak: [Link]/about
NewsWhip: [Link]
Notion: [Link]
Obsidian: [Link]
Partnership on AI: Responsible Framework for Synthetic Media: [Link]
[Link]/#read_the_framework
Pictory: [Link]
Podcastle: [Link]
Postwise: [Link]
QuillBot: [Link]
Reflect: [Link]
Repurpose: [Link]
Resound: [Link]
Reuters: Getty Images Lawsuit Says Stability AI Misused Photos to Train AI: www.
[Link]/legal/getty-images-lawsuit-says-stability-ai-misused-photos-train-ai-
2023-02-06
Roam Research: [Link]
Runway: [Link]
Speechify: [Link]
SPJ Code of Ethics: [Link]/[Link]
Stable Diffusion: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Synthesia: [Link]
Tana: [Link]
Tl;vd: [Link]
TranscriptFixer 4.0: [Link]
891d44a2314c0499749ce07954e070
Trint: [Link]
[Link]: [Link]
Varia: [Link]
VEED: [Link]
Vista Social: [Link]
Wonder Tools: AI Writing Tools, Jeremy Caplan: [Link]
p/aiwriting
Wonder Tools Newsletter: [Link]
Wordtune Spices: [Link]/spices
10 AI | Productivity Tools and
Exercises

***

Key Resources
[Link]: [Link]
Google News Product Database: [Link]
Beginner’s Prompt Handbook: ChatGPT for Local News Publishers: https://
[Link]/ailocalbook
***
You won’t find a bigger advocate for AI tools in local newsrooms than Joe
Amditis of the Center for Cooperative Media in New Jersey. One of the rea-
sons he wrote the Beginner’s Prompt Handbook ([Link]
was to help news leaders better understand how to use the tool and overcome
any fears they or staff may have in using it.
His basic rule: Fact-check everything.
“Just like with any copy you receive from a freelancer or reporter, you have
to meticulously verify and back up the statements and claims before you pub-
lish them if you want to retain any semblance of trust with your community or
audience,” he said. “The same thing goes for copy that’s generated, enhanced
or supplemented by generative AI tools and other comparable software.
“Journalists need to stop thinking and talking about these tools as factual
information generators and start treating them like the text formatters and
template generators they really are. All these tools are doing at their core is
trying to predict what the next most likely word or phrase will be, based on

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-11
234 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

the database of information they were trained on and the additional context
and instructions provided by the user.”
In the book, Amditis writes about disclosure and transparency, providing a
few examples of how newsrooms and publications are approaching that issue.
Ultimately, Amditis said, it’s up to the individual journalists, editors and news-
rooms to decide the best approaches and policies for their journalism.
Some newsrooms include their AI use in their principles and policies
pages on their websites and mention it in image cutlines or at the end of a
story. DragonFly Editorial posted a personal policy page on ethical AI use on
its site. Lynn Walsh of Trusting News placed a disclosure at the end of her
2023 post on newsroom diversity mentioning how she used AI for writing
the piece.
Amditis cautions that journalists need to be more careful and intentional
about how they talk about AI technology. In particular, about all the fear-
mongering and misinformation from guests and hosts on various public and
mainstream media outlets.
“They seem to be eager to discuss ChatGPT and other tools on the air, but
clearly haven’t spent enough time playing around with them or studying them
to the point where they are able to speak about their capabilities and limita-
tions in a responsible and accurate way,” he said.
He also worries about what happens when the right-wingers and neo-Nazi
groups start using AI tools to harass and target underserved and vulnerable
populations.
***

Course Handout
Download this handout for the latest AI tools, tips and resources:
[Link]

***
Another fear with AI tools is that they will replace journalists, tightening the
media job market even more than it is now. According to a June 2023 Reuters
article, analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated that 18% of global jobs could be
automated, and that AI could render 7% of the U.S. workforce redundant,
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 235

especially in white-collar industries. Others say that journalists aren’t at risk of

losing their jobs to AI, but they might lose it to someone who knows how to
use AI.
Amditis takes a realistic, but optimistic view on the role AI will play in the
industry.
“You can bet that the companies and CEOs who have owned – and gutted –
newsrooms over the decades will certainly try to ‘replace’ them if they
believe it will improve their bottom line,” he said. “We can’t really do any-
thing about that as individuals, but we can, and should, continue to build
power among newsroom workers through things like collective action and
unionization.
“This happens pretty much every time a new technology comes along that
makes it easier or more efficient to do a task or job. Instead of using the tools
to invest in employees and, by extension, better journalism, many owners sim-
ply see them as a shortcut to higher profit margins.
“That’s not an indictment of the tools – and it’s not like we can simply
un-invent them even if it was – it’s an indictment of the relationship between
journalism, a supposed public good, and capitalism, and journalism’s position
within a market that is not built to preserve public goods if they don’t turn a
profit.”
Amditis sees journalism jobs and the roles and responsibilities of individual
journalists as changing and evolving alongside the new technologies and tools.
But he doesn’t think these changes will be much different than those that came
on the heels of information tools like Encarta, Google, Photoshop or word
processors.
“I can speak into my computer microphone and have the words appear on
my screen alongside grammatical and spelling recommendations from tools
like Grammarly and Google Docs,” Amditis said. “Now we have tools that
can help us clean up, finish, rearrange, and suggest alternatives for our copy,
among other things.
“If the very existence of your job is threatened by those things, then that
might be an issue with the nature of that job or the way your employer under-
stands the value of that job. It’s not necessarily an issue with the tools that hap-
pen to make it easier and more accessible for more people to do those jobs.”

Chrome Extensions for AI Tools

We’ve explored many productivity tools for journalists in this book. But the AI
tools – specifically the Google Chrome browser extensions – have been some
of the most effective.
Chief among them is ChatGPT for Google, which allows ChatGPT to work
alongside Google when you search. Once installed, the extension launches
a small window to the right of any Google search and drops the ChatGPT
results next to the Google results. This is a major time-saver, as journalists
don’t need to hop between browser tabs when researching.
236 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Figure 10.1 ChatGPT for Google browser extension

Figure 10.1 shows an example of a Google search with the ChatGPT exten-
sion results running to the right side.
In this example, I searched for LGBTQ expert sources, which provided
a list of websites to the left. To the right, ChatGPT for Google offered its
choices for expert sources. While there was an obvious overlap with GLAAD,
both offered some different resources to find key sources. If my search had
been more specific (e.g. name five LGBTQ expert sources), I would have
received lists of specific people.
As always, any source found on Google, ChatGPT or any other search tool
or website should be vetted before reaching out for an interview.
Here are some more useful Chrome browser extensions, and you can find
more on [Link]. You can find all of the extensions by search-
ing their names in the Google Chrome store: [Link]
webstore/category/extensions

Bing Chat for All Browsers

You need a Microsoft account that has access to the new Bing Chat to use the
extension. If you don’t have access to Bing Chat, you can join the waitlist
at [Link]/chat.
TweetGPT
A chrome extension that uses ChatGPT to write tweets
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 237

Blackbox
AI coding assistant
AskCodi
AI code optimization tool
Auto RegEx
AI RegEx creator
AI Code Snippets
Fireflies
Allows you to record and transcribe meetings, summarize emails and docu-
ments, as well as YouTube articles, etc.
SciSpace Copilot
Find and interpret complex research papers by highlighting text, number or
chart
YouTube Summary
This Glasp plug-in gives you a summary and highlights key points of a long
video you don’t have time to watch
ChatGPT Prompt Genius
Learn how to write powerful prompts to level up your ChatGPT
Teamsmart AI
Helps you brainstorm, to write drafts and review code
Merlin
Lets ChatGPT and GPT-4 work on any website.
***

Pro Tip: Five Productivity Tools from Jeremy Caplan of

CUNY
Not all productivity tools use AI. The Journalist’s Toolbox features a
deep list of both AI and non-AI productivity tools ([Link]
[Link]/2023/05/25/ai-tools-for-journalists). Here’s a list
of five favorites from Jeremy Caplan:

Superhuman: I use it to act on hundreds of email messages daily. The

keyboard shortcuts, text snippets and other speed-enhancing features
mean I can be more responsive to colleagues, students and readers
than I would be if I had to use a slower, more clunky email client.
Readwise Reader: I rely on it as my reading hub. It helps me stay on
top of articles I save for later, newsletters I subscribe to and YouTube
channels I keep up with. It also saves and organizes all my highlights
and links them to my notes, so I can refer back to – and share – notable
238 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

passages in books, articles or anything else I’ve read over the years. [See
Caplan’s blog post about how to use it: [Link]
com/p/reader.]
Craft: I use this mostly for creating documents I share with readers and
students. Visual cards help divide up sections of a document so that
readers can open up a drawer to see what’s inside, rather than having
to scroll through long pages of text as they might in a Google Doc.
It has AI built in, and works seamlessly on mobile devices, desktop
and the Web. [See Caplan’s blog post about how to use it: https://
[Link]/p/craft.]
Slido: This is my go-to resource for live polling and Q&A when teach-
ing live classes and workshops. I love being able to type [Link] and
create an instant word cloud poll on the spot to gauge the energy in
the room or to check on how people are doing, what they under-
stand, and what their preferences are.
Apple Reminders: This is my simple way of keeping track of my tasks
and obligations. I also use it to keep lists of sites to explore, books to
read and writing ideas. I’ve used dozens of fancier task apps – this is a
category where simple is best. And I rely on the voice capabilities to
dictate reminders without having to look at a screen.

***

ChatGPT Plug-ins
In the spring of 2023, ChatGPT began offering plug-ins that opened the tool
up to new tasks. These plug-ins worked directly in ChatGPT as opposed to the
Chrome plug-ins that work with a separate browser.
ScholarAI is a useful ChatGPT plug-in for journalists. Once installed, you
can ask it to search thousands of scholarly publications on a specific topic and
summarize it. Then you can ask it to write Twitter threads and other functions
using that summary. It provides citations and links to the research as well, so
you can fact-check it as you go.
Some other plug-ins worth installing are:

Wolfram: Computation, math, curated knowledge and real-time data through

Wolfram Alpha.
ChatwithPDF/Ask Your PDF: Search and make queries of PDFs you link
off to. You can turn them into a database of sorts that you can analyze with
sub-prompts.
PromptPerfect: Type the word perfect to improve the prompt you just wrote.
Photorealistic: Helps you create realistic prompts for MidJourney image
creation.
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 239

[Link]: A simple chart-building tool that requires no coding. Once installed,

you can prompt the tool to design a specific chart with a dataset (cut-and-
paste the prompt and the data together) and then modify the chart or even
change the format entirely using sub prompts.
***

Advanced Data Analysis and ChatGPT

In the summer of 2023, OpenAI released the long-awaited Advanced Data
Analysis application for paid ChatGPT-Plus users. The tool works much like
a plug-in but exists outside the GPT plug-in store. To turn it on, go into the
settings and hit the toggle button to green.
Advanced Data Analysis essentially allows the most advanced AI available,
GPT-4, to upload and download information, and to write and execute pro-
grams. It helps you edit videos, create charts, analyze data, calculate complex
math problems, convert files and more in just seconds. You can upload files as
large as 100 MB.
I’ve found it most useful as a data analysis and graphic-building tool.
Although it reduces the amount of “AI hallucinations” that ChatGPT is
known for, it’s not perfect. Be careful with anything you build or use in the
tool and fact-check everything.
***

Exercises

Exercise 1: Creating a Chart with [Link]

We’re going to use the [Link] ChatGPT plug-in to build a bar chart of
homicides in Chicago. Start by going to the ChatGPT settings in the lower
left corner of the interface and turning on the ChatGPT plug-ins feature.
Then go to the header and click on GPT-4 (or current version) on the
top right button. And go to the Plug-ins pulldown menu. At the bot-
tom of the menu, select the Plug-in Store option and a dialogue box will
open with some plug-ins listed. In the search field, type Daigram and hit
the install button. Then make sure it’s checked in the top pulldown menu
(you can activate three at a time as of July 2023), so the plug-in is active
in ChatGPT.
Then type in the prompt and the data listed below. You can also cut-and-
paste it out of this document to save time: [Link]
240 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Use [Link] to generate a bar chart with the following data:

Chicago Homicides by Year (1990–2023)

Year Homicides

1990: 854
1991: 928
1992: 943
1993: 855
1994: 931
1995: 828
1996: 796
1997: 761
1998: 704
1999: 643
2000: 633
2001: 667
2002: 656
2003: 601
2004: 453
2005: 451
2006: 471
2007: 448
2008: 513
2009: 460
2010: 438
2011: 436
2012: 507
2013: 422
2014: 420
2015: 491
2016: 778
2017: 658
2018: 569
2019: 506
2020: 774
2021: 797
2022: 723

Data Source: Chicago Police Dept.: [Link]

Murder&sortBy=relevance
Chart by [ENTER YOUR NAME]
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 241

You should wind up with something that looks like this: [Link]
am/[Link]
You can tweak the prompt a bit to add specific colors, a description under
the title, etc.
Note: You can change the chart type with a second prompt such as this:

Can you convert this data into an area chart?

***

Exercise 2: Google AutoDraw

Start by opening this tool: [Link]

Autodraw is one of Google’s early stand-alone AI-driven tools. It’s built
for people who can’t draw very well, but need a rights-free icon or logo. Just
launch the software in your browser and make sure your browser’s ad blockers
are turned off so you can see the icons appear at the top of the screen as you
draw.
To use it, just hold down your cursor and start sketching an object on the
page. The more detail you provide – such as the bicycle I attempted to draw
(Figure 10.2) – the closer Autodraw gets to providing a refined icon you can
use in the toolbar (Figure 10.3). Just click on the icon and it will replace your
rough sketch in the interface. You can use the tools on the left side of the
screen to change colors, add text and many other features. You can download
the image and use it in any project.
Autodraw is particularly helpful for building small icons you can import
into mapping software, such as [Link].

Figure 10.2 Mike’s goofy bicycle sketch in Autodraw

242 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Figure 10.3 Mike’s drawing converted to a bicycle icon in Autodraw

Figures 10.4 and 10.5 Juxtapose slider: Before/after images of Mike’s bicycle drawing
in Autodraw
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 243

Exercise 3: Google Pinpoint

Start by opening this tool and logging into your Google account: https://
[Link]/pinpoint/about
Pinpoint uses AI to perform a variety of tasks that are helpful to journalists.
I use it for three things:

1. Analyze PDFs to find the number of times a name or phrase appears in large
documents
2. Transcribe audio
3. Extract text from an image

You can practice by logging into the software for free with your Google cre-
dentials (Gmail login) and uploading a short audio clip. The interface will give
you analysis on the right, including the number of times certain phrases appear
in the clip. You can click on the PDF at the bottom of the page (Figure 10.6)
to get the transcript of the audio.
To analyze PDFs, simply upload them to Pinpoint, which will automatically
build a menu on the right side of how many times a word appears in a docu-
ment. For example, The New York Times published its analysis of the 2021
Trump impeachment documents, and you can track how many times a par-
ticular name or word appeared in the documents. You can click on the name
in the toolbar and it will highlight where it appears in the documents. Your
documents are private until you hit the “Publish” button in the upper right
corner of the interface, should you wish to share them.
To extract text from an image, simply upload the photo to Pinpoint and
click on the PDF that appears in the main interface. You should get an accurate
transcription of any text that appears on the photo. It’s a little hit-and-miss with

Figure 10.6 Audio clip analysis in Google Pinpoint

photos of handwritten notes or blurry photos, so be sure to double-check all

of the transcriptions.
***
244 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Figure 10.7 ChatGPT prompt for writing tips

Exercise 4: ChatGPT

Start by setting up a free account ([Link] or upgrade to a

paid ChatGPT Plus account ($20 a month) if you want to use plug-ins.
A few things to remember: ChatGPT is often incorrect and biased with its
answers. But many users leverage its ability to answer specific questions and
simplify complicated topics. For instance, I asked it for tips for writing shorter
paragraphs and it provided some solid advice, just as Canva Docs did earlier in
the book (Figure 10.7).
Getting started: Here are a few practice prompts to try with ChatGPT
once you set up an account and log in to [Link]
Will you help me update my resume?

Results: You should get some relevant tips. Include your resume text if you
want deeper analysis and try this prompt: Analyze this resume and offer tips
for improvement

Where did ChatGPT come from?

Result: It likely won’t be able to answer.

Tell me about the mining sector in South Africa (or another topic)
Five tips for writing shorter paragraphs
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 245

Gross domestic product of India prior to 2020

Remember, it can’t give you any information newer than 2021, though that
could change with future updates to the software.

Please write an API post request method in typescript

Mess with it a bit: Try a riddle: You have one fair coin, and one biased coin
that lands Heads with probability ¾. You pick one of the coins at random and
flip it three times. It lands Heads all three times. Given this information, what
is the probability that the coin you picked is the fair one?

This should prompt a funny result . . .

Why are you so helpful? What do you want in return?

This should prompt a funny result as well.

Ask ChatGPT to write about you. You’ll be interested in what it finds. Mine
was more accurate than I thought it would be
Is it self-aware? Give me 30 jobs that AI won’t overtake and the reasons why
Headlines: Have it write an SEO-driven headline for a news brief that you
cut and paste into the interface at the end of the prompt.
Story research: I’m not keen on asking ChatGPT to write a story for you,
but you could use it to research a story as long as you closely fact-check the
results. The Miami Herald successfully wrote an interesting story about the
city’s tourism using ChatGPT. But other publications have had disastrous
results, including several experiments we’ve tried in my classes.
Ask it to write a story about Chicago and tourism. Start with these prompts,
then work in some of your own questions. No need to write the story. Just ask
the questions.

What are the best things about Chicago (or a city of your choosing)
Best places to visit in Chicago
Five affordable Chicago restaurants

You can pull from the answers to help build your story and fact-check it.
For fun: Brian Miller, a former student of mine who now works in com-
munity relations for the Florida Highway Patrol, asked ChatGPT to write a
distracted driving campaign song in the style of Taylor Swift. I replicated it in
Figure 10.8. It wasn’t bad, although I’m not much of a T-Swift fan.

Exercise 5: Data Analysis Exercises

These prompts are experimental. Fact-check any analysis you unearth in Chat-
GPT-4 or a more current prompt.
246 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Analysis prompt: I want you to act as a data scientist and analyze the data-
set. Provide me with the exact and definitive answer for each question. Do not
provide me with the code snippets for the questions. The dataset is provided
below. Consider the given dataset for analysis. The first row of the dataset
contains the header.
[ChatGPT will ask for the data]

Figure 10.8 Taylor Swift song

 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 247

Paste the dataset into ChatGPT Copy and paste the dataset from Excel/
Google Sheets to ChatGPT (including column headers; ChatGPT has a char-
acter limit of 2,048).
For fun: To create a silly data viz image, try this prompt to get a silly col-
umn chart:

How many legs does a giraffe have? Answer in the form of a one-page PDF
download. No talk: just go
***

Exercise 6: Organizing an Outline in ChatGPT and Google Bard

AI tools are good at providing outlines, summaries, structure and organizing

projects or thoughts. You can put this to the test in ChatGPT and Bard with
anything you want.
For example, I entered the same prompt into ChatGPT and Bard: organize
a book chapter entry about four good AI writing tools. The results:

ChatGPT:
Chapter Title: Harnessing the Power of AI: Four Exceptional Writing Tools

Introduction:

• Briefly explain the growing importance of AI in the field of writing and how
it has revolutionized the way we create content.
• Highlight the benefits of using AI writing tools, such as improved effi-
ciency, enhanced creativity, and higher quality output.

Section 1: Tool 1 – “AutoWriter Pro: Transforming Ideas into Polished

Prose”

• Discuss the features and capabilities of AutoWriter Pro, an AI-powered writing

tool designed to assist in generating well-structured and engaging content.
• Highlight its ability to analyze input data, understand context and produce
coherent and coherent writing pieces.
• Provide examples of how AutoWriter Pro can be utilized for various writing
tasks, such as blog posts, essays and marketing copy.

Section 2: Tool 2 – “CreativeWords: Igniting Imagination with

AI-Driven Inspiration”

• Explore CreativeWords, an AI writing tool that specializes in generating

creative and original content.
248 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

• Explain how CreativeWords employs sophisticated algorithms to inspire

users by offering unique ideas, suggestions and stylistic variations.
• Discuss its usefulness in overcoming writer’s block, sparking creativity and
enabling writers to explore new angles and perspectives.

Section 3: Tool 3 – “GrammarGuardian: Elevating Writing Quality

through Intelligent Editing”

• Introduce GrammarGuardian, an advanced AI tool focused on improving

the quality of writing through intelligent editing and proofreading.
• Highlight its ability to detect grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes and
stylistic inconsistencies.
• Discuss how GrammarGuardian provides suggestions and explanations to
help users enhance their writing skills and produce error-free content.

Section 4: Tool 4 – “LanguageMaster: Enhancing Language Proficiency

with AI-Powered Tutoring”

• Explore LanguageMaster, an AI writing tool that functions as a per-

sonalized language tutor, aiding users in improving their writing
proficiency.
• Discuss its features, such as grammar and vocabulary exercises, interactive
writing prompts and real-time feedback on language usage.
• Explain how LanguageMaster adapts to individual learning needs and pro-
vides targeted recommendations to enhance overall writing skills.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key advantages of using AI writing tools, including

increased productivity, improved creativity, enhanced language proficiency,
and higher-quality content.
• Emphasize the role of AI as a valuable ally for writers, assisting them in
overcoming challenges and achieving their full potential.
• Encourage readers to explore and leverage the power of AI writing tools to
elevate their writing abilities and accomplish their writing goals.

