17 Free Webinars this week about AI, Journalism & More
/Mon, Sept 30 - 756 Violations in Six Months: The State of Press Freedom in 2024
What: A discussion on the findings of the latest MFRR Monitoring Report, which recorded 756 media freedom violations in the first half of 2024. This webinar will explore key trends, including the rise of intimidation and online threats, while diving into the state of media freedom across Europe and candidate countries. The monitoring experts of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium will also address anti-media laws, election-related violations, and the role of governments in perpetrating these violations.
Who: Gürkan Özturan Media Freedom Monitoring Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom; Teona Sekhniashvili Europe Network and Press Freedom Coordinator, International Press Institute Antje Schlaf Mapping Media Freedom Data and Development Manager, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom; Karol Łuczka Eastern Europe Monitoring and Advocacy Officer, International Press Institute; Camille Magnissalis Press Freedom Monitoring and Communications Officer, European Federation of Journalists; Ronja Koskinen Press Freedom Officer, International Press Institute.
When: 8 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Media Freedom Rapid Response
Tue, Oct 1 - Investigating the US Election by Digging into Anti-Democratic Efforts to Sideline Voters
What: Leading experts will explore how journalists can investigate and report on efforts to undermine election certification and restrict voter access. They will provide tools for understanding the legal and political forces at play, and provide insights into the complexities of election law, the role of disinformation, and how to effectively track election integrity in 2024.
Who: Justin Glawe, an independent journalist and the author of the forthcoming book “If I Am Coming to Your Town, Something Terrible Has Happened”; Carrie Levine, Votebeat’s managing editor; Nikhel Sus is deputy chief counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW); The moderator is Gowri Ramachandran, director of elections and security in the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government program.
When: 8 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Global Investigative Journalism Network
Tue, Oct 1 - Election Fact-Checking Tools and Best Practices
What: We’ll explore ways to fight back against misinformation and disinformation during election coverage. We’ll use tools such as Google Fact-Check Explorer to track fact-checked images and stories. We’ll use reverse image search and other Google tools to check election claims. We’ll break down doctored video and audio with WatchFramebyFrame and Deepfake-o-meter. We’ll also look at the innovative Rolliapp.com to track disinformation spreaders on social channels. Participants get a handout with links to tools and exercise materials you can take to your newsroom.
Who: Mike Reilley, UIC senior lecturer and founder of JournalistsToolbox.ai.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: RTDNA/Google News
Tues, Oct 1 - Social Media Boot Camp (Day 1)
What: We’ll teach you practical tips and tools for extending your cause and mission via social media.
Who: Kiersten Hill, the driving force behind Firespring’s nonprofit solutions.
When: 2:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Firespring
Tues, Oct 1 - Introduction to Solutions Journalism
What: This one-hour webinar will explore the basic principles and pillars of solutions journalism, talk about why it’s important, explain key steps in reporting a solutions story, and share tips and resources for journalists interested in investigating how people are responding to social problems. We will also explore additional resources we have on hand for your reporting, including the Solutions Story Tracker, a database of more than 15,000 stories tagged by beat, publication, author, location, and more, a virtual heat map of what’s working around the world.
When: 6 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Solutions Journalism Network
Wed, Oct 2 - Navigating Artificial Intelligence: Google Gemini Deep Dive
What: Discover the unique capabilities that set Google Gemini apart from other AI models. Explore its integration with Google Search, Workspace, and other products, and see how Gemini's unique features enhance user experiences across the Google ecosystem.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center
Wed, Oct 2 – What’s Next with AI
What: Experts dive into the impact of AI on America’s businesses, workforce and economy.
Who: MIT economics professor David Autor; Brenda Bown Chief Marketing Officer, Business AI, SAP; Garry Tan President & CEO, Y Combinator.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Washington Post
Wed, Oct 2 - Social Media Boot Camp (Day 2)
What: Learn to use social media to stand out from the crowd. You’ll learn a few advanced social media tips and tricks, elevate your social media presence through micro strategies and activate your advocates.
Who: Kiersten Hill, the driving force behind Firespring’s nonprofit solutions.
When: 2:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Firespring
Thu, Oct 3 - Election Countdown: Combating the Most Dangerous Disinformation Trends
What: Top journalists and researchers who battle disinformation will let you know what they’re seeing, what concerns them most, and how voters can identify and counter disinformation during the final countdown.
