The Online News Association (ONA) is excited to partner with the Joyce Foundation to provide essential training on artificial intelligence for journalists and news executives in 25 local newsrooms in the Great Lakes region. Participants will gather Aug. 28-29 in Chicago for interactive workshops and will have access to follow-up coaching sessions with the trainers to support experimentation in their newsrooms.
The Great Lakes regional workshops are an expansion of ONA’s AI in Journalism Initiative, the go-to resource for newsrooms to understand what emerging technology they should focus on now to better serve news audiences. Since the initiative launched in February, more than 1,600 people have engaged in virtual training and collaboration. The new localized offerings will benefit smaller news outlets that have limited resources to self-train over time or travel to industry conferences, yet most urgently need to build the knowledge and skills to be part of the immense opportunity that AI presents. The partner newsrooms invited to participate are from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Participating newsrooms include: Athens County Independent, Borderless Magazine, Capital B, Capitol News Illinois, the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Public Media, Energy News Network, Investigative Project on Race and Equity, La Raza, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Outlier Media, Planet Detroit, Sahan Journal, Signal Cleveland, Signal Ohio, The Trace, Wausau Pilot & Review, WBEZ and Wisconsin Watch.
Thanks to generous support from Joyce, we are offering two in-depth training programs to address the needs of local newsrooms. The AI Tools Training Workshop will explore ways to implement AI tools into daily workflows, with an agenda that covers opportunities and risks, legal issues, guided practice with large language models and tools for fact-checking, visuals and data journalism. The AI Readiness Workshop for Executives will guide leaders through key steps to prepare their newsroom for AI adoption, including frameworks to decide on AI tools, define resource needs and forecast budgets.
“ONA has a long history of working with journalists and leaders in local newsrooms, and we are eager to bring our robust AI training to even more regions across the country,” said LaSharah S. Bunting, CEO and Executive Director of ONA. “We are thrilled to partner with the Joyce Foundation to support the journalists and news organizations in the Great Lakes.”
About the Joyce Foundation
The Joyce Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.
Support the AI in Journalism Initiative
For 25 years, ONA has shaped the journalism industry’s understanding of emerging technology and provided the essential training, connections and resources for news leaders to drive innovation and sustainability.
The AI in Journalism Initiative is our latest effort to deliver programming that quickly responds to the industry’s needs. We’re seeking additional funding to continue expanding the initiative and reach even more journalists and regions. To explore ways to support the initiative, contact Hanaa Rifaey, Head of Strategic Partnerships, at hanaa@journalists.org. For questions about upcoming events, connect with Meghan Murphy, Director of Programs, at meghan@journalists.org.
Learn more about the AI in Journalism Initiative