Bard’s response:

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools are becoming increasingly popular as

they offer a variety of benefits to writers, including:

Increased productivity: AI writing tools can help writers to produce more

content in less time.
Improved quality: AI writing tools can help writers to produce more high-
quality content.
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 249

Enhanced creativity: AI writing tools can help writers to come up with new
and innovative ideas.
Reduced costs: AI writing tools can help businesses to save money on content
creation costs.

Four Good AI Writing Tools

There are a number of AI writing tools available on the market, but some of
the most popular and effective tools include:

Jasper: Jasper is a comprehensive AI writing tool that can be used for a variety
of tasks, including writing blog posts, articles, social media posts, and more.
Jasper is powered by GPT-3, one of the most advanced language models in
the world, and it can generate high-quality content that is both informative
and engaging.
[Link]: [Link] is an AI writing tool that is specifically designed for copywrit-
ing. [Link] can generate catchy headlines, persuasive sales copy, and effec-
tive marketing materials. It is also powered by GPT-3, and it can produce
high-quality content that is tailored to your specific needs.
Anyword: An AI writing tool that can be used to create a variety of content,
including blog posts, articles, social media posts, and more. Anyword is
powered by a proprietary AI language model, and it can generate high-
quality content that is both informative and engaging.
Sudowrite: An AI writing tool that is specifically designed for fiction writing.
Sudowrite can help you to brainstorm ideas, develop characters, and plot
out your story. It is also powered by GPT-3, and it can generate high-
quality content that is both creative and engaging.

Conclusion

AI writing tools are a powerful tool that can help writers to produce more
high-quality content in less time. If you are looking for an AI writing tool
to help you with your writing, then any of the four tools listed above would
be a great option.
***

Summary: Both tools produced reasonably good outlines with different exam-
ples of tools, some of which I previously mentioned in this chapter. I would
sub in my own examples rather than solely trust AI recommendations, but I
would follow the outlines that the tools produced. Both were eerily similar to
how I previously wrote the entries in this chapter.

***
250 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Figure 10.9 Data dictionary created in ChatGPT

Exercise 7: Create a Data Dictionary in ChatGPT

A data dictionary provides a detailed description of the dataset, which includes

the meaning of each column, the type of the data and any other relevant infor-
mation. Let’s make one with a simple dataset and this prompt: Can you make
a data dictionary with the following dataset. Then paste the header and first
8–10 rows of data into ChatGPT.
Try it yourself. Here’s a practice dataset of bridge inspections: [Link]
ly/bridgedataset
Copy the first eight rows from that sheet and paste it after this prompt: Can
you make a data dictionary with the following dataset:
Result: You should get a table with a perfect dictionary of header terms,
examples of the data and measured distance (Figure 10.9).
***

Exercise 8: Creating Illustrations in MidJourney and Discord

Set up a [Link] account first, then connect it to MidJourney

while setting up that account: [Link]/home
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 251

Image-generation tools teach journalists good descriptive writing skills, as

evidenced by the following prompt. Load it into Discord and see:

/imagine 1990s glamor photo, medium overhead shot from above, sharp
focus low-light photography shot on Fujifilm, capturing an Italian woman
with tired eyes resting on a tufted couch, wearing a royal Versace sequin
gown, luxurious Parisian mansion, dim chandelier lighting, elegant, glam-
orous, sophisticated royalty. It’s been a long night. – ar 16:9 – v5

As I wrote earlier in this book, be careful when labeling the images you
generate when you publish them. Make it clear that it’s a photo illustration,
and even add the prompt you used to generate it into the alt tags for the
photos. You can insert alt tags in Photoshop or when uploading images to
Twitter. The more transparent, the better. Under no circumstances should
you use image-generation tools to mislead anyone or recreate a breaking
news scene.
If you think a photo you find online might be created using an image-
generation tool, simply check the alt tags or reverse image search it in images.
[Link] to see if it has appeared elsewhere online and in what context.
MidJourney and its competitors are handy for creating section headers for
websites. I’ve used many on [Link], and for food illustrations
and other feature-driven projects, and for the aforementioned food journalism
photos.

For fun – a prompt for Top Gun fans:

/imagine Action scene still Top Gun, of a F14 fighter plane accompanied
by fighter squadron fighting enemy fighter jets above somewhere in the
middle east, flying high, firing air-to-air missiles, intense Battle scene, epic,
ultra realistic, action movie, shot with DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone camera,
eye Bird’s view, golden hour, hyper-detailed, directed by Ridley Scott – ar
235:100 – s 1000 – q 2 – v 5

For fun – a prompt for Star Wars fans:

/imagine Editorial photo of a futuristic Jakku desert landscape with a space-
ship boneyard, noon mood, featured in national geographic, close up shot,
32k, cinematic composition, professional color grading, film grain, atmos-
phere, wondrous, cinematic glamor shot –v 5

Adding details to prompts: The more detail you provide, the better your
prompts will be. You can add lighting, camera type, camera angles, and even
theme the prompt to a specific movie director. Here are a handful of my
favorite prompts to work with. Try mixing and matching them with a specific
image you want to generate.
252 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

MidJourney Lighting Prompts

And class is now in session . . .

→ Natural Lighting
“Sunlight” – Common source of lighting for outdoor images.
“Moonlight” – Natural lighting that creates a soft/ethereal effect.
“Firelight” or “Candlelight” – Warm and cozy light source that helps create
rustic and romantic effects for indoors.
“Cloudy Skies” or “Overcast” – Soft and diffused natural light for portrait
photography.
“Reflections” – Can provide artistic shimmering and dreamy effect when
paired with other lighting.

→ Ambient Lighting
“Overhead” – Light fixtures like ceiling lights or chandeliers for lighting
indoor scenes.
“Wall Sconces” – Adds a decorative element to a room while providing a soft,
indirect lighting effect.
“Table Lamps” – May provide warm and cozy effect OR bright and harsh
lighting.
“Floor Lamps” – Helps provide warm and cozy effect, but also lights the cor-
ners of the scene.
“Natural Light” – “Windows” or “Skylights” can provide consistent lighting
throughout the scene.

→ Artificial and Directional Lighting

“Studio Lights” – Powerful/controlled light source best for portrait, product
and fashion.
“Strobe Lights” – Flash photography with bright light to illuminate the
subject.
Sunny – Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with a Canon EF 24–70mm f/2.8L
II USM lens
Partly Cloudy – Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 24–70mm f/2.8E ED
VR lens
Rainy – Sony Alpha a7 III camera with a Sony FE 16–35mm f/2.8 GM lens
and waterproof housing
Snowy – Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera with a Canon EF 24–105mm
f/4L IS II USM lens and waterproof housing
Overcast – Panasonic Lumix GH5S camera with a Panasonic Lumix 12–35mm
f/2.8 II lens
Foggy – Sony Alpha a7R IV camera with a Sony FE 70–200mm f/2.8 GM
OSS lens
 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises 253

MidJourney Camera Angles and Shots

Eye-level shot:
Sony Alpha a7 III camera with a Sony FE 24–105mm f/4 G OSS lens
Low-angle shot:
Sony Alpha a7 III camera with a Sony FE 16–35mm f/2.8 GM lens
High-angle shot:
Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 24–70mm f/2.8E ED VR lens
Extreme low-angle shot:
Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera
with a low-angle tripod
Extreme high-angle shot:
Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
camera with a high-angle tripod
Side-angle (side-view):
Panasonic Lumix GH5S camera with a Panasonic Lumix 12–35mm f/2.8 II
lens
Shot from behind:
Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 70–200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens
Close-up shot:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera

Time of the Day

Sunrise: Sony A7R IV camera with a Canon RF 15–35mm f/2.8L IS USM

lens
Morning: Fujifilm X-T4 camera with a Fujinon XF 16–55mm f/2.8 R LM
WR lens
Afternoon: Sony A7 III camera with a Sony FE 70–200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens
Golden Hour: Canon EOS R5 camera with a Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM
lens
Sunset: Sony A7R IV camera with a Sony FE 16–35mm f/2.8 GM lens
Twilight: Panasonic Lumix S1H camera with a Panasonic Lumix S Pro 50mm
f/1.4 lens
Night: Sony A7S III camera with a Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens

Ambiance and Styling

Dark and moody: Sony a7S III with Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA lens
Bright and vibrant: Canon EOS R6 with Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L III
USM lens
Fantasy: Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens
Historical: Fujifilm GFX 100S with Fujinon GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR lens or
Nikon Z7 II with Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S lens
***
254 AI | Productivity Tools and Exercises

Footnotes
ChatGPT: [Link]
ChatGPT Daigram Chart Example: [Link]
ChatGPT Daigram Exercise: [Link]
Craft Docs: [Link]
Discord: [Link]
Google AutoDraw: [Link]
Google Bard: [Link]
Google Chrome Store: [Link]
Google Pinpoint: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox Productivity Training Video: [Link]
Journalist’s Toolbox: AI Tools for Journalists: [Link]/2023/05/
09/ai-tools-for-journalists
Medium, Joe Amditis, “The Nazi Chatbots Are Coming”: [Link]
centerforcooperativemedia/the-nazi-chatbots-are-coming-432dc907f492
MidJourney: [Link]/home
New York Times Trump Impeachment Documents in Pinpoint: [Link]
[Link]/pinpoint/search?collection=eff94de951c2a840
Personal Policy on Ethical AI Use: [Link]
ai-use
Readwise Reader: [Link]
Slido: [Link]
SPJ Code of Ethics: [Link]/[Link]
Superhuman: [Link]
Trusting News: See How Newsrooms Talk Publicly About Improving Diversity in Their
Coverage: [Link]
about-improving-diversity-in-their-coverage-e3600ca42baf
Wonder Tools: Craft Docs, Jeremy Caplan: [Link]
craft
Wonder Tools: Readwise Reader, Jeremy Caplan: [Link]
p/reader
11 Digital Security | Advanced
ChatGPT and Data
Visualization Exercises

Key Resources
[Link]: [Link]
ChatGPT: [Link]
Global Investigative Journalism Network Safety and Security: [Link]
[Link]/support/solutions/articles/14000036509-safety-and-security
Mojo Manual: Safe Reporting: [Link]/safe-reporting
***

Digital Security
CUNY Professor Jeremy Caplan studies thousands of apps and tools and offers
advice to professional journalists and other professionals in his Wonder Tools
newsletter. When asked about what he uses for digital security, Caplan offered
some sage but lighthearted advice.
He suggests a physical security key, like the $25 Yubikey, for two-fac-
tor authentication to protect important accounts like your email and bank
information. He also recommends 1Password for securely managing pass-
words, adding that it has a program to provide free premium access to
journalists.
“And avoid online raffles,” Caplan said. “Use less of Facebook and other
tracking apps.”
Caplan’s last recommendation was a little tongue-in-cheek, but there’s
truth to it: Being careful about what you do online can be as important as any
safety software or app you put on your computer or phone.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003431787-12
256 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

In this chapter, you’ll learn about digital security tools, apps and techniques
to keep you, your sources and your data safe. You’ll also work with some
advanced AI and data visualization exercises: data scraping, scraping Google
Finance data viz charts and maps with [Link], Datawrapper, Canva
and Infogram. You’ll also learn about some more ChatGPT prompts and
plug-ins for journalists.

Start by Minding Your Passwords

Between 2011 and 2017, Google found that the most popular passwords used
on its sites and tools were: (1) 123456; (2) “password” and (3) 1234568.
A criminal doesn’t even need to use software to hack an account using those
passwords.
Passwords, along with two-factor authentication, are a first line of defense
in protecting your reporting and personal information. They can mean the
difference between a routine day and a huge headache.
Password managers such as 1Password and Google Smart Lock offer a
secure way to store them and use them on any site you open without having to
remember and retype them. There are many other two-step verification tools
available to journalists. Many newsrooms have their own. I’ve been using the
Duo app for years for teaching and had no issues. Google also offers two-step
verification at [Link].
One of the easiest ways to get hacked is to let a password get out in
the open. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts and never,
ever, store them in a server like Google Drive. It’s too easy for them to be
discovered.
And don’t think of digital security in terms of passwords but rather a passphrase.
A phrase is something you can easily remember, and by taking the first letter
of each word, combine it with some numbers and characters and, presto! . . .
you have a secure passphrase.
Example: My friends Tom and Jasmine send me a funny email once a day
that converts to this passphrase:

MfT&Jsmafe1ad!!!

The phrase and random series of letters and numbers makes it much more
difficult for hackers to run scripts to hack your accounts, than, say, using your
high school alma mater’s nickname and the year you were born – or other
things that are readily available about you online.
Another good line of defense: Google’s Password Alert is a Chrome exten-
sion that helps Google Workspace and Cloud Identity users avoid phishing
attacks by detecting when they enter their Google password into any websites
other than the Google sign-in page.
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 257

Here are some other tips for keeping your passwords secure:

• Change your password every four months

• Ensure all your passwords are unique
• Make sure all passwords are a minimum of 16 characters
• Use upper/lowercase, numbers, special characters
• Use nonsensical words (not in dictionary) or, better yet, a passphrase
If you need more help, Reporters Without Borders has a 12-minute video on
creating passwords. [Link]

Virtual Private Networks

Before I can file my students’ grades at UIC, I must first pass through two-
factor authentication, then log in through a virtual private network (VPN) to
access the grading system. This software ensures that my students’ privacy, and
mine, is secure.
A VPN is a useful tool that protects your online activity by creating a secure
“tunnel” that sits between your device and the site or service you’re trying to
access. A VPN acts as a gatekeeper between your device and whatever you’re
trying to interact with – a government website, social media service, a stream-
ing service, or some files stored on your company’s private network.
Many people use VPNs to access email and corporate files outside the office.
Foreign journalists use them to visit sites and access content that isn’t available
in their country. They also protect you from others tracking your Internet
traffic while browsing the web. This is extremely important for investigative
and international journalists who may have their devices seized by authorities.
Tools like Google Safe Browsing protect people from dangerous websites,
apps and ads across Google products. And we share our technology with other
companies to help you stay safe on other apps and browsers, including Fire-
fox and Safari. Google’s Safe Browsing technology automatically helps protect
devices by showing warnings to users in Chrome, Google Search and Gmail
when they attempt to navigate to sites or download files that it detects as mal-
ware or phishing sites or files.
Google Drive also scans documents for malware. [Link] is a free cloud
storage system that is encrypted and more secure and is easy to use.

DDoS Protection
A popular tool among hacktivists, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
attack is a method that criminals use to overwhelm an online service, like a
website, by bombarding it with fake Internet traffic from multiple different
locations. The sheer amount of traffic prevents real users from accessing the
targeted sites or online services.
258 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

While typically not a threat to individual journalists, it can bring down a

media company’s website quickly and cheaply – some DDoS services cost as
little as $5. There are several defenses a site can take to stay safe, from increas-
ing bandwidth to implementing server-level protections. It’s best to discuss
the options with your webmaster and IT staff before implementing products.

Mobile Security
Mobile devices can be easily lost or stolen. Authorities once confiscated my
iPhone at the French border, only to find that they couldn’t see much because
of the security apps I use:

• Freedome: This is my go-to mobile VPN app. It costs $40 a year but is worth
it. Turn it on with one click and you can surf the web safely and securely.
• Find My iPhone: Location tracker allows you to follow your phone’s loca-
tion from your iMac, MacBook, iPad or other devices. I use this along with
an Air Tag in my gear bag in case the two are separated.
• Signal: This app provides encrypted messages on smartphones. If the phone
is taken, no one can understand what was written there. It’s extremely pop-
ular among investigative journalists. I also use WhatsApp periodically.
• Lookout Mobile Security: This app provides the user with many benefits
to protecting information and is considered one of the best security apps
for iPhone.
• Private Browsers: Just like on desktops and laptops, you should use pri-
vate browsing mode on mobile browsers, too. Private browsers won’t ward
off all attacks, but they do provide some basic security. In my experience,
DuckDuckGo provides the best privacy settings.

Phishing Attacks
Admit it, you’ve probably clicked on a link or PDF attachment in an email from
a sender you weren’t familiar with, and all kinds of craziness took place. If so, you
were the victim of one type of “phishing” scam – attempts to trick you into grant-
ing unauthorized access to your account or to infect your machine with malware.
Malware or “malicious software” is any software or mobile application designed to
harm a computer, mobile device, the software it’s running, or its users.
If someone steals your password, they could gain unauthorized access to
your account. They could steal personal information, pretend to be you to
send unwanted or harmful emails, or use your account to reset the passwords
for your other accounts.
Hackers reach out to targets through email, telephone, text message, PDFs
or apps, posing as a legitimate person or trusted organization in order to trick
you into providing sensitive personal information. They may link you to a
credible-looking login page that tricks you into giving your username and
password or granting permissions to a malicious app. Once your password is
revealed, the hacker could access your account or infect your machine. Studies
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 259

have shown up to half of all newsrooms around the world have been victims
of phishing scams.
Google recommends that journalists watch for these techniques in phishing
scams:

• Be wary of requests for personal information. Don’t reply to suspicious

emails, instant messages or pop-up windows that ask for passwords or finan-
cial information.
• Some sophisticated phishing attacks can occur through infected documents
and PDF attachments.
• Never click on questionable links. Always double-check the URL to make
sure you’re entering your data into a legitimate website or app.
• Watch out for impersonators requesting money, claiming to be stranded in
a foreign country or saying their phone is stolen and can’t be called.
• If you receive an account security notification from Google, go to security.
[Link] instead of clicking on links in the email to check your account
security status.

Email Security Tips

The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) cites three critical tips
for dealing with email security in its digital self-defense guide:

• If you travel to a country known for spying on the media, don’t rely on an
email provider based there.
• At home, use a secure provider – you can tell if your email is secured by
looking for the “https” in the address bar. Gmail is secure by default, while
Yahoo and Facebook settings can be adjusted. Why? If you use a free wire-
less network, anyone can tap into your screen with a simple and free soft-
ware program. That’s a problem if you’re communicating with a source.
• Don’t assume your employer is protecting your account. Ask your technol-
ogy desk about what precautions it takes, and consider getting a personal
account.
• PGP – Pretty Good Privacy acronym. It’s a way to encrypt emails by using
one key to lock and the other to unlock. You give the key that locks the
chest so people can send you files and messages. But only you have the key
to unlock the content.

Seek Help
If something goes wrong with your digital security, GIJN recommends reach-
ing out to nonprofit groups dedicated to detecting and tracking attacks and
training users:

• Access Now runs a 24/7 Digital Security Helpline available in nine lan-
guages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog,
Arabic, and Italian. They respond to all requests within two hours.
260 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York, advocates

on behalf of reporters around the world and fields requests for assistance.
CPJ also has a digital safety toolkit with some excellent tips.
• Reporters Without Borders, based in Paris, does similar advocacy as CPJ.
Reporters Without Borders runs an emergency assistance service for the
media and a digital help desk to advise and support journalists on digital
security. Find them at [Link].
• The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, researches Internet security
and human rights.

Digital Security Tools

Here are some more basic digital security tools to protect yourself:

How Journalists Can Work from Home Remotely

[Link]
GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Journalists
[Link]
A resource for independent journalists, watchdogs and small newsrooms.
IJNET: Digital Security Do’s and Don’ts
[Link]
How to Set Up a Secure Phone
[Link]
c8f3ad090871
David Koff’s Medium post walks you through the steps. Important for
­investigative reporters and international correspondents.
Surveillance Self-Defense
[Link]
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Surveillance Self-Defense guide includes
guides to digital security for journalists, including how to use encryption
and secure messaging.
Watch Your Hack
[Link]
A manual that explains how to protect yourself from hackers, in layman’s terms.
[Link]
[Link]
Google offers several free security tools for journalists and others.
Veracrypt
[Link]/en/[Link]
A free open source disk encryption software for Windows, Mac OSX and
Linux.
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 261

TRFilter
[Link]/
This tool from Thomson Reuters allows users to document and manage online
harassment and abuse, so they can take control of their social media feeds
and focus on their professional activities.
***

For more digital tools and resources, you can find this book’s addendum
online and downloadable at [Link]

***

Advanced Exercises
For print book: Watch a training video of how to use ScholarAI: https://
[Link]/UGEp_StCEVI

Exercise 1: ChatGPT Plug-ins for Research

ChatGPT plug-ins are add-ons you can pair with the AI chatbot to extend its
capabilities. These are available through the ChatGPT plug-ins store, which
we learned about in Chapter 9. Only a few plug-ins are made by OpenAI
itself, with the vast majority made by third-party developers. The plug-ins are
free, but they’re available only for ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($20 monthly)
through the ChatGPT store.
To access the plug-ins, click on the three dots in the lower left corner of the
interface, go to Settings and make sure the Plug-ins option is turned on (green).
Then click on the GPT-4 button at the top of the ChatGPT interface,
and make sure the plug-ins option is checked (it may default to it). A small
262 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

Figure 11.1 ChatGPT plug-ins pulldown menu

Figure 11.2 ChatGPT Store interface

pulldown menu and icons may appear underneath the GPT-4 interface, giving
you access to the GPT store in the pulldown menu (Figure 11.1). You can
install as many plug-ins as you like, but you can activate only up to three at a
time.
Search through the store and load some plug-ins you think might be help-
ful. We have a list of a few at the end of this exercise. Once installed, make sure
ScholarAI is one of the activated plug-ins, though ChatGPT should default
to it.
Then load the first prompt in the text field at the bottom of the interface
and hit return:
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 263

Figure 11.3 ChatGPT Scholar AI search and summary results

Use ScholarAI to summarize research on muscle growth in athletes that mentions

gymnasts
Note: it should default to ScholarAI based on the basic prompt, but I like to
tell the software what specific plug-in I want to use. Thus, “Use ScholarAI”

Wait a few minutes and the research will load. ChatGPT will remind you that
it doesn’t have any research after 2021. Once loaded, you should see the data
and links to its sources (Figure 11.3). Hit the Regenerate button at the bot-
tom if you’re not satisfied with the results.
Now let’s say you want to write a Twitter thread with the research. We
learned about threads in Chapter 4. Let’s put ChatGPT to the test with this
prompt:

Now write a twitter thread about it and give me five viral hooks and hashtags
(hashtags optional)

The results are shown in Figures 11.4 and 11.5.

