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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Scarborough High revives student newspaper after 12 years of inactivity
Jun. 5—More than a dozen chatting high schoolers are sitting on the floor, laptops out, pouring over pages of the upcoming issue of The Storm, Scarborough High School's student newspaper. Sophomore Dillon Jenkins doles out reminders. "We need four columns, it should be in 16 font, titles 35, and remember the first letter of your article should be in 35 font," he says. At the beginning of the year, Jenkins was looking through the school's catalog of activities and saw newspaper club listed. When he inquired about joining, however, he discovered it didn't exist. Jenkins doesn't consider himself a writer — he prefers science and math — but was disappointed that his school didn't have a student paper, so much so that he decided to do something about it. "I just like doing things, really. I like getting involved," he said. "And feel like the newspaper is a great way, because it covers so many topics and current events and things within the school." Jenkins persuaded an adviser to get involved — video production and yearbook teacher Lorraine Aromando — then recruited a staff and started from scratch on design, taking inspiration from archival materials from a staff member's grandmother, who was a typist at a high school paper in the 1960s. The first issue of The Storm came out in December. The Storm's 20 staffers meet during the school's homeroom-style period to discuss pitches and assign stories. They work collaboratively design pages, integrating art and photos. Most of the work happens outside of class, and Jenkins said it's been a challenge to get articles and formatting done on top of everyone's busy class and extracurricular schedules. After the paper is put together, it gets reviewed by Aromando, the school's activities director and the principal before being emailed out to all students and faculty. Scarborough last had an active student newspaper in 2012. That drought aligns with a national pattern: between 2011 and 2021, the proportion of high schools in the U.S. with a student newspaper dropped from 64% to just 45%. In disadvantaged urban neighborhoods and rural areas, just 27% of schools have a student paper, according to recent reporting from the Columbia Journalism Review. It's unclear how many student newspapers there are currently operating in Maine. The Storm is a digital-only publication, but the 15-page paper has everything: national news, local news, restaurant spotlights, film reviews, sports, club coverage, comics, horoscopes, science and innovation reporting, polls, exclusive interviews with teachers, book and movie recommendations and a word search. For the upcoming issue, junior Isabella Del Rosso worked on a story about the science of sunscreen. In the previous issue, she wrote a feature about underrated school clubs. Sophomore Nova Root is currently writing about the evolution of writing in film for the pop culture section, although she usually writes political news. "You can find a lot of our different interests in the paper, but we also try and throw in articles that make it relevant, like school-related articles about clubs and events," Root said. She wrote recently about national efforts to ban books in school libraries. The article traces the history of book banning in the U.S. and includes an interview with Scarborough High's librarian about how the school's library catalog is managed and what the process would be for a book to get banned at the school. Sophomore Emily Clough is the creator of Pinenuts!!, a cartoon that runs in The Storm and riffs on the Peanuts comic strip. The characters are named and modeled after newspaper club members, and a recent installment was inspired by a real-life incident where Clough's friend put a pizza in the oven for 10 hours instead of 10 minutes. Ayla Smith, a sophomore who likes to write science and innovation stories, said the biggest challenge is getting students to read the paper. It's distributed via email, and staff members said they get a lot of readership and positive feedback from teachers, but students are less engaged. "But it's also just fun to do, even if people don't read it," Smith said. "It's fun to make, we read each others' articles, and it's just a fun way to explore different things that you're interested in and write about them." The Storm is still figuring out its format in its first year back after a 12-year hiatus. There are no editors or set publication dates. Students write the stories they're interested in and put them on the pages themselves. But Jenkins and Aromando both