Welcome, and thanks for joining!
I started this channel because most journalists I train are under pressure to produce more, across more platforms, with less time to think. Eish. But there are ways to keep calm and carry on without 'infoploding' (might keep that, might not 🙃).
AI is everywhere and it's not going away. As journos we have to know how to use it responsibly and carefully. Prompting, done properly, isn’t about shortcuts. It’s about better thinking, better questions and stronger reporting.
I’m Michael Salzwedel and I'm a digital media specialist with a (longish) journalism history/background, and co-founder of Social Weaver (https://www.social-weaver.co.za). I work with newsrooms and other orgs across Africa on digital strategy, storytelling and the practical use of AI in journalism.
If you find this channel useful, feel free to share it with colleagues.
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What you’ll get here:
Practical prompts, tools, and workflows you can use immediately, applied to real South African (and wider) stories.
For example:
- Breaking down coalition politics and shifting power dynamics
- Translating budget and economic updates into real household impact
- Interrogating official statements (government, corporate, policy)
- Verifying claims and misinformation circulating on WhatsApp
Alongside that:
- Easy-to-adapt prompts to analyse, question and find stronger angles
- Techniques for deeper reporting and clearer thinking
- Tools and workflows for research, verification and storytelling
The principles apply globally, but the focus here is mostly South Africa, for now.
To get started, try these on current stories:
1. Interrogate an official statement
“Act as an investigative journalist. Separate verifiable facts from framing in this statement. What evidence is missing, and what follow-up questions would test these claims?”
2. Break down a political development
“Map the incentives of each actor in this situation. Who benefits, who is exposed, and what are the most likely short-term outcomes based on past behaviour?”
3. Translate economic news into real impact
“Explain this update in terms of its effect on fuel, food, transport, and debt for an average South African household over the next 3–6 months.”
4. Assess a viral claim
“Evaluate this widely shared claim. What verification steps are required, what are the red flags, and how should it be reported responsibly?”
The goal here isn’t just using AI sommer net because; it’s sharper thinking, better journalism and more useful reporting.
More to follow.