Neil Brown: The Pulitzer Prizes, AI Transparency, and Journalism’s Next Evolution

Newsroom Robots

Neil Brown, president of The Poynter Institute and former chair of the Pulitzer Prizes, joins host Nikita Roy to discuss the Pulitzer Board's decision to require AI disclosure in prize submissions. In 2024, two Pulitzer Prize winners disclosed using AI in their work - City Bureau and Invisible Institute used machine learning to analyze police misconduct files for "Missing in Chicago," while The New York Times' visual investigations desk employed AI to identify bomb craters in Gaza. Of the 45 finalists that year, five had disclosed using AI in their submissions.

In this episode, Brown discusses how the Pulitzer Board approached AI disclosure requirements and shares his perspective on technology's evolving role in journalism.

Key topics include:

• The Pulitzer Board's approach to AI disclosure and transparency
• How newsrooms can bridge the divide between technical and editorial teams
• Why newsrooms need to take a longitudinal approach to technology adoption
• The importance of involving audiences in technological innovation
• Lessons from journalism's digital transformation that apply to the AI era

Sign up for the Newsroom Robots newsletter for episode summaries and insights from host Nikita Roy.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.