Identifying and Addressing Problems in Journalism Using Generative AI
Our final group project for the Digital Technology and Social Strategy class aimed to address a problem in journalism using generative AI tools. The project involved identifying a specific issue in journalism, creating a script for a video, and using generative AI to produce the video.
To identify and address issues in journalism, my project partner and I utilized ChatGPT to explore various niche problems in journalism and propose potential solutions.
My project partner and I used ChatGPT to give us multiple niche problems in journalism today and to provide a solution.
We asked ChatGPT this: “Identify and then create a solution to a niche, unique problem in journalism.”
It replied with the following:
”One niche problem in journalism revolves around combating misinformation and verifying user-generated content (UGC) in real-time. The challenge lies in swiftly assessing the credibility of user-contributed information amid breaking news situations. To address this, an AI-powered platform called "VeriCheck" could be developed:
VeriCheck: Real-time User-Generated Content Verification Platform
During breaking news events, journalists often struggle to verify the authenticity of user-generated content flooding social media platforms. This can lead to the dissemination of misinformation or delay in reporting accurate news
During breaking news events, journalists often struggle to verify the authenticity of user-generated content flooding social media platforms. This can lead to the dissemination of misinformation or delay in reporting accurate news
Solution Overview:
VeriCheck is an AI-driven platform designed to swiftly verify user-generated content for journalists and news agencies. Leveraging advanced algorithms, VeriCheck employs various techniques to assess the credibility of content in real-time.
Key Features:
Image and Video Analysis: VeriCheck uses image recognition and reverse image search algorithms to verify the authenticity of photos and videos uploaded by users. It can detect image manipulation, identify original sources, and cross-verify against known databases.
Social Media Sentiment Analysis: The platform employs sentiment analysis tools to gauge the credibility of social media posts by analyzing user comments, engagement patterns, and historical data to determine the trustworthiness of the source.
Source Reputation Scoring: VeriCheck assigns a reputation score to user-generated content sources based on their historical credibility. This score helps journalists quickly assess the reliability of a particular user or account.
Real-time Verification Dashboard: Journalists can access a user-friendly dashboard that displays real-time verification results, providing them with instant insights into the credibility of UGC.
Collaborative Verification Tools: VeriCheck allows journalists to collaborate and validate content collectively. It facilitates communication and collaboration among journalists and fact-checkers to collectively verify information.
Machine Learning for Continuous Improvement: The platform utilizes machine learning to constantly improve its algorithms by learning from verified and debunked content, enhancing its accuracy over time.
Implementation and Impact:
VeriCheck would serve as a valuable tool for journalists and news agencies, enabling them to verify user-generated content swiftly and accurately during breaking news situations. It would minimize the spread of misinformation, uphold journalistic integrity, and enhance the speed of delivering reliable news to the public.
Conclusion:
By addressing the challenge of verifying user-generated content in real-time, VeriCheck aims to revolutionize journalism by providing a robust solution that empowers journalists to authenticate information swiftly and maintain the highest standards of accuracy and credibility in reporting.”
—
Issues we ran into
When using ChatGPT, we faced issues with specificity in directions. Despite requesting ChatGPT to exclude brackets from the script, it continued to generate the script with the unwanted brackets. Additionally, while creating the video using Pictory, I encountered difficulties where the visuals generated did not align with the uploaded script.
Overall, the project provided valuable insights into the potential of generative AI tools in addressing journalism issues, albeit with certain limitations and challenges in implementation and execution.
