I had mixed emotions when I first heard about AI news releases. On the one hand, I had the typical professor’s worry about plagiarism and enabling laziness in students. On the other hand, I teach according to what is happening in the industry. So I had to balance educating students about this tool but also working to ensure they learned how to write news style as opposed just typing in some keywords and waiting for a result.
It reminds me of going from banning laptops in class to requiring them for use in an active learning pedagogy.
My rule on AI news release tools became a compromise—students can use the MuckRack AI news release generator (we use MuckRack for contact lists and other things in class so they can learn a media relations software for internships and jobs), but they must edit and show me the changes they made in their submitted assignment, using track changes of comments in a PDF.
One student so far took me up on this. She did not do the edit part. AI got a poor grade. It may be hard to do particular assignments as well, such as audio news releases, video news releases, feature release style or a pitch to a particular journalist.
I also discussed AI and the quality of its output in class. Here is an example of AI output for an actual client in class. I entered the organization’s name and what they do. I shared the output—which came in 10 seconds—with students and had students them critique it based on AP style and standards for a good news release they had learned in class.
Here is the AI news release that resulted:
The Flourish Society Launches Intergenerational Women Mentoring Program
The Flourish Society, a leading organization dedicated to empowering women, is thrilled to announce the launch of their new Intergenerational Women Mentoring Program. This program aims to bridge the gap between different generations of women by fostering mentorship relationships and providing valuable support and guidance for personal and professional development.
In today’s fast-paced world, it is essential for women to support each other and learn from the experiences of those who came before them. The Intergenerational Women Mentoring Program by The Flourish Society is designed to create a platform for women of all ages to connect, share knowledge, and build meaningful relationships that will contribute to their growth and success.
The program offers a unique opportunity for mentees to be paired with experienced mentors who can provide guidance and advice based on their own professional journeys. Mentees will have the chance to learn from the wisdom and expertise of their mentors, gaining insights on various aspects of their careers and personal lives. By connecting women from different generations, this program aims to foster a sense of community and create a supportive network that will inspire and empower women to flourish in their chosen paths.
The Flourish Society’s Intergenerational Women Mentoring Program caters to women from diverse backgrounds, professions, and age groups. It recognizes the value of intergenerational cooperation and the positive impact it can have on personal and professional growth. By encouraging women to learn from one another, the program aims to break down barriers and stereotypes, and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in all walks of life.
Through this mentoring program, The Flourish Society hopes to inspire women to reach their full potential and develop the confidence necessary to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. By connecting women from different generations, the program aims to foster a sense of collaboration and empowerment among women, creating a ripple effect that will benefit not only the mentees but also the mentors.
To learn more about The Flourish Society’s Intergenerational Women Mentoring Program and to get involved, visit their website and follow them on social media. Let’s celebrate the power of mentorship and support women in their journey towards personal and professional success.
Students critiqued the output pretty well. Here is a summary of their comments:
- No format, such as a dateline, boilerplate, etc.
- Missing key info
- Saying “thrilled to announce”
- No quotes
- Not AP style
- Repetitive, redundant
- Cliches and platitudes
- No news value stressed
The bottom line I told students is what I’m hearing from professionals: AI for news releases, as well as other applications, can be a first draft and get you past a blank page. But humans with news judgment and public relations skills will still be needed to make a usable final version that journalists will find acceptable and may also draw visits to an online newsroom.
AI illustrates an old problem with technology—efficiency for the user does not necessarily mean quality for the recipient. Journalists already complain of the overwhelming quantity and poor quality of news releases and pitches they receive. They have had their own tools to write, edit, and assess the quality of news. For example, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) maintains a list of tools for journalists, as does the Poynter Institute. Journalists also can simply delete or block news releases that continue to come from bad actors.
Speaking of journalists, the advent of AI for news comes as media companies continue to consider the best business model. Ad support has declined. Readership has been divided with so much available online content. People read individual articles, not complete packages in the form of newspapers or magazines or broadcast outlets. There is also increasing concern by news organizations of AI deepfakes, literal fake news and images, as discussed in a recent Axios article.
A philanthropy center at the university where I work recently had an article about three non-profit news models. Whether it’s nonprofit status, nonprofit ownership, or some form of foundation support, the media industry may be turning from seeing news as a loss leader for advertising revenue to seeing news as a public good supported as a charity.
One can only wonder if AI will contribute more news to make a donor-funded model for news more sustainable. In other words, would a non-profit model for news employ the efficiencies of AI to generate news? But then, would people pay for news generated by a machine if they can use the same machine themselves to generate and aggregate news of their interest?
I am hopeful that the future will be news written by people, for people, and supported by people. AI may have a place, but as of now I doubt it will be primary.
I also hope that PR professionals who know how to write, understand news, and have a desire and obligation to inform people will be assisting their journalistic counterparts in the news ecosystem. As with all professions, a benefit to society should be the primary driver for practice as opposed to efficiency for an organization.
