Episode 7: Merrill Brown on AI and Journalism Right Now
It’s not enough to have a keyboard and an idea anymore. Journalists must be thoughtful entrepreneurs who are in constant dialogue with their audience. In this episode of Responsible AI from the AI Forum, we enjoy a wide-ranging conversation with Merrill Brown, veteran journalist and founding editor of MSNBC.com, including how 2025 feels a little like 1995 when it comes to emerging technology.
Merrill talks to us about the evolving landscape of journalism, urging aspiring journalists to develop diverse skills and embrace entrepreneurial thinking, as traditional media roles are diminishing. He discusses the significant shift in audience engagement, where journalists must interact directly with their readers, unlike the past when feedback was rare.
We explore the responsible use of AI in journalism to enhance productivity and data mining and Merrill shares insights from his experience integrating automated reporting tools at the Associated Press. We also discuss the ongoing challenges of maintaining data integrity in an age where misinformation is prevalent.
Topics
01:30 What Do Young Journalists Need to Know?
05:40 It’s 1995 Again
06:57 How Should Journalists Use AI?
10:35 Automating Content at the Associated Press
14:39 Garbage In, Garbage Out
16:45 Lessons from AI Experiments at G/O Media
21:17 Future Developments in AI and Journalism
23:57 Responsible AI in Journalism
25:27 National Security and Journalistic Ethics
28:33 Stretch Your Imagination; Support Local Journalism
About Merrill: Merrill Brown, co-founder of the Online News Association, is a journalist, educator, business executive and consultant. He recently served as Editorial Director of G/O Media overseeing 11 publications including The Onion. Jezebel and Gizmodo. Earlier in his career he was a newspaper reporter at The Washington Post, a magazine editor and part of the founding teams at Court TV and MSNBC. At MSNBC, he was the Founding Editor in Chief of MSNBC.com, which was the number one US news site from 1996 and into the 2000s.
He was Founding Director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. He was also the founding Editorial Director of News21, a program for graduate students in journalism, On the business side Brown was a business development executive at The Washington Post Co. and a venture partner at a DFJ fund. He has also served as a board member or board chair of more than 20 for profit or not for profit organizations.
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