Who: Nina Jankowicz, co-founder of the American Sunlight Project; Roberta Braga, founder of the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas; Tiffany Hsu, disinformation reporter for The New York Times; Brett Neely, supervising editor of NPR’s disinformation reporting team; and Samuel Woolley, University of Pittsburgh professor, disinformation researcher and author.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: PEN America
Thu, Oct 3 - COVID conspiracies, flu facts and respiratory realness: The journalists’ guide to debunking health misinformation
What: This panel of experts will help journalists debunk false narratives about vaccines and respiratory illnesses, find out about the common falsehoods that experts are tracking, and access reliable data and legitimate information about vaccination rates and trends in the communities journalists cover.
Who: CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta; Dr. Céline Gounder Senior Fellow and Editor-at-Large for Public Health, KFF, Creator and Host, “Epidemic,” Medical Contributor, CBS News; Alex Mahadevan MediaWise Director and Poynter Faculty; Dan Wilson Molecular biologist and science communicator, "Debunk the Funk"; Nirav D. Shah Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Poynter, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Risk Less
Thu, Oct 3 - Now that AI Can Talk: Making Sense of the New AI Voice Capabilities
What: This webinar will equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to confidently incorporate AI voice technologies into your instructional design practice. We'll explore best practices for maintaining authenticity and engagement when using AI-generated voices, discuss how to select the right AI voice tool for your specific needs, and address concerns about the impact on human voice actors in the industry. By the end of this session, you'll be prepared to make informed decisions about integrating AI voice capabilities into your learning solutions, balancing innovation with ethical considerations.
Who: Margie Meacham Founder and Chief Freedom Officer, Learningtogo.ai
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Training Magazine Network
Thu, Oct 3 - Legal Issues in News-Academic Partnerships
What: A discussion of legal issues, liability, and more! This event is perfect for folks starting and expanding student reporting programs in partnership with local outlets.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The University of Vermont Center for Community News and Student Press Law Center
Thu, Oct 3 - AI to Streamline Journalism Workflows
What: New platforms are summarizing important proceedings and digging through data to help journalists more efficiently sift through data and transcripts to pinpoint policies or patterns that could affect a community. Our panelists show you the tools to streamline your workflow and optimize resource allocation.
Who: Sáša Woodruff, Boise State Public Radio; Joe Amditis, Associate director of operations, Center for Cooperative Media; Dustin Dwyer, Reporter/Producer, Michigan Public; Brian Mackey, Host, "The 21st Show", Illinois Public Media.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Public Media Journalists Association
Thu, Oct 3 - Avoiding polarization when reporting on hot-button issues
What: In this training, you’ll learn strategies for how to cover hot-button issues without alienating or overgeneralizing segments of your community. We’ll talk about how to signal fairness and explain your work in a way that makes the coverage more accessible by people with different views on the issue.
Who: John Diedrich of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who will share his fresh approach to his award-winning series on guns and how he was able to find common ground across the political spectrum.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Trusting News
Thu, Oct 3 - Case Study: How the Hearst DevHub built AI tools to improve their newsrooms’ workflow
What: The learnings, pitfalls, highlights and surprises from their nearly two years of AI development as a central editorial innovation and strategy team that collaborates with the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Albany Times Union and more than a dozen other local newsrooms.
Who: Tim O’Rourke, vice president for content strategy at Hearst Newspapers; Ryan Serpico, the deputy director of newsroom AI and automation on the Hearst DevHu.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Online News Association
Thu, Oct 3 -The State & Future of AI and XR Learning
What: Transforming hands-on training with XR: Discover how immersive practice environments with personalized feedback are redefining skill development; Raising collective IQ with Generative AI: Learn how AI assistants provide real-time support in the moment of need; Escaping "pilot purgatory": Understand how to scale innovative technologies with a compelling business case that drives widespread adoption; Innovating for the future: Avoid the trap of simply automating outdated classroom models instead of reimagining L&D.
Who: Karl Kapp, Ed.D., CFPIM, CIRM Director, Institute for Interactive Technologies, Bloomsburg University; Tony O’Driscoll Research Fellow and Academic Director, Duke University; David Metcalf, Ph.D. Director, Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab, University of Central Florida; Anders Gronstedt, Ph.D. President, The Gronstedt Group.
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenSesame
Thu, Oct 3 - Making Your College Media Podcast a Reality
What: Building a successful college media podcast requires research, organization, a specific kind of skills training, vision and a sense of adventure. We can’t cover ALL of that in a single confab, but we have ideas, and we’re going to get the conversation going.
Who: Chris Evans, the director of student media at Rice University and creator of the audio-first Illinois Student Newsroom, a nationally known model for training students to produce NPR-quality news.
When: 4 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: College Media Association