ONA Weekly #515: Evaluating AI Tools

By on June 5, 2024

We’re headed to Atlanta for ONA24 this Sept. 18-21 to celebrate 25 years of connecting the leading thinkers and innovators in digital media. Register by June 13 for Early Bird passes to access the four-day conference at the most affordable rate.

Evaluating AI tools

Since February, ONA members** who are using AI tools in their journalism work have gathered for a monthly meetup to connect with peers, exchange ideas and learn from each other. The June meeting of the AI Innovator Collaborative is Tuesday, June 11, 3 p.m. EDT. Hanaa Rifaey, Head of Strategic Partnerships at ONA, will host a discussion about how to evaluate tools and what conversations to have with vendors. Come with your ideas, and we’ll create a collaborative list with key considerations and questions.

** A membership with ONA provides benefits to boost your work and career, and supports us to develop and deliver accessible opportunities for the journalism community throughout the year. Join now or renew your membership. For questions or assistance, send us a message at support@journalists.org.

Confirm your ONA24 plans now!

Very important reminder: Early Bird passes for ONA24 will be gone soon! Register by Thursday, June 13, to join the conference at the most affordable rate—$350 for ONA members. Prices go up June 14. Talk to your bosses and talk to your team about your plans to be in Atlanta, Sept. 18-21.

If you’re registering with a group of 10 or more colleagues, contact registration@journalists.org to take advantage of group passes, which offer a discount of $25 per ticket.

Meet new DWL mentors

Digital Women Leaders, now powered by ONA, connects women and non-gender binary people working in journalism with trusted, knowledgeable resources who can help them level up as leaders. The newest mentors available for 30-minute one-on-one calls include:

  • Michelle Leder, Editor and Founder of Footnoted, offering support on caregiving and working news, investigative journalism, entrepreneurship, subscription and paywalls, website relaunches and unconventional career paths.
  • Alexandra Smith, incoming Chief Strategy Officer at The 19th, offering support on audience engagement, breaking down big problems into doable projects, collaborating across teams, design thinking, product strategy and working at startups.
  • Erin Peterson, CEO and Founder of Scout Stories, offering support on investigative, leading innovative projects, strategic thinking, video journalism and navigating work when life is hard.

Brush up on digital safety strategies

The U.S. Election Safety Summer series continues with Tuesday, June 11, 12 p.m. EDT, with a session on Online Abuse Self-Defense. PEN America’s Digital Safety and Free Expression experts Jeje Mohamed and Viktorya Vilk will lead this training designed to equip journalists and their employers with practical tools and strategies against online hate and harassment.

Share your ONA story

We love hearing about the ONA opportunities that made a difference in your journalism work—whether it introduced you to a new tool that has made the day-to-day easier for your organization, challenged you to think differently about tech and leadership, connected you to a peer mentor or even nudged you towards a big career move. 

Your personal stories help us showcase how ONA supports the journalism industry and inspire others to get involved in future programs. Look back on your year with ONA so far and share your story.

Mark your calendar

Career opportunities

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

For ONA members: If you are looking for a new opportunity, complete this form for a chance to be featured in an upcoming edition of Office Hours, ONA’s new monthly Linkedin newsletter about careers in journalism.

What we’re watching in AI tech

Elsewhere on our radar

Support ONA

There are many ways to help sustain ONA’s mission to drive innovation in digital journalism: