#jou4500

I found this Zoom discussion really fascinating. We had the opportunity to hear from students attending the University of Texas, who shared valuable insights on how to utilize artificial intelligence in a newsroom setting. The project, funded by The Dallas Morning News, tasked students who were part of the "The Future Press" team at UT with creating news stories entirely using AI tools. What stood out to me most was when Ryan spoke candidly about the ethical challenges of generating content with the help of AI.

Before taking this course, I had no idea how vast and accessible the network of AI tools truly is. The Zoom discussion mainly focused on the group’s interactions with generative AI—what was useful and what wasn’t. The students shared transparent findings and explained how they developed content suitable for publication.

Following my reading of the New York Times Reporter Dave Phillips and how he exposed the devastating impact of chronic low-level head trauma in the military, I came away with a lot of great information that I could apply to my journalism, especially as someone who'sinterested in reporting politics which can be a space of secrecy and tight knit information amongst only a handful of individuals. My first observation following reading this article was how Phillips mentions the importance of covering the military with an open mind instead of going in with preconceived labels of service members. Interestingly, he refrains from using the word "veteran" because he believes it diminishes the' vast impact of military members on our lives. Similarly to the Pulitzer Center's discussion on building trust, Phillips explains how framing a question can make all the difference. Finding an angle that allows one to investigate a story is essential, allowing interviewees to feel they are contributing to the greater good. Focus on what could be a positive result of your reporting instead of focusing on the interviewee's past. Phillips provides insight into pivoting your reporting and not being afraid to ask questions that may lead to different conclusions. He explains that if you can find sources to back up new information, you will know you are heading towards the right track. Exploring additional avenues of material, including obituaries, can help connect you with other people you may want to interview. I found this information helpful because it demonstrates that while you may not be able to communicate with the main subject, you can find family, friends, and loved ones willing to share details of that person's life, including their triumphs and struggles.

In the end I am proud of my project and the amount of work it took to not only edit my videos and audio but in addition the ability to give myself permission to share my story with others. Despite having only four other people in class with me I found myself many times during the process of editing and working on my storyboard considering tossing it out and picking a "safe" topic. Discussing my struggles with my mental health and my eating disorder was not something I had planned to share with the world prior to this class. To be fair, only the people closest to me know about my struggles with anxiety, panic disorder, and anorexia nervosa.

During the initial idea of conceptualizing my project it was great to have the ability to think creatively and ask myself what topic would not only be "personal" but also be helpful to show other people who may be struggling with mental health disorders. For a long time my mental health was something that I struggled with internally. This project finally gave me an outlet to discuss it with people I trust.

Editing this video was not entirely difficult for me as I have in the past worked for other people to edit videos and even created content myself for my own Youtube page. I did have a few struggles with Premiere Pro including at one point not being able to drag my clips onto the timeline. It was at that moment where I was very close to throwing my laptop across the room. However, instead I went online and tried to find a video that would help diagnose the issue. Several attempts later, I was back on track. When deciding about what music to include I chose to pick copyright free music that symbolized each period in my life. At the beginning you'll notice the music is upbeat and playful. This reflects how my life has been going recently. However, the music shifts when I begin reflecting on my mental health journey to be more somber. Finally, the music I picked out at the end was done in a way that would allow me to showcase how I was finding solutions to my problems and addressing them.

Overall, I enjoyed previewing several students' prior work in JOU 4500 for their personal stories. Following my viewing, one of my main realizations was that the less you rely on a script, the more organic your story will reach an audience. One technique I plan to apply to my video was shown in the first project, where the subject started in the present day but then went back and highlighted how we got to the current point.

My critiques were mainly about storyboarding and staying away from many stories within one story. For example, the final project we watched became scattered because the subject attempted to capture too many ideas within one piece of work, which I found difficult to comprehend. However, one positive critique I had was that I appreciated the raw emotions captured in his story. An additional takeaway from this project was that the creator did conclude the story but left the audience with a reflection statement instead of a proper conclusion.

Regarding including sound in our videos, I noted what worked and what needed improvement. For example, if a video relied too heavily on background music to convey emotion, I found that the script was often poorly executed and could not emotionally communicate the story. However, including "nat sounds" helped to enhance several of the work we saw in class. Ensuring sound is balanced throughout the project is essential. Otherwise, we would be left with some videos with dramatic volume changes throughout the playtime while others were difficult to hear. Finally, determining the length of your story is essential because I had one issue with many personal stories: they could have been edited down for more effective storytelling.

