ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes the media landscape, the challenge for modern news organizations is no longer about whether to adopt these emerging technologies, but how to do so responsibly. Enter the human element: the editors, producers, and directors who stand on the front lines of digital transformation.
Addressing this critical juncture, The Poynter Institute officially announced the inaugural cohort for its landmark leadership initiative, Leading AI in the Newsroom. Designed specifically for journalists spearheading artificial intelligence integration within small and medium-sized news organizations, the program bridges the gap between technological capability and journalistic integrity.
The first-ever cohort brings together 33 hand-selected journalists and newsroom leaders. These are the practitioners who have naturally evolved into the go-to authorities within their respective newsrooms, tasked with answering complex questions about machine learning, generative tools, and workflow automation while simultaneously navigating the learning curve themselves.
Executive Overview: A New Blueprint for Digital-Age Journalism
The media industry finds itself at a historic crossroads. While large legacy conglomerates and major national networks often possess dedicated research-and-development budgets to experiment with machine learning, regional and independent newsrooms face unique hurdles. These smaller organizations must balance limited resources, deep-seated internal skepticism, and the sacred trust of their local communities.
Poynter’s new program is strategically engineered to address these exact pain points. By fusing the Institute’s dual core areas of expertise—leadership development and rigorous AI training—the curriculum goes far beyond the mechanics of prompt engineering or automated transcription. Instead, it equips participants with the high-level management skills required to guide entire newsrooms through profound technological shifts.
The stakes could not be higher. Throughout the multi-week program, fellows will tackle existential industry concerns head-on:
- Preserving Editorial Integrity: Ensuring that speed and efficiency never supersede accuracy, fairness, and human oversight.
- Managing Change and Skepticism: Building internal trust among colleagues who may view AI as a threat to job security or journalistic authenticity.
- Ethical Deployment: Establishing firm guardrails that prevent algorithmic bias, hallucinations, and privacy violations.
- Cross-Departmental Communication: Breaking down organizational silos to ensure that business, technical, and editorial teams work in unified harmony.
The initiative is made possible by the generous backing of the Knight-API Endowment Fund, with foundational support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the American Press Institute, and the Arizona State University Center for Media & Communities, which is hosting the program’s inaugural in-person intensive.
Detailed Chronology & Curriculum Structure: From Los Angeles to Virtual Collaboration
The curriculum for the inaugural 2026 cohort is designed as an intensive, hybrid learning experience that combines immersive face-to-face instruction with continuous virtual mentorship and peer review.
Phase One: The In-Person Intensive (Late October 2026)
The program launches with a high-impact, two-day, in-person workshop hosted at the Arizona State University Center for Media & Communities in Los Angeles. Here, the 33 fellows will immerse themselves in collaborative workshops, dissect complex industry case studies, and engage in rigorous peer discussions.
Guiding the cohort through this foundational phase are prominent Poynter faculty members and senior leaders:
- Alex Mahadevan, Director of the MediaWise project and expert in digital verification and AI tools.
- Tony Elkins, Director of Journalism Training and specialist in newsroom innovation.
- Kelly McBride, Senior Vice President and Chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership.
- Sitara Nieves, Vice President of Teaching and Organization Strategy.
During these initial sessions, participants will utilize Poynter’s authoritative AI Ethics Guidebook as a foundational framework. The guidebook offers a structured methodology for evaluating the risks and opportunities of emerging tools while establishing meaningful benchmarks to measure the tangible impact of AI initiatives.
Phase Two: Virtual Deep Dives and Guest Expert Insights (November – Early December 2026)
Following the Los Angeles workshop, the program transitions into four live virtual sessions. This phase brings in specialized external perspectives to broaden the fellows’ strategic horizons:
- Audience Perceptions and Transparency: Benjamin Toff, associate professor at the University of Minnesota, will share groundbreaking research on how the public actually views AI in journalism. His sessions will focus heavily on transparency, proactive disclosure, and mechanisms for constructive audience feedback.
- Evaluating Experiments: Christine DiGangi, vice president of AI editorial operations at People Inc., will offer practical insights into how news organizations can audit their AI experiments. DiGangi will guide leaders through the often-difficult decisions of determining which technological pilots warrant scaling up and which should be permanently discontinued.
