Advanced Prompting for Journalists
Advanced Prompting for Journalists
Overview
If you are interested in commissioning this course, please contact us.
In this course, journalists and news producers learn how to monitor and outsource social media in real time during trending breaking news, from attacks and natural disasters to international crises. Participants will discover practical techniques for finding and verifying eyewitness content, photos, and videos on platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram. The course also teaches how to streamline native-language research efficiently using basic AI prompting and Google Dorking.
Who is it for
- Broadcast news editors
- Broadcast news journalists
- Social media news editors
- Social media news journalists
- Digital journalists
- Investigative reporters
- Anyone interested in enhancing their online research skills
What you will learn
- How to monitor and outsource social media in real time during breaking news, including attacks, natural disasters, and international crises.
- Practical techniques for finding, verifying, and curating eyewitness content, photos, and videos from platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram.
- How to integrate basic AI prompting to streamline native-language research and transcription efficiently for newsroom workflows.
- The concept of Google Dorking (advanced search operators) and its application in uncovering publicly available information relevant to journalistic investigations.
Apps/tools/equipment needed by trainees
- Desktop or laptop computer with active, logged-in accounts for X, Facebook, and Instagram (mobile devices are not recommended for this training).
- Google Chrome browser with active login to the above social media accounts for seamless access.
- AI chat platforms, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Google Studio, or any other AI-chat model officially permitted or recommended by your organization.
Schedule
09:00 – 09:10 Introduction & Participant Needs Assessment
Welcome participants, outline course objectives and tools required. Listen to participants’ current practices and expectations to tailor learning.
09:10 – 09:45 Module 1: Google Dorking for Journalists
Learn advanced search operators to uncover publicly available information that standard searches might miss.
09:45 – 10:15 Practical Exercise 1
Apply site:, filetype:, and intitle: operators to locate documents or reports relevant to a sample story.
10:15 – 11:30 Module 2: Social Media Monitoring and Outsourcing
Techniques to monitor X, Facebook, and Instagram in real time. How to assign, manage, and verify tasks across contributors.
11:30 – 12:00 Practical Exercise 2
Identify trending posts, verify eyewitness content, and draft an outsourcing plan for native-language content.
12:00– 12:30 Refreshment Break
12:30– 13:00 Module 3: AI for Native-Language Research & Transcription
Introduction to basic AI prompting to support research, summarization, and transcription.
13:00 – 13:40 General Practical Exercise
Monitoring a news story in native-language and transcription tasks using AI prompts.
13:40 – 14:20 Module 4: AI-Enhanced Basic Verification During Breaking News
Apply tools to support rapid fact-checking and verification during live reporting.
14:20 – 14:50 General Practical Exercise
Simulate a breaking news scenario: verify and summarize posts efficiently using AI and manual cross-checking.
14:50 – 15:00 Wrap-Up, Q&A & Discussion
Recap key points, share resources, answer questions, and discuss next steps.