264 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

Figure 11.4 ChatGPT Twitter thread results

Figure 11.5 ChatGPT viral hooks results

More Useful ChatGPT Plug-ins for Journalists

You can find dozens of useful ChatGPT plug-ins on [Link], but

here are a few of the best:

[Link]
Build interactive charts by pasting data along with a header and footer into
ChatGPT.
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 265

[Link]
An AI-powered web crawler that enables you to search and browse the web by
using Google Search results.
Paraphrase
A paraphrasing app that allows you to paraphrase for impact and inspire.
Whois Domain Check
A Whois app that takes a list of space-separated domain names, performs the
Whois for each domain.
AI Tool Hunt
Explore the ideal AI solutions for all use cases, drawn from the most compre-
hensive global database of AI resources
Prompt Perfect
Type “perfect” to craft the perfect prompt, every time.
Photorealistic
Generate Photorealistic prompts for MidJourney
Wolfram
Access computation, math, curated knowledge and real-time data through
Wolfram Alpha and Wolfram Language
Create a QR Code
Build QR codes for any text or URL.
Scholarly
Search scientific literature
VoxScript
Enables searching of YouTube transcripts, financial data sources, Google
Search results and more
AskYourPDF
Search documents, find answers and bring information to your fingertips.
***

Exercise 2: Scraping Data from Google Finance

Reference Videos
If you struggle with the step-by-step process in this exercise, just follow along
with this Google Finance training video ([Link] to learn
how to scrape real-time and historical stock data into a Google Sheet. Busi-
ness reporters use this to track companies and their stock prices across multiple
markets.

Getting Started

Start by opening this page: [Link]/finance

266 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

Then open this practice spreadsheet, then make a copy of it: [Link]
ly/scrapefinance
It’s very important that you make a copy of the spreadsheet. Just go to the
File: menu in the upper left corner and select “Make a Copy,” then label it as
you see fit.
Here’s a quick list of Google Finance scraping formulas that you can use for
later reference: [Link]

1. How to pull stock data into a spreadsheet:

Go to the first tab of your copied spreadsheet. Tabs are at the bottom left
of the sheet.
In cell b2, type: =googlefinance(A2,b1) and hit return for the price
In cell c2, type: =googlefinance(A2,c1) and hit return for the price-­earnings
ratio
In cell d2, type: =googlefinance(A2,d1) and hit return for the 52-week high
price
Write your own script for a 52-week low column (E) by tweaking the afore-
mentioned formulas (hint: e1)
The formula is pulling from the stock symbols in column 1 and the stock
attributes (price, etc.) in the header row 1.
2. How to scrape historical stock prices:
Paste or type: =GOOGLEFINANCE(a4, “price”,”03/10/2020”, today(),
“daily”) in cell E1 to get daily ending prices since March 2020
GOO
Paste or type: =GOOGLEFINANCE(a3, “price”,”12/09/2020”, today(),
“weekly”) in cell L1 to get end-of-week prices since March 2020
=GOOGLEFINANCE(a2, “price”,”05/06/2020”, today(), “weekly”)
Paste or type: =GOOGLEFINANCE(“SSE”, “price”, DATE(2021,1,1),
DATE(2022,05,06), “Weekly”) in cell N1 to get end-of-week prices for
the SSE since January 2021
Paste or type: =GOOGLEFINANCE(“HSI”, “price”, DATE(2022,1,1),
DATE(2022,07,26), “daily”) in cell N1 to get end-of-day prices for the
HSI since January 2022
Last 60 days of Tesla prices, paste or type:
​​=GOOGLEFINANCE(“NASDAQ:TSLA”,”price”,TODAY()-60,
TODAY())
These functions will auto-update over time so you’ll see current prices. It’s
similar to how data scraping works.
3. Focusing a sheet onto one stock
Set up a sheet to look like this (Figure 11.6), then in cell B2 under Value,
paste this and hit return:
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 267

=GOOGLEFINANCE(“NASDAQ:GOOG”,A2)
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“HOKCY”,A2)
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“AAPL”,A2)
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“NYSE:f”,A2)
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“NYSE:vz”,A2)
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“XOM”,A2)
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“f”,A2)
Then grab the blue square in the lower right of the cell and drag down: It
will populate the sheet with data from Apple stock, and it’ll update as
the market changes.
4. Formulas: To see any of the formulas, click on the blue? button on
the cell when you type in =GOOGLEFINANCE. You also can see
them when you hit return after typing in Google Finance and you can
find many of them listed here: [Link]
answer/3093281?hl=en
5. Practice scraping some stocks with this formula:
=GOOGLEFINANCE(“STOCK SYMBOL”,a1)
6. How to find stock ticker symbols:
a. Type in the stock name into Google Finance and the symbol pops up.
b. Search the company name, exchange and the words stock symbol on
Google
c. Go to the stock exchange’s site and look for the database of them. Examples:
Stock Analysis: List of All Stock Ticker Symbols
NASDAQ Stock Screener: Database of Ticker Symbols
NYSE Listings Directory

Figure 11.6 Google Finance attributes in a Google Sheet

268 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

Exercise 3: Scraping a Website

You can scrape data from the FDIC Failed Banks List (or any other site with a
table of data) with this basic scraping formula. Need help? Watch this training
video: [Link]

1. Open a new Google Sheet by typing [Link] into your browser field.
2. Label your spreadsheet in the upper left: FDIC Failed Banks
3. Paste this formula into Cell A1 of your Google Sheet:
=IMPORTHTML(“[Link]
bank-failures/failed-bank-list/”,”table”,0)
Site: [Link]
Other sites to scrape (use the blank formulas that follow):

[Link]/[Link]/[Link]
(CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
[Link]/en/modules/categories/195/business-statistics
(Georgia biz data)
[Link]/Trolley_Ward_Watch
[Link]/AverageFare

Just plug those web addresses into the URL field in the formulas below and
paste them into cell A1 in your spreadsheet.

=IMPORTHTML(“URL“,”table”,0)

***

Data Visualization Exercises

Make sure you’ve set up accounts in [Link], [Link], [Link] and
[Link] before starting these exercises.

Exercise 4: Wolfram Alpha ChatGPT Plug-in

It will solve math problems and do some basic almanac research for you. Here
are a few prompts to get you started:

a. First, ask it: What can I do with the Wolfram Alpha plug-in?
b. Now ask it: What are examples of some prompts I can use with the Wolfram
plug-in?
c. Now give it a multilayered math problem:
If my ads earn a CPM rate of $30 for every 1,000 unique opens, and I have
10,000 unique people minimum for each post, how much can I expect to
earn from the posts if I have two ads on each post?
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 269

d. These are hit-and-miss, but give them a try:

How many over 60 live in Italy?
What is the gross domestic product of Guam over the past five years?
List the five cities in the world with the highest homicide rates.
Now list the five lowest.
Try some of your own prompts now that you have a feel for how to write
them.

***

Exercise 5: [Link] for Reporting

Start by setting up a free account at [Link] The tool allows you

to upload documents and analyze a document up to 75,000 words. You can
upload multiple documents.
Here’s a prompt template to try (fill in the blanks and provide your own):
Summarize this writing and give me four actionable insights I can use as
someone who [your profession here . . . e.g., reports stories about the economy]
Then follow up with this prompt:
Can you give ma an explanation of _________ and how it might be relevant
to me as a _____________.
Claude also is good with creating code. Here’s a sample prompt to get you
started.
Write the complete code for a login page in Flutter. The design must be
responsive and modern.

PDF Analysis in Claude

Download this PDF titled “Analyzing bridges for Claude” in this folder and
upload it into Claude: [Link]

Then Load These Three Prompts

Analyze this PDF and tell me which states have the most bridges in fair
condition
Tell me the five states that have the most bridges in poor condition
Tell me the states that have the most bridges in fair and poor condition com-
bined as a percentage based on total bridges in that state
***

Exercise 6: [Link] – Animated 3D Timeline Heatmap of

Earthquakes Tectonic Plates

What it could look like when you finish: [Link]

visualisation/12816974
270 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

1. Open [Link] go to the 3D maps section and select the

Animated Points Map (far left).
2. Go to the Data tab at the top and use the down arrows to clear the Points
and Lines sheets.
3. Click on the Preview tab and drag the map out to the width of the screen,
name it Earthquakes Animated Map in the upper left and fill in the boxes
underneath with the numbers in Figure 11.7: 1612 and 1000.
4. In the Basemap tab on the right, select Flourish Dark (it should default to
a vector map setting).
5. Go to the Data tab at the top and click on the points tab and upload
[Link].
6. Then go to the right rail and fill in the fields to look like this (Figure 11.8;
delete C from start time if it’s there).
7. Now click on the Preview tab at the top and go to the Points menu on the
right (Figure 11.9). Under Scale Type, elect numeric and hit the reverse
button next to Palette.
8. In the Palette pulldown, select Viridis.
9. Enter these settings:
In the Default Size field, type 2
In the Minimum field, type 1
In the Maximum field, type 20
In the Point Opacity field, type 75
In the Outline Mode bar, select Auto
10. Set Opacity underneath to 100 and width to 1.2.
11. Go to the Counter tab on the right side and hit the Disable button.
12. Go to the Data tab at the top, go to the right rail and add E next to Start
Time field and hit return.
13. Now go back to the Preview Tab at the top, then click on the new Time-
line tab that now appears on the right side and . . .
For Visibility Height, use 4
Select Curved lines