Phase Three: The Capstone Implementation Plan
The program culminates not with a final exam, but with a practical, highly personalized deliverable. By the time the virtual sessions conclude in early December, every single participant will walk away with a customized AI Implementation Plan—a strategic, step-by-step roadmap tailored specifically to the operational realities, financial constraints, and cultural nuances of their home newsroom.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The 2026 Cohort Roster
The 33 fellows chosen for the inaugural class represent a diverse cross-section of American journalism, spanning public radio, metropolitan newspapers, digital-native startups, investigative hubs, and television broadcast networks.
The full roster of the 2026 Leading AI in the Newsroom cohort includes:
- Christopher Ayers, News Director, 90.5 WESA
- Tyler Bassett, Director of Digital Media, Bonneville Phoenix
- Drew Bennett, Executive Producer, Spectrum News 1
- Tyson Bird, Editorial Product Manager, American City Business Journals
- Kate Bradshaw, Assistant Features Editor, Bay Area News Group
- Christina Chkarboul, Staff Reporter, Los Angeles Business Journal
- Dawn Clapperton, Vice President of News, NBC6 South Florida / NBCUniversal Local
- Glenn Cook, Executive Editor and Senior Vice President of News, Las Vegas Review-Journal
- Ryan Ellison, Digital Director, Central Florida Public Media
- Annie Feidt, Managing Editor, Broadcast, Alaska Public Media
- Susan Gonzalez, Editor, Social and Platforms, Chalkbeat
- Izzy Gould, Senior Director of Content, AL.com | Alabama Media Group
- Alex Helmick, Managing Editor, WABE News
- Yvonne Krumrey, Reporter, KTOO
- George LeVines, Editor, Gun Violence Data Hub, The Trace
- Denise Lockwood, CEO, Racine County Eye
- Jonathan Martin, Editor-in-Chief, Cascadia Daily News
- Candice Mays, Project Director, Black Voice News
- Charles Minshew, Deputy Managing Editor of Data Journalism, AI, and Newsroom Innovation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Michael Olson, Deputy Managing Editor, MPR
- Michelle Quinn, Executive Editor, EdSource
- Clara Ramirez, Senior Digital Producer, NBC and Telemundo Los Angeles
- Fahmida Rashid, Managing Editor, Technology & Features, Dark Reading, Informa TechTarget
- Matheus Sanchez, Digital Director, WLRN
- Andrea “Andy” Sanchez-Villafana, Managing Editor, Voice of San Diego
- Sky Schaudt, Senior Digital Editor, KJZZ 91.5 FM
- Tom Scheck, Investigations Editor, The Minnesota Star Tribune
- Akash Sinha, Managing Editor, Charlottesville Tomorrow
- Violeta Trevizo, Director of Streaming & Digital Innovation, Arizona’s Family / Gray Media
- Carlos Virgen, Senior Editor, The Modesto Bee
- Joshua Wilson, Managing Editor, Appen Media Group
- Ashley Yeager, Deputy Multimedia Editor, Science News
- Michelle Zenarosa, Deputy Political Editor, COURIER News
Future Outlook: Setting the Standard for Industry-Wide Adoption
The launch of Leading AI in the Newsroom is part of Poynter’s broader, long-term commitment to developing ethical frameworks that protect the foundational values of the press.
Rather than operating in an insular academic bubble, Poynter has pledged to make the insights, methodologies, and strategic resources developed throughout this program publicly available to the wider journalism community. By open-sourcing these lessons, the Institute aims to accelerate responsible AI adoption across the entire industry, ensuring that smaller newsrooms are not left behind in the digital race.
Media Contact and Institutional Background
For further inquiries regarding the Leading AI in the Newsroom program, media representatives may contact:
- Jennifer Orsi
- Vice President, Publishing and Local News Initiatives, The Poynter Institute
- Email: [email protected]
About The Poynter Institute:
Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing society’s most pressing issues through the advancement of journalism. Serving as the gold standard in journalistic excellence, Poynter fosters trust, transparency, and high ethical standards in the information ecosystem. The Institute oversees several prominent entities, including the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), MediaWise, and PolitiFact. Through its diverse programming, Poynter equips journalists, media executives, and citizens with the tools necessary to preserve press freedom and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide.
To learn more about Poynter’s ongoing AI ethics initiatives and professional training programs, visit poynter.org.