ONA Weekly #508: Digital Women Leaders: Now Powered By ONA

Digital Women Leaders is now powered by ONA

Digital Women Leaders (DWL), the popular one-on-one mentorship resource created by journalism consultant Katie Hawkins-Gaar, has a new home at ONA.

After six years leading the project, Katie will spend several months working with the ONA team, including Learning Director Kelsey Proud, to ensure a smooth transition and inform the future of DWL.

“It’s a huge honor for ONA to be entrusted to guide DWL’s next chapter,” shared LaSharah S. Bunting, ONA CEO and Executive and one of DWL’s earliest champions in her previous role as a journalism funder. “ONA has a long history of developing changemakers in journalism … By bringing DWL’s mentorship service into our work, we have a real opportunity to build on a great foundation and make sure this important resource has even more far-reaching impact.” Read the full announcement.

Next training for AI in journalism: April 24

Join part two of AI Tools for Journalists with Mike Reilley on Wednesday, April 24. This 90-minute virtual training will explore great and not-so-great uses for tools like Claude, ChatGPT Plus Custom GPTs and plugins, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.

Registration is included as an ONA member benefit and $25 for non-members. Register now or learn more about joining ONA.

Honoring AI innovation

We’re seeking outstanding entries for the newest category in the Online Journalism Awards: Excellence in AI Innovation. This award recognizes a person or newsroom that has implemented truly stand-out uses of AI tools for news. Projects may include, but aren’t limited to editorial or visual products, workflows and processes, enhanced accessibility features, data-driven investigations and audience engagement efforts. Submit entries to the 2024 awards by May 9.

ICYMI: Always learning with Charo Henríquez 

For the latest issue of Office Hours, we spent time with Charo Henríquez, Editor, Newsroom Development and Support, at The New York Times and ONA Board President. Read about her path in journalism and how she found peers who are equally committed to building the newsroom of the future.

Mark your calendar

• April 24: AI Tools for Journalists Part II
• May 2: First Responders of Democracy: Protecting Press Freedom Worldwide (Atlanta)
• May 2: ONA Spain: ONA Spain: Innovar para sobrevivir, con Urbano García (RTVE) (Virtual) NEW!
• May 8: Leveraging AI in Your Audience Engagement Strategy
• May 9: Deadline: Enter the 2024 Online Journalism Awards
• May 9: Deadline: Apply to be an OJA Judge or Screener
• May 14: AI Innovator Collaborative 
• May 22: Prompt Writing
• June 5: AI Mini Lab: Prompt-Writing
• June 11: AI Innovator Collaborative
• June 13: Deadline: ONA24 Early Bird Registration
• June 18: Image Creation Tools
• July 9: AI Innovator Collaborative  
• July 10: AI Mini Lab: Image Creation
• Aug. 7: AI and Data Journalism
• Aug. 13: AI Innovator Collaborative  
• Sept. 18-21: 2024 Online News Association Conference (Atlanta)
• Sept. 20: 2024 Online Journalism Awards Ceremony (Atlanta)
• Oct. 8: AI Innovator Collaborative  
• Nov. 12: AI Innovator Collaborative  
• Dec. 10: AI Innovator Collaborative

Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:

• Journalist: Digital News Reporter, Compass Media NEW!
• Harrisburg Reporter, Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation NEW!
• Senior Editor, C&EN BrandLab, American Chemical Society NEW!
• Innovation Team Impact Producer, Reynolds Journalism Institute
• Innovation Team Project Manager, Reynolds Journalism institute
• Audience Insights Analyst, Michigan Public
• Network Manager, The Miami Foundation
• Audience Producer, Hearst Newspapers
• Texas Capitol Reporter, The Texas Newsroom and KUT
• News Assistant, Quanta Magazine, Simons Foundation
• Digital Fellow, Democracy Now! Productions 
• Education Lab Editor, The Seattle Times 
• Director of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, University of Florida 
• Director of Digital Content, Oregon Public Broadcasting 
• Website Editor, LNP Media Group
• Executive Editor of the AI Editorial Board, Nota 
• Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Public Media 
• Law and Justice Editor, The Seattle Times

What we’re watching in AI tech

• Forbes put together their 2024 list of 50 most promising privately-held AI companies.
• Reuters Institute recap five projects you should keep an eye on via this year’s Nordic AI in Media Summit.
• Pulitzer Center is offering AI Spotlight series to equip reporters and editors to cover and shape AI coverage.
• Billboard.com reported Rep. Adam Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. If passed, it would require AI companies to disclose all copyrighted works used in training.
• Bloomberg reported that Adobe is buying videos for $3 per minute to build AI model.
• Rest of World’s introduced their 2024 AI Elections Tracker, documenting how AI tools are being used in political campaigns and propaganda to influence voters around the world.

Also on our radar

• Source transparency as a tool for change, Maritza L. Félix for American Press Institute
• Comparing U.S. broadband coverage using two different maps shows ‘stark contrasts’ in representation, Heather Close for the Institute for Rural Journalism
• The real story behind NPR’s current problems, Alicia Montgomery for Slate
• How to deepen the impact of newsletter call to actions, Olivia Dolan and Emily Lytle for RJI 
• Visualize change with a Sankey chart, Samantha Sunne for Tools for Reporters