A Brief Reflection on Field Journalism in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
Documents, camera, the smartphone now serves best for voice recordings… Press trips are an important practice in journalism, especially in specialized journalism: they offer journalists the opportunity to live firsthand experiences and to explore places and situations in a deep and detailed way.
Today I’m on a press trip with Harman to visit the production site in the Hungarian city of Pecs, where – along with nine other journalists invited from Europe and the USA – we will see the latest developments in lighting and have the chance to speak with designers and marketing managers to also focus on the driving forces behind product innovations. It’s an opportunity for a direct experience with production and design processes, hunting for nuances and details that wouldn’t be accessible through online research or phone interviews. Undoubtedly, press trips are also occasions to build friendly and trusting relationships with colleagues and companies, allowing privileged access to information and resources.
And I am pleased to see that, in the age of ChatGPT and the creation of “cookie-cutter” content, written perhaps without knowing what one is talking about, there are companies that believe in and invest in such relationships, encouraging this type of journalism. Even technical!
Don’t miss the coverage of the trip in the next issue of Connessioni Newsletter.
