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← Near + Now /New York City

PMJA Regional Professional Development Series

New York City
Wednesday, September 9, 2026  ·  The Newsroom at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Emerging Tech & AI
Tools, Ethics & Smarter Workflows

This event has wrapped. Thank you to everyone who joined us in New York City — session resources are below.

About · The Day · Resources · Venue · Getting There · Dine-Arounds · Scholarships
About This Event

AI isn’t coming. It’s already in your newsroom. The question is whether you’re using it well.

Every public media journalist is navigating the same moment: tools that can genuinely help sitting next to real risks, unclear policies, and a lot of noise about what AI means for the industry.

Near + Now New York City cut through that noise. Journalists, producers, editors, news leaders, and every role in between spent the day getting practical: what responsible use actually looks like, which tools are worth your time, how to build the policies your newsroom needs, and what happens when things go wrong.

The event included hands-on time with tools and real case studies from newsrooms that have been figuring this out in the open, hosted at The Newsroom at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, right in Midtown Manhattan.

The Day

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Registration and coffee at 9:00 AM  ·  Program runs 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

All times Eastern (ET)

9:00–10:00 AM  ·  Registration & Coffee
During Registration & Coffee
9:00–10:00 AM SciLine
Meet SciLine
Every story is a science story. Attendees stopped by during registration and coffee for a meet and greet with SciLine to learn more about their free resources for journalists. These include expert matching, media briefings, a weekly newsletter with local story angles, and more to help reporters deepen their coverage with evidence-based research.
10:00–10:15 AM  ·  Welcome & Opening Remarks
01
10:15–10:45 AM
Google News Initiative: How AI is Transforming the News
Etan Horowitz, Global Innovation Programs Lead, Google News Partnerships
A perspective on how AI is changing newsrooms and insight into how Google aims to support the industry through AI development.
Slides Attendees Only
02
10:45 AM–12:00 PM
AI In Journalism: What Is Responsible Use?
Erica Osher, Vice President, AI Labs — NPR
Tony Cavin, Managing Editor for Standards and Practices — NPR
Sharahn Thomas-Fulton, Vice President, Content Operations — NPR
When used responsibly, AI can create workflow efficiencies, bolster analysis, and empower the journalists behind the work. Without solid decision-making processes and radical transparency, it can also create ethical conflicts, threaten intellectual property, and damage audience trust. This session explores how to balance the benefits and risks of AI tools and consider a framework for weighing their impact — including authentication standards and clear AI disclosure to help audiences know what is real.
12:00–1:00 PM  ·  Lunch provided
03
1:00–2:30 PM
Cool Sh*t You Can Do with AI That Won’t Get You Fired
Mike Reilley
Trainer Mike Reilley walks through practical ways to embed AI tools into your workflow. This hands-on session covers Visualping, Quillbot, Hemingway App, Eleven Labs, and other free tools you can use right away, plus LLMs such as Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and ChatGPT to analyze data, build charts, develop interview questions, mine story ideas, and more. Also covers AI policies, legal and ethical considerations, and how to set privacy preferences for LLMs. Participants received handouts with tips, prompts, and additional resources.
2:30–2:40 PM  ·  Break
04
2:40–3:55 PM
Google AI Tools for Research, Content Creation, and Investigative Journalism
Colleen Kimmett, Google News Lab Teaching Fellow
Explore the suite of tools Google has to offer journalists, including Gemini, NotebookLM, and Pinpoint. Attendees learned the ins and outs of these free tools, how they work together, and how they can apply in the newsroom.
Slides Attendees Only
3:55–4:00 PM  ·  Break
05
4:00–4:45 PM
Action Planning: What Comes Next?
It’s easy to let a day of learning stay in your notebook once you’re back under deadline pressure. That’s why we build structured time into the schedule for working out what you’re taking away and how you’ll act on it. You’ll leave with a specific next step and an Accountability Buddy who’ll follow up when you’re back in the newsroom.
4:45–5:00 PM  ·  Closing Remarks & Goodbyes
You’ll leave with more than notes. You’ll leave with a plan.

A clear-eyed view of what AI can and can’t do for your newsroom, the frameworks to act on it responsibly, and a peer partner who’ll follow up when you’re back at your desk.

Resources

Resources

Session slides and handouts live with their sessions in the schedule above, tagged Attendees Only. Everything below is open to everyone.

