I was recently invited by the Undergraduate Essayists Group to facilitate a workshop on — you guessed it — essay writing. Fun fact: The group has trained hundreds of young and aspiring writers across Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania. When the founder reached out via LinkedIn in May, he mentioned that many of their previous trainers …
Read more “A bunch of things you might want to know about essay writing”
In what ways will the artificial intelligence revolution help journalists? I have a couple of ideas (ten in total). Some of them are painfully obvious. Others, not so much.
I am very suspicious of the notion that I have something valuable to teach others. So you must understand how difficult it is for me to write an article like this because who am I to presume I have enough expertise to tell others what to do and what to avoid? But then, if I’ve …
Read more “Don’t be lazy, and 15 other random writing tips for journalists”
The spread of misinformation on the internet can be likened to a wildfire. It begins with a spark. Then, it is picked up by another thing that catches fire and continues to spread until everyone is talking about it. As a researcher, you come across this fact, and because it is featured in so many …
Read more “From tiny sparks to wildfires: How misinformation sprouts in the internet era”
A lot of resources have been invested in getting journalists to do more fact-checking. But increasingly, we’re realising that it is not enough to verify claim after claim. It is not even enough to go after disinformation networks and get hundreds of bot accounts suspended from various social media websites. We also need to boost …
Read more “Innovative approaches to media literacy in the fight against misinformation”
January 5, 2020. 21:11. I’m hoping this will be worth it. And fun. This is my first diary entry. I’m late to the party, I know, having been born over two decades ago. This feels weird already. Not sure why. Maybe because it’s like I’m giving an account of myself to myself. And I’m not …
Read more “Why I started journaling and why you should too, according to my journal”
In practice, however, the rule is more complex than it sounds. Here’s how you can avoid the whispers and traps of plagiarism. One of the first lessons drilled into your head as a journalist is that plagiarism is bad. Like really bad. It is essentially the journalism equivalent of armed robbery — Perhaps even worse than passing …
Read more “Journalism’s First Commandment? Thou Shall Not Steal.”