Today’s class was really interesting as we focused most of the time on watching a previous class discussion on the impacts and importance of AI in journalism. Before this JOU 45000 Multimedia Journalism class, I had not spent much time considering the implications of Artificial Intelligence in the newsroom environment. What I appreciated about the lecture was that instead of focusing on the drawbacks of Artificial Intelligence, the discussion was centered on the ethical and practical ways one can utilize these tools to enhance one’s journalism. For example, AI platforms such as Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude can generate ideas to help inspire your work. Needing help deciding what questions to ask your interviewees, AI can assist you with prompts and ideas of what direction you may want to take your work in. Needless to say, journalists mustn’t rely solely on AI to write their stories. Many platforms are still struggling to find the correct information. In the discussion, we witnessed how if you asked ChatGPT to write a story about the recent Mayoral race in Chicago, Illinois, it inserted incorrect names and false information that, if unchecked, could damage the reputation of a journalist or newsroom that carelessly decided to run that story as told by AI.  

AI should not be a crutch but a toolbox of limitless possibilities when conceptualizing and publishing essential pieces of journalism. Additionally, platforms such as Sora can offer visuals to complement pieces of work. However, advancements are still being made to offer more realistic depictions of people, places, and things instead of the current renditions coming off as cartoonish. Speaking of photojournalism, the lecturer informed us that it would be unethical for a photojournalist to ask AI to recreate a scene if there was no accompanying photo from the story. As journalists, we have a responsibility and a moral obligation to be honest and truthful in our reporting. If we publish entire articles or photographs made by AI, it will leave our audiences with less trust in the media in an environment where many people choose other ways of receiving their news. 

Professor Piland allowed Adam Wolfbrandtt to speak to us in my JOU 4500 course at Elon University. I found the Zoom call to be very informative and engaging. Wolfbrandtt got to talk about his passion for journalism, specifically engaging in photographic journalism. Adam is about to embark on an assignment where he will be capturing shots from the ocean’s depths for Ocean X. I have tremendous respect for the work Adam does because, speaking for myself, I would be unwilling to traverse the ocean floor in a miniature submarine. Wolfbrandtt told the class how small the vessel he and two others, a scientist and an engineer, shared when exploring the ocean. 

Additionally, Adam Wolfbrandtt graciously answered my question when I asked him, “As someone who does not plan to specifically seek a career in the field of Journalism, what skills do you believe a journalist learns that can be applied to different areas of expertise in the job market.” He told me that whether I was going to pursue a career in journalism or find a professional job in another field, it was necessary to remember that many of the communication skills I have learned, including active listening, building trust, and forming relationships, will all be required for success in any industry. I was very appreciative of Adam taking the time to answer my question. 

1.) Scott Harrison founder of Charity Water did an excellent job in my opinion of keeping me engaged throughout the video. This multimedia piece contained a plethora of information. I found sections of this video too difficult to watch whether because of my own personal anxieties. However, I believe this information and clips of people suffering from various diseases was necessary to show audiences despite it being visually difficult for me. The story was timely because it spoke to the urgent need for donations to help continue the work this organization has been providing for the people of Africa and other regions afflicted by poor water quality. The idea of clean water may not present itself as a huge news story in the United States of America because of our rigorous standards when it comes to the cleanliness of our drinking water. However, while watching this video I could not help but think of the water crisis in Flint Michigan (https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/20/465545378/lead-laced-water-in-flint-a-step-by-step-look-at-the-makings-of-a-crisis) Clean water is a human right that everyone should have access to.

2.) I was impacted by this story seeing the faces of those who were forced to consume water with a variety of different bacterias was very alarming and caused great concern for me. I would definitely look into what I could do to help this organization in the future. I plan on eventually seeking public office in some capacity and believe that of the many things that are important and worldly to prioritize nowadays that the issue of clean water is a very important one.

3.) I felt several emotions throughout the duration of this video including anger, disgust, and encouraging. The story about the nine year old girl had a very deep impact on me because I hope to be able to leave behind a legacy of project and change whenever I pass on. It reminded me that not everyday is guaranteed and we should seek to be our best selves and help others in our communities at home and abroad whether it's convenient or not. I felt very encouraged by hearing about the outpouring of donations following her death. However, I wish as a society we do not always wait till tragedy strikes to feel the need to get involved in something we deem important.

Following being assigned the Personal Story Assignment I had a mixture of emotions.

I believe this project will be challenging in the sense of video audio and on a deeper level. It tasks us to reflect on a moment of great significance, good or bad, and transform that work into a piece of multimedia journalism we will likely have to live with for the rest of our lives. I have already begun brainstorming a few ideas about this assignment including detailing my coming out story, highlighting the loss of my grandfather battling dementia, or discussing the struggle with my mental health over the past few years following COVID-19.

I appreciate being assigned this project because I believe it will serve me well to tell my story in an environment where other people will listen to my past experiences and be challenged to understand how said experience has shaped my life. I have no doubt this project will be challenging and mentally demanding but I believe the reward at the end will to be able to finally tell my story.