Using AI as a freelance journalist
Our new series exploring the world of artificial intelligence
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Today we begin a new series evaluating the use of AI in freelance journalism. Over the next month we will be delving into the thorny subject, sharing our personal experiences and speaking to experts.
But first of all we wanted to start by setting the scene…
The use of AI in journalism is still incredibly divisive. But then technological change always is. The shift from typewriters to desktop computers was met with suspicion in the same way that my plea to set up a Twitter account was poo pooed by my former editor back in the noughties.
But embracing technology is not as simple as just adopting it and moving on. It comes attached with a whole host of unknowns. Firstly what effect does this use of technology have on our own ability to learn and retain knowledge? It now seems perfectly normal – expected even - to rely on spell check but has this led to the erosion of spelling, punctuation and grammar in society? Are we no longer capable of writing without the aid of a machine? Or is technology levelling the playing field and increasing inclusivity?
When we spoke to Melissa Parker, a freelance journalist living with cerebral palsy, it was immediately obvious that speech to text software like Otter.ai was a huge enabler in her career.
On the flip side however, technology has an inevitable history of replacing human labour. Will we reach a point when the work of freelance journalists will be farmed out to ChatGPT? Or will it simply be incorporated into our toolkit alongside Word, transcription services and automated email responses.
The answer we suspect lies somewhere in between. There is likely to be a negative impact on jobs and opportunities but the journalists who adapt and learn to use these new tools will be the ones to survive – and thrive.
As freelancers it would be remiss of us to simply say ‘AI is for young people’ or ‘it just churns out rubbish’. The nature of our work and our precious autonomy means we have the space to be adaptable and use this technology to our advantage.
But at the same time we need to be aware of the ethical quandaries that may arise. Should we start declaring to clients that the first draft of an article was written ore researched by AI or are we putting ourselves at risk by doing this?
And what is the acceptable use of AI? Is it fine to use it to transcribe an interview or write a pitch but a definite no, no to upload interview transcripts and ask it to write a 2,000 word deep dive for us? Or is there a safe middle ground and how do we define this?
These are the questions we will be grappling with over the coming weeks in our special series on AI. If at any point we use AI to generate newsletter content we will disclose this.
We will be sharing our tips on how we are beginning to integrate AI into our own freelance work and how to make the most of it. We will also be speaking to experts about where the future of AI is headed and how it is likely to impact the industry.
Next week technology journalist Chris Stokel-Walker, author of How AI Ate the World, warns of the dangers of AI while acknowledging the advantages it can bring to workflow efficiency.
We’d love to hear from you on the subject so post your thoughts below!
In the meantime, we recommend you check out these resources:
This is an interesting Journo Resources piece on how to harness AI as a journalist. They also ran an excellent webinar on using AI to your advantage which you can watch here.
As mentioned above, the king of reporting on AI technology has to be freelance journalist Chris Stokel-Walker. He has literally written the book on it.
Have you ever used AI to generate a profile photo? Broadcast journalist Anna Lawlor muses on the ethics of this over on LinkedIn.
If you really want a deep dive into the rabbit hole of AI and journalism then the London School of Economics have a whole global initiative on the subject. They have loads of great resources here.
This is the first article in a special series on AI and freelance journalism.
Please fill out our survey!
We are so close to reaching the threshold for our freelance survey! We only need ten more responses from UK freelance journalists to be in a position to write up the results. So please, please, please fill in this quick, anonymous survey if you haven’t already. Thank you!
Journalism work experience and mentorship scheme
Twice a year we open up our Journalism Work Experience and Mentorship Scheme to give aspiring journalists the opportunity to work 1-2-1 with an experienced media professional.
Our first scheme of 2025 has 100 places available. Those taking part get access to our database of freelance journalists and organisations willing to offer support to help them get to the next stage of their career.
To take part you need to register by Monday 17th of March when we provide an online briefing on the scheme, explaining how it works and how to make the most of the opportunity. If you can’t attend the live briefing don’t worry! We automatically send all registrants a video recording.
It costs £10 to sign up which covers our admin costs but there are bursary places available so please get in touch if you need to know more about that.
To find out more and grab your place click on the button below!
Triumph of the week
Finally signing a contract on a very big project 😄
That feeling when
You only have 12 weeks to complete said very big project 😬
We love to hear your feedback on everything we do, so feel free to drop us an email anytime at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Bye for now!
Much needed debate for journalists to be aware of: I think of AI as a bright and friendly robot with ADHD, as it needs close supervision but is extremely useful for doing the preliminary leg-work. The transcription services of Otter & MacWhisper have been a game changer, for a start.
It's a good subject to ponder. I have used it and found it useful, more for brainstorming than anything else. I have read a couple of books online that definitely came across as written by AI. They had no thought and no depth. But for me, AI has its uses.