The independent, climate-focused investigative newsroom The Colonist Report scored an investigative success using AI recently, according to the Reuters Institute website. The newsroom used commonly-used AI like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to review 3000 pages of government documents to expose the lack of support to communities following floods in Rivers State in October 2024. Google Notebook LM was used to generate an automated podcast of the published story. 

The outlet, set up in 2023, works with freelancers to report on local stories from developing economies, with a particular focus on Africa. 

“It’s stories that aren’t being told, especially in the Global North,” says founder Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi, 35, who works two-part time jobs while running the newsroom. “We don’t want to report something that audiences can get elsewhere. We try to give local people the voice they need.”

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