Live event  ·  Tuesday, September 15, 2026  ·  2:00–3:00 PM EDT  ·  Virtual
Under the Hood: WNYC & AI
Journalist Joe Hong shares how he’s thinking about AI in the newsroom. Many public media newsrooms are trying to figure out just how to work AI into their workflows, if at all. WNYC’s Joe Hong has put a great deal of thought into how he, and other journalists like him, might put new tools to use with impact and audience trust in mind. In this session, he’ll share what he’s learned about AI and local news and how he and others at WNYC have been applying those lessons.
Near + Now New York City Workbook PDF
The full companion workbook from Near + Now New York City — notes pages, prompts, and worksheets from the day.
AI Vocabulary Guide
Key terms to help you follow the conversation and decide what matters
AI Basics for Journalists Recording
Trainer Mike Reilley covers LLMs, prompt design, and ethical use — with tools from ChatGPT to Perplexity. For anyone getting started with AI.
AI Exercises & Prompts Template Attendees Only
Hands-on exercises and prompts from Mike Reilley’s “AI Basics for Journalists” session — a Near + Now New York City bonus resource.
What Newsrooms Are Really Asking About AI
Thoughts from a peer-to-peer conversation: PMJA hosted an Idea Lab as a judgment-free space for journalists to ask questions, voice concerns, and talk honestly about AI’s impact on our work and our communities. What became clear — no one was alone in their uncertainty, or in their desire to do things the right way.
The New Internet: How News Publishers are Dealing with AI Scrapers Recording
What local newsrooms need to know about bot traffic and AI visibility — speakers from Technical.ly and Boston Globe Media on blocking and optimizing AI traffic. Hosted with Reynolds Journalism Institute’s News Media Help Desk.
The Venue

The Newsroom at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY

Near + Now New York City took place at The Newsroom, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism’s dedicated event and teaching space in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

Getting There & Where to Stay

Plan your trip

By Air

New York is served by three major airports: JFK, LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR). Subway and rideshare options connect all three to Manhattan.

By Train

Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal serve Amtrak and regional rail from across the Northeast. Both connect directly to the subway.

Getting Around

The closest subway stop to the venue is Times Square – 42nd Street Station. Lyft and Uber are also widely available throughout Manhattan.

Parking

Reserved parking near the venue was available in advance through SpotHero.

Hotel

Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square

343 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018

The Evening Before

Tuesday, September 8

Tuesday, September 8

A WNYC tour, then dine-arounds with new colleagues before the work began.

WNYC opened its doors for station tours at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, September 8.

That evening, attendees headed out for dine-arounds at restaurants around the city, each one chosen by a local New York colleague who knows the city well.

WNYC tourTuesday, Sept. 8 · 4:00 PM
Dine-aroundsTuesday, Sept. 8 · 6:30 PM
Meeting pointHampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square South
Scholarships

The New York City scholarship application window has closed.

Applications for Near + Now New York City closed June 7, 2026. Recipients were notified.

Scholarships are available at each event in the series. Learn more about the Near + Now scholarship program.

The Full Series

Indianapolis

August 26, 2026 · Move the Needle

Austin

February 2027 · Beyond the Broadcast

San Francisco

March 2027 · Community-Centered Journalism

← Back to Near + Now series overview

Questions about a resource? conference@pmja.org

Near + Now: NYC Speakers

  • Sharahn Thomas
    Sharahn Thomas
    Vice President of Content Operations National Public Radio
    Speaker
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  • Erica Osher
    Erica Osher
    Vice President, AI Labs National Public Radio
    Speaker
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  • Tony Cavin
    Tony Cavin
    Managing Editor Standards and Practics National Public Radio
    Speaker
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  • Mike Reilley
    Mike Reilley
    Founder, JournalistsToolbox.AI | AI and Digital Trainer
    Speaker
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  • Colleen Kimmett
    Colleen Kimmett
    Google News Lab Teaching Fellow Google News Initiative
    Speaker
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  • Etan Horowitz
    Etan Horowitz
    Global Innovation Programs Lead, Google News Partnerships Google News Initiative
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PMJA Near + Now sponsors

Sponsorship makes Near + Now possible — and helps us keep registration costs low and scholarships available at every event. We’re grateful for partners who believe in what this kind of accessible professional development can do.
  • Google News Initiative
    Google News Initiative
    Founding Sponsor
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  • National Public Radio
    National Public Radio
    1111 N Capitol St.
    Washington, DC 20002     2025132000
    Founding Partner
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  • American Public Media
    American Public Media
    480 Cedar Street
    Saint Paul, MN 55101-2217
    United States
    Series Sponsor
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  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    401 9th St NW
    Washington, DC 20004
    Series funding partner
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  • Marketplace
    Marketplace
    480 Cedar Street
    St. Paul, MN 55101
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  • BBC News World Service
    BBC News World Service
    The Kling Public Media Center 480 Cedar Street
    St. Paul, MN 55101
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  • SciLine
    SciLine
    1200 New York Avenue Northwest
    Washington, DC 20005-3928
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  • Hindenburg
    Hindenburg
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  • Conversent
    Conversent
    20 W 64th St 28R
    New York, NY 10023-7129     (315)667-7241
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