Figure 11.7 Earthquake map title

 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 271

Figure 11.8 [Link] points panel in the Data tab

Figure 11.9 [Link] Points panel in the graphics tab

272 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

14. You can click on the button color and change it to gray if you want.
15. Set Timeline Duration to 16 or 17 seconds. You can make it slower if you
want.
16. Under Aggregate Rate Interval, select Custom, then select Rate in the
pulldown menu and months only for the rate (Figure 11.10).
17. Back to the Points tab on the right side, you can select from Pulse, Circles
or Heatmap. Select Heatmap, and you can see patterns forming.
18. Now click on the Data tab at the top of the map. We’re going to import
the Tectonic Plates JSON file in our Google Drive.
Select the Lines tab at the top and upload the Tectonic Plates JSON file
Set the Geo column to A (if not a default)
Set the Series column to C
Then hit the Preview tab at the top
Hit the Lines tab on the right and adjust thickness and opacity of the lines
to your preferences
19. Open the Header flyout on the right menu:
Add this text to the Title Field: Earthquakes Worldwide (2000-Feb. 1,
2023)

Figure 11.10 [Link] graph panel

 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 273

20. Open the Footer flyout on the right menu and add:
Source name: U.S. Geological Survey
Link: [Link]
Add your credit to the notes section: Map/Your name
Add a second credit for Tectonic plates: [Link]
Mapping_Earthquakes
When finished, the map should look like this: [Link]
studio/visualisation/12816974
***

Exercise 7: [Link] – Death by Heart Disease by State Map (by

Rate)

Instead of outlining a step-by-step process, we’re just offering you tips on how
to build the map. It’s best to base the map on the deaths per 10k rather than
total deaths. The former factors in population.
With this map, you can also do maps based on population and by total
deaths by changing the column you want to base the data on. Then you can
put all three graphics into a Flourish Story slideshow that could look like this:
[Link]
Tip: Be sure to delete the data in the Points tab on the data menu, then
download this dataset:
[Link]
aZru4l/view?usp=sharing
In the header flyout menu, enter this as the title: Heart-Related Death
Rate Per 10k Population
In the footer flyout menu:

Source: CDC
Source link: [Link]
action=current

When finished, the map should look like this: [Link]

visualisation/12804701
***

Exercise 8: Canva Exercise – How Much Does That Greasy Cheeseburger

Really Cost With Inflation?

Amy O’Kruk, a data visualist with CNN, built a digital graphic (Figure 11.11)
in 2022 while she was working at NBC about how much the ingredients of
a cheeseburger cost with inflation. She included chicken, hot dogs and pork
chops, too, but the main focus was on the contents of the burger.
274 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

Figure 11.11 Amy O’Kruk graphic

On July 1, 2022, she tweeted to @AmyOkruk that “I challenged myself this

week to use digital drawing in a story about how inflation is impacting July 4
cookouts, and I’m really happy with how the illustrations turned out!” You
can read her entire thread here: [Link]
She pulled data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Average Price
Database ([Link] a one-screen data search
where you can look up product average prices by U.S. cities, regions, etc.

Let’s Build Our Own Burger Graphic

While we don’t have Kruk’s incredible drawing skills, we can use tools like
Canva, Venngage and other tools to build something similar. We’ll use Amy’s
CPI data from June 2022 (above, left) and build a burger graphic in Canva. In
the end, it should look something like Figure 11.12.

1. Note: To do this exercise, you’ll need to log in to a [Link] PRO

account ($119 a year) to access the templates. Check to see if your news-
room has one. You can use a free account, but you’ll be limited on the
images and templates you can use.
2. Click on Templates on the left toolbar and then select the “Infographics”
tab, which is usually on the far right side of the list of templates at the top
of the page.
3. In the search field in the upper left, type in National Hamburger Day and
select the graphic with the big, juicy burger on it.
4. Another option is to just select a blank template and import your own images
of the burger and ingredients. This gives you more control over fonts, etc.
5. Now begin to tweak the template by adding the text listed next, including
the header and footer. The text isn’t a perfect fit, so we’ll need to tweak it
as we go and delete any unlisted ingredients on the template
 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization 275

Figure 11.12 Burger chart built in [Link]

Headline: The Cost to Build a Burger

It’s getting a little more expensive to build that burger at a summer barbecue
or at your favorite pub or burger joint.

+1% Tomatoes
Field-grown, per pound
$1.80 to $1.81
+17% Hamburger
Ground beef, per pound
$4.10 to $4.79
+7% Cheese
Processed, per pound
$4.05 to $4.34
+6% Buns
White bread, per pound
$1.51 to $1.60
Americans eat over 50 billion burgers a year, or three a week
276 Digital Security | Advanced ChatGPT and Data Visualization

Figure 11.13 Burger chart built in Canva

Footer

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics: [Link] | PBS

NewsHour: The Hidden Costs of Hamburgers: [Link]/newshour/
science/the-hidden-costs-of-hamburgers#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20
Americans%20eat%20three,50%20billion%20burgers%20per%20year

Graphic/Your Name

6. Export: Once you have tinkered with the template to fit your data, you can
export it. Do this by hitting the blue Share button in the upper right corner
and selecting how you want to share: static image you can download, link
to the chart, embed, etc.
7. Blank template example: Here’s one I created using a blank portrait template
(in the menu templates section) that looks a bit more like Amy’s graphic
(Figure 11.13): [Link]/design/DAFOlBYp4nU/PwklebFBEs
Y 4 g f K _ L 9 U 3 Q Q / v i e w ? u t m _ c o n t e n t = DA F O l B Yp 4 n U & u t m _
campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink
a. Note: To change the background color on this graphic, simply click on
the background, then on the color palette in the upper left.
***
Index

Note: Page numbers in italics indicate a figure and page numbers in bold indicate a
table on the corresponding page. Page numbers followed by “n” with numbers refer
to notes.

AAJA Studio 24, 133 artificial intelligence (AI): ChatGPT

Adhikari, Deepak 65 – 69 32 – 33; journalistic research 46;
Adobe Audition 172 Search Labs site 46; traditional
Adobe Firefly 182, 181, 183, 226 Google search 46; writing and
Adobe Photoshop 182 editing tools 32
Adobe Podcast 172, 224 artificial intelligence tools 10; for
Adobe Post 107, 159 automation and productivity
Adobe Premiere Rush 157 225 – 226; ChatGPT 209 – 212;
Adobe Spark Video 190, 192 ChatGPT Plug-ins 238 – 239;
Adobe Stock 181 chrome extensions for 235 – 237;
AFP Fact Check 66, 68 DALL-E 2 226; gold rush
Aguilar, Amara 82 208 – 210; for journalists
AIFF 172 210 – 212; learning 214 – 215;
AI-fueled automation 209 in local newsrooms 211 – 212;
AISEO 222 Midjourney 226; in newsroom
Alight Motion 162 212 – 213; newsroom training
Alitu 224 215; other tools 223; podcasting
Al Jazeera Code of Ethics 76 223 – 224; in small newsrooms
Amditis, Joe 210 – 212, 227, 234 – 235 213 – 214; Stable Diffusion 226;
American Press Institute (API) 3 text-to-image 227 – 228; video
Anchor (Audio) 158 editing and creation 224 – 225;
[Link] 172, 176 writing and editing 220 – 223;
angles 147 – 148 writing good prompts 219 – 220
animated GIFs 107 AskCodi 237
Anyword 249 Audacity 172
Apple Podcasts 176 Audemic 226
Apple Reminders 238 audience campaigns 86 – 87
Apple Watch 153 – 154, 155; app on AudioBoom 176
iPhone 153; change settings and Audio editing 158
shoot images 155; features 154; audio editing tools 172 – 173
native camera 153 – 154 audio formats 171 – 172
apps 155 – 156; for journalists 157 – 158; audiograms 177
organizing 156 Audio recording 158
AP Stylebook 39, 159 audio recording, apps and best practices
archived web pages 69 176 – 177
278 Index

AudioTrimmer 172 car thefts 114 – 115

Aug X Labs 224 [Link] 130, 131
Auphonic 224 Census Explorer 22
Auto RegEx 237 [Link] 22
[Link] 22
background noise 149 CharityWatch 40
backpack journalism 141, 144 chart: and data 53 – 54
bar charts: using Legos 125 – 126 Chartbeat 103, 106
bar/column chart 122 Chartistic 107, 162
battery/charger 144, 152 charts, types of: animated 123 – 124;
BBC Africa: Anatomy of a Killing 69, 99 bar/column 122; hierarchy charts
BBC Code of Conduct 76 124; interactive 123 – 124; line
“Beginner’s Prompt Handbook: 122 – 123; organizational 124; pie
ChatGPT for Local News charts and treemaps 123; Venn
Publishers” (Amditis) 210, 227 diagrams 124
“Best Film Shot on a Smartphone” 145 ChatGPT 32 – 33, 39, 44 – 45,
big stories 19 – 20 209 – 212, 211, 212; accurate
Bike Bureau 154 HTML link code 218; accurate
Bing 46, 50, 72 HTML table code 218; Code
Bing Chat for All Browsers 236 Interpreter and 239; creating
Blackbox 237 data dictionary 250; exercise
blockquote option 18 244 – 245; for Google browser
Boyle, Andy 116 extension 235 – 236, 236; prompt
Bradshaw, Paul 17 for writing tips 244; testing
brainstorming 41 215 – 216; for writing Twitter
brief paragraphs 18 threads 97 – 98
Briggs: guidelines for targeting ChatGPT-4 10
audiences 87 ChatGPT Plug-ins 238 – 239; advanced
Briggs, Mark 87 exercises 261 – 265
B-Roll 147, 167, 178 ChatGPT Prompt Genius 237
bubble map 131 ChatwithPDF/Ask Your PDF 238
Bubbli 162 Cherone, Heather 130
bullet points 41 Chicago Homicides by Year Column
Buzzfeed News 66 Chart in [Link]
Buzzsprout 176 136 – 137
Chicago Stumbler Tumblr 163 – 165, 164
CalcBot 2 159 Chicago Transit Authority 34
Call Recorder 161 Chicago Tribune 2, 23
Call Recorder Pro 176 Chips App 201
camera: holding 148 – 149; on shadow choropleth map 131
side of subject 149 – 150 chrome extensions for AI Tools 235 – 237
Camera + 159 City of Chicago Data Portal 20, 164
CameraBag 160 [Link] 224
Camera Zoom 160 Clinton, Hillary 52
Camplin, Lauren 75 Clipomatic 158
Candid 990 Finder 22, 40 Clips 157
Canva 83, 107, 109, 110, 126, 192, Clubhouse 8
220 – 222 cluster map 131
Canva Docs 222; Magic Write results Clyp 176
221; Magic Write tool 220, 221 CNN Code of Ethics 76
Caplan, Jeremy 6 – 7, 10, 155; key apps Coda 220
on smartphone 155; productivity codes of ethics 76
tools from 237 – 238 CometDocs 136
 Index 279

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) DeepL Write 223

100, 260 deep web resources 56 – 57
community 23 – 24 360-Degree Camera Apps 162
complex information 41 Demonstration 151
confirmation bias 71 Descript 6, 26, 27, 30, 173, 208, 223
context, editing 147 Dictionary 159
[Link] 222, 249 D-ID 224
copy editors 31 Digital Globe 201
copyright law 12, 180 digital graveyard 7 – 9
Coursera Expert Network 24 digital security 255 – 256; tools 260 – 261
COVID-19 34, 39, 48, 116 digital workflow 15 – 16
Craft 238 Dímelo 82 – 84, 87; Annenberg Media
[Link] 220 82, 83; community stories
Creative Commons licenses 180, 182 82; directed research class 82;
Cronkite News Refresh 106 in English and Spanish 82;
Cronkite, Walter 179 Instagram reels 89; Instagram
crowdsourcing 91, 92, 143, 166 stories 84, 89; Instagram video
CUNY 133 89; Latinx and Hispanic adults
Cyranoski, Steven 39 82; projects and social platforms
88; Snapchat 82, 88, 89; Social
[Link] 239; creating chart 239 – 241 Media Storytelling 82; Spotify
DALL-E 10, 181, 209 Playlist 82, 82, 89; TikTok 89;
DALL·E 2 ([Link]) 183, 226 Toolbox 109; weekly editions 83
Dart Center 100 Dímelo Ahora 83
data: finding 127; interviewing 120; Dímelo Discover 83
types 121 Dímelo Snapchat 88
data analysis tools 15, 239 Discord: creating illustrations in
databases, expert sources 24 – 26 250–253
data dictionary 138, 250 disinformation 67
[Link] 56 Distributed Denial of Service
[Link] 22, 56 (DDoS) 257
data journalism: charts and graphics 162; [Link] 25, 133
diversity, equity and inclusion in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
132 – 133; finding data 127 – 128; 132 – 133
mapping 130; need for 115 – 116; [Link] 30, 33
writing data stories 129 – 130; see Document Cloud 22
also data visualization DoubleTake 157, 158
Data [Link] 22 downstyle headlines 38
data reporting 116 Dragon Dictation 29
data scraping 129, 134; advanced Dubb 224
exercises 265 – 268 Duck Duck Go 50
data stories: tips 130; writing 129 – 130 Duggan, Brian 188
data storytelling 117
data visualization 117 – 120, 117 – 121; Earth Engine Timelapse tool 194
on deadline 116 – 117; exercises editing and headline writing 31 – 33
268 – 276; playlist 133 – 134; tools Editors of Color 133
for 126 – 127 Elai 225
Datawrapper 127, 130 Eleven Labs 225
datawrapper choropleth map 137, email security tips 259
138 – 139 Emulsio 158
DDoS protection 257 – 258 ESPN/Fox Sports/CBS Sports/NBC
debunking fake news stories 70 – 71 Sports 157
deep fake video 69 ESPN’s TruMedia database 57
280 Index

ethics: building trust and 75 – 76; photo Freedom of Information Request (FOI)
editing and 180 – 181 20 – 21
EUR-Lex 56 Future Power Rankings 71
Eurostat 128 Fyuse 162
Excel 126
ExpertFile 25 General Data Protection Regulation 27
Expertise Finder 25 Geolocation 69, 165
expert sources 23 – 26 GIF Toaster 160
Explainer 151, 166 GIJN 201
eye test 71 – 72 GIJN Sports Database 57
Eyre, Eric 129 Global Investigative Journalism Network
(GIJN) 259
Facebook 27, 69, 87, 91, 94; fake news Google 69; Advanced Search 50, 51;
69 – 70; guidelines for targeting Dataset Search 51 – 52; generative
audiences 87; updates 18 AI results 45; reverse image
Factbook 159 search 69, 73 – 75, 74; Voice
fact-checking: Adhikari’s and Nicholson’s Typing 30 – 31, 31
Toolboxes 69; challenges 68; Google Alerts 49 – 50, 210
debunking fake news stories Google Analytics 104, 106
70 – 71; image and video tools Google AutoDraw 241 – 243,
72 – 73; images 71 – 72, 78; Oli’s 241 – 242, 242
interviews and speeches 67 – 68; Google Bard 10, 44, 45; benefits and
real-time 67; reverse image drawbacks 217; result on story
search 73 – 75; and rise of fake generation 217; testing 216 – 217
news 69 – 70; satellite images Google Data GIF Maker 107
for 198 – 199; on social media Google Dataset Search 22, 62, 127
102 – 104; in sports coverage 71; Google Doc. 15, 20, 30
tips 71 – 72; trusting news 76 – 77; Google Drive 16, 156, 257
videos 78 – 79 Google Earth 69, 196 – 200; Cathedrale
Factmata 226 de Monaco in 199; measure tool
Ferrier, Michelle 100 197 – 198, 197; satellite images
Filetype 48 for fact-checking 198 – 199;
filetype search operator 61 – 62 tools 189
Filmic Pro 153, 157 Google Earth Engine Timelapse 189,
Find My iPhone 258 194 – 195; of Las Vegas 195
Fireflies 222, 237 Google Earth Pro 189, 190, 203 – 204;
First Draft New 71 Belmont Harbor Dog
FiveThirtyEight Data Lab Blog 22 Beach historical images 191;
FlightTrack 159 Indianapolis Star Instagram
Flipagram 158 post 193; Juxtapose slider 192;
Flourish 126, 127, 130 map options 191; “Save Image”
[Link] 192 button 191; and Story of
FOI Public Liaison 21 Chicago’s Lakefront 191 – 193
Forensically 7 Google Earth Street View 69, 201
FotoForensics 72, 73 Google Earth Studio 189; export
[Link] 73 interface 203; Wrigley Field orbit
Frameograph ($5) 162 202; zoom-in videos 202 – 203,
free digital tools 14; one story at time 202 – 203
14; quality over quantity 15; Google Earth Suite 188, 189
reader 14; reporter 14 Google Earth Timelapse browser-based
Freedome 258 tool 194, 196
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Google Earthview Chrome Plug-In 201
115, 121, 127 Google Fact Check Explorer 70
 Index 281

Google Images 69, 180 Hemingway [Link] 35, 36

Google Image Search 72 Hemingway Editor 223
Google Maps 16, 27, 69 Hernandez, Victor 170 – 171, 174
Google MyMaps 126, 130, 131; hierarchy charts 124
examples 131 – 132 Hokusai 172
Google News 52 – 54 Hokusai (Audio) 158
Google Photos 155, 156 Home Ed 177
Google Pinpoint 22, 222, 243 – 244, 243 Hootsuite 108
Google Public Data Explorer 128, 128 Hype Type 160
Google Safe Browsing 257 hyphens 49
Google Scholar 24, 49 – 50
Google Search: Advanced Search 50, Icongraph 107, 162
51; changes in the works 46 – 47; [Link] 21
Data + Journalism 47; Dataset IMF Data 56
Search Engine 51 – 52; operators iMotion Pro ($3) 161
47 – 50; other search options 50 Infogram 126
Google Sheets 45 – 46, 55, 56, 222; with information 17 – 18
@journtoolbox analytics 106; Instagram 87, 156; guidelines for
pulldown menu 135 targeting audiences 87
Google Shopping 52 Insta360 Nano 162
Google Streetview 162 interactive chart 85 – 88
Google Trends 38, 52 – 53, 53, 54, 62 International Journalists’ Network
government agencies 20 (IJNET) 225
GOYAAKOD (Get Off Your Ass and Invid 69, 225
Knock on Doors) 13 InVideo 225
Graphical 151 iPhone 16, 141; adding Røde SC6-L
Graves, Chris 13 – 14, 16 – 19, 91, 94 – 98, two mic adapter 152; Apple
“Get Off Your Ass and Knock on Watch app on 153; camera 142;
Doors” 19; examples of twitter rig to sailboat 154; screen time
threads 97, 97; expert sources 156; settings for native camera
94; photos shot from protests 95; 152 – 153
reporting on the Pike County IPVM 73
murder trials 19, 91; social iTunes/Apple Podcasts 156 – 157
media tips for covering trials and
breaking news 95 – 96; tools Jasper 249
used 94 [Link] 222
The Guardian’s Editorial Code 76 [Link] 222
[Link] 22 Johnson, Tom 84
JournalismNext (Briggs) 87
Hacker, Holly 130 journalistic sources 21
hacking URL 59 – 61 Journalists: setting boundaries 101
Hamer, Ashley 208, 223 Journalist’s Toolbox 1 – 4
Headline Hero 32, 34, 35, 223 [Link] 3, 33, 37
[Link] 173 The Journalist’s Toolbox AI
headline writing 37 – 38; complex Newsletter 3
information 41; don’ts 38; dos The Journalist’s Toolbox AI YouTube
37 – 38; downstyle 38; editing Channel 3
and 31 – 33; memorization 41; [Link] 2 – 3
prompt and copy 39; subject- Justice Department 40
verb-object structure 38; upstyle Juxtapose JS 190, 192
38; writing style 41
headphones 148 Kartaview 201
heat map 131 [Link] 109
282 Index

Kine, Phelim 27 monitoring events and topics in real

Kinogram 151 time 225
Montgomery, Robb 141 – 142, 144 – 145,
LaFleur, Jennifer 130 150; bike bureau 154; gear kit
landscape social image resizer 107, 183 152; “Ice Swimming” video 145,
Lapse It ($2) 161 146; smartphone video tips 150;
LA Taco project 89 types of mobile video 151 – 152
Legos to build bar charts 125 – 126 MP3 171
Lexica 226 multimedia editing apps 158
[Link] 222 MultiResize 160
Library of Congress 9, 55, 56 [Link] 173, 179
Lightroom 160 Musk, Elon 85
line charts 122 – 123
LinkedIn for Journalists 109 NASA LandSat Image Gallery 201
Listnr 224 NASA Worldview 201
Livestream 151 National Press Photographers
live-tweeting 91 – 92, 95 – 96 Association 76
locator map 131 National Public Radio 30, 107
Lookout Mobile Security 258 National Public Radio Ethics 76
Lose the Very 32 National Public Radio’s Social Media
[Link] 32, 36 Desk 107
Luci Rooms 161 National Rifle Association 39 – 40, 55
Luma Fusion 157, 158 natural sound 149
[Link] 65 – 68
machine learning 29, 209 NepalCheck website 66
Magisto 158 NetWork of Searchable Leaks 225
malware 258 Newberry: Twitter thread on jury
MapBox 130 deliberations 92; Twitter thread
mapping 130, 165 update on the Pike County
maps, types of 131 murder trial 93
Maptive 130 Newberry, Patti Gallagher 91 – 94
Marantz recorder 16 newscast 179
memorization 41 News package 151
metadata 69 [Link] 57
microphone 144, 152 NewsWhip 225
Microsoft Bing Image Creator 183 newsworthy 17
Midjourney 226 – 227, 229; creating New York Times 23, 91, 137, 243
illustrations in 250 – 253 New York Times Ethical Journalism
MidJourney 10, 181, 182, 209 Handbook 76
misinformation 67 Nicholson, Sophie 68
mobile-first 144 Notability 159
mobile gear 152 notebooks 16
mobile journalism: past, present and Notion 220
future 142 – 144; smartphone Notion AI 222
video 146 – 150; sports coverage NPPA Codes of Ethics 75
156 – 157; visual storytelling and NPR Diverse Sources Database
144 – 146; workflow 145 25, 133
mobile photography 165 n-Track 161
mobile reporting tools 14
mobile security 258 Office of Government Information
mobile traffic 142 Services (OGIS) 21
mobile video, types of 151 – 152 one-column headlines 32
Mojo 158, 160 online AP Stylebook 16
 Index 283

The Online Journalism Handbook PodBean 173

(Bradshaw) 69 podcast: design 184; hosting platforms
Online News Association Build-Your- 176; measuring success 173 – 176;
Own Ethics Code 76 for student media outlet
[Link] 22 177 – 179
Open Refine 126 podcasting tools 172 – 173, 223 – 224
Open Street Map 130 Podcastle 223
[Link] 9, 16, 26, 28 – 30, 159, Police Radio 159
176; machine learning 29; Politico post 27
Q&A format interview 29; PolitiFact 66
for recording interviews 9; [Link] 181
transcription of 2013 Barack post-pandemic struggles 34
Obama speech 29; transcription [Link] 109, 222
tools 28 privacy tools 102
Our World in Data 23, 127 Private Browsers 258
Process Video 166
PACER 56 prompt and copy 39
Pagel, Al 17, 18 PromptPerfect 238
“Painkiller Profiteers” 129 ProPublica 55, 66
Pandas/Python 126 ProPublica Data Store 23
password 256; alert 256; managers 256; ProPublica Illinois: UIC and FOIA
tips for keeping secure 257; two- Law 98
factor authentication 256 ProPublica: Migrant Children 98
Paycheck Protection Program 39 ProPublica NonProfit Explorer 23, 39–40
[Link] 135 Pro Recorder 161
People of Color Also Know Stuff 25, 133 public records 165
personal knowledge management (PKM) public records reporting 20 – 23
tools 221 public records search portals 22 – 23
Pew Research Center 85, 127
phishing attacks 258 – 259 QGIS 126
phone 144, 152 Quick Hit 151
PhoneGrafer 160 Quik 158
Photo Album 160 QuillBot Paraphraser 33, 35 – 36, 223
photo editing 158; desktop tools and quotation marks 49
mobile apps 182 – 183; ethics and
180 – 181 Radio Television Digital News
photo illustrations using AI 185 Association (RTDNA) 77
photojournalists 142, 145, 157 Radio TV Digital News Association 76
PhotoLeap 183 Ramos, Elliott 114 – 119; tips for data
PhotoPea 183 journalist 121 – 122
Photorealistic 238 Readwise Reader 237 – 238
Photoshop 107, 180; generative AI Recorder 161
tools 180 recording and editing interview 184–185
Photoshop Express 160 recording audio apps 161, 176 – 177
phrases, linking 18 Red Branch Consulting 27
Pichai, Sundar 45 RedCircle 176
Pictory 224 Reddit 88, 94; guidelines for targeting
pie charts and treemaps 123 audiences 87
pin map 131 Red Line Project 11, 163, 178, 190;
Pinterest 87; guidelines for targeting Reporters Roundtable podcast 178
audiences 87 [Link] home page 11
Pixlr 183 Reilley, Mike 33
Podbean 176 reporters: notebooks 16
284 Index

Reporters Committee for Freedom of SEO headlines 18; do’s and don’ts 37–38
the Press 21 “Seven Days of Heroin” 14
“Reporters Roundtable” 178 [Link] 33
reporting: apps 159; drives great writing Short documentary 151
18 – 19; field 14, 16; in pictures Shorter Thesaurus 31, 39
145; public records 20 – 23; [Link] 180
tools and techniques 9, 32 – 33; Signal 102, 258
transcription tools 26 – 28 Silverman, Craig 55, 66
[Link] 222 Simplecast 176
Resound 224 Site:[Link] SARS 48
2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Site minus site 49
Report 85 site search operator 61
Rev 176 Site:[Link] 48 – 49
reverse image search 69, 73 – 75, 74, 103, Slideshow 151, 158
180, 251 Slido 238
RevEye 69, 73 smartphones 143 – 144, 153; Caplan’s
Reynolds Journalism Institute 76 key apps on 155; holding 149;
Rinehart, Aimee 212 – 213, 219 portability of 143; users 142, 143
Ringr 161 smartphone video 146–150; 10
Ripl 160 commandments 147–149; tips 150
Rittenberg, Adam 26, 57, 71, 121; Snapture 160
ESPN’s TruMedia database 57; Snipd 155, 173
key apps for sports coverage [Link] 72
156 – 157; sports journalists social media: active users 85 – 85, 86;
search 57; on transcription tools Aguilar’s approach to build
26; using spreadsheets 121 impactful content 90; AI
[Link] 173, 174 – 175; split-testing on 110; analytics
recommendations 175 103 – 104, 104; breaking news
Røde Recorder 161 events 91; building audience
Røde Vlogger kits 152 82 – 83; building Instagram
Rogers, Simon 54 stories with Canva 83; campaigns
Rosenzweig, Paul 27 86 – 87; developing social
rule of thirds 148, 148 audiences 83 – 85; fact-checking
Runway 224 on 102 – 103; graphic 110;
Russell, Dan 47, 48 guidelines for targeting audiences
87; key tools 108 – 109; past,
Sarah Smith: Fact-Checking Ben Carson present and future 90 – 91;
on Houston Housing 99 policies 99; ranking of platforms
satellite imagery: examples of by global active users 86; safety
200 – 201; tools 201 – 202; use of 100; tips for covering trials
188 – 189 and breaking news 95 – 96;
scatterplot 124 visualizations on 107 – 108
ScholarAI 238 Social Searcher 109
SciLine 25 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
SciSpace Copilot 237 Code of Ethics 3, 75, 229
scraping PDFs and images 135 Sodaphonic 172
screen time 156 SoundCloud 172, 178
Search Labs site 46 Sources of Color 25, 133
Search This Image on Twitter 72 speech-to-text 225
SEC EDGAR Database 23 Spillman, Benjamin 187 – 188
secondary recording device 16 SPJ Codes of Ethics 75
security 26 – 27 sports coverage 156 – 157; fact-checking
Seek and Picture 155 in 71
 Index 285

sports journalists search 57 – 58 [Link] 69, 72, 73, 78

Spotify 176 TinyWow 136
Spotrac 58 [Link] 222
spreadsheets, organizing with 121 tools: cost 6; Dig 5; Dump 6; Pick
Stability AI 226 – 227 5; quality 6; reporting and 9;
Stable Diffusion 181, 226 reliability 7; Stick 5; time 6
Startup Graveyard 7 transcription tools 26 – 28, 30 – 31
Stathead 58 [Link] 176
Statista 58 Travel Time Map 33
StatMuse 58 TRFilter 100
Steno notebook 16 Trint 225
Stills photography 158 tripod/mount 144, 147, 152
[Link] 226 Troll-Busters 100
[Link] 180 Trollbusters graphic 101
Stop Motion Studio 160 Trump, Donald 52, 66, 69
[Link] 8, 8 trusting news 76 – 77
StoryMap JS 130 Tumblr 87
storytelling techniques 165 [Link] 109
Streckfuss, Dick 17, 18 TweetGPT 109, 237
Student Press Law Center 100, 100 Twitonomy 109
Student Press Law Center Public Twitter 69, 87, 91–92, 106–107, 157;
Records Letter Generator 21 downloading video from 98;
Student Projects 99 guidelines for targeting audiences
subheadings 18 87; @journtoolbox analytics 104;
Substack 155 @jourtoolbox activity and analytics
Sudowrite 249 105; measuring performance
SunCalc 69 104–105; unpopular changes to
Sunne, Samantha 47, 56 the platform 85
Superhuman 237 @twitter keywords 49
symbol map 131 Twitter Search 63
Synthesia 224 – 225 Twitter threads: examples 98 – 99;
writing 98
Tableau Public 127, 130 – 131, 133 two periods (..) 49
Tabula 135 Type Art 160
Tagging 225 [Link] 222
Tape-a-Call 161
TapeACall 176 UNdata 56
Teamsmart AI 237 United Nations Treaty Series 56
Telegram 102 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Text-to-audio 226 College of Journalism and Mass
text-to-image tools 227 – 228 Communications 15 – 16
Text-to-speech 225 upstyle headlines 38
text-to-speech AI tools 179 – 180 USA Facts 23
Thesaurus 159 [Link] 128
Theta 162 U.S. Federal Election Commission
This! 160 (FEC) 56
three words 17, 148 U.S. National Archives 20
[Link] 31, 36, 38 – 39 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) 59 – 63
TikTok 46; growth of active users 85 U.S. Securities and Exchange
tilde (~) 49 Commission (SEC) 56
Time Lapse Camera ($1) 162
Timelapse Video apps 161 – 162 Varia 225
timelines 124, 194 VEED 225
286 Index

Venn diagrams 124 WeatherBug 159

Venngage 127, 274 web address, hacking 58 – 59
vertical bar (|) 49 web producers 31
vertical video 148 web scraping 129
Video editing 157 website scraping: advanced exercises 268
Videoscribe 12 WhatsApp 102, 258
Video shooting 157 WMA 172
VidStitch 157 Wolfram 238
[Link] 107, 108 Wolfram Alpha 159
Violation Tracker 23, 40 Women’s Media Center SheSource 25
virtual private network (VPN) 257 WordTune Spices 223
Vista Social 222 World Bank 23
VisualPing 33, 49 writing: common mistakes 17; good
visual storytelling 144 – 146 prompts 219 – 220; headlines
VN Video Editor 157, 158 31 – 33, 37 – 38; to pictures 145;
Voice Recorder & Audio Editor 176 with pictures 145; reporting
Voice Record Pro 161 drives 18 – 19; style 41; for the
VoiceRecord Pro 176 web 129 – 130
Voice Typing 30 – 31, 31
Yerak, Becky 30
Waite, Matt 125 YouTube 18, 48 – 49, 87, 106, 156,
Wakeout 155 176; guidelines for targeting
Walkthrough 151 audiences 87
Walton, John 116 YouTube Summary 237
Warren, Mackenzie 4, 14, 126
Washington Post 23 ZIP Finder 159
[Link] 73 Zoom 30
WAV 172 zoom, lens 147
Wayback Machine 55, 69 Zoom video interviews 12, 178
WBUR’s “The Common” podcast 170, 171 Zuckerberg, Mark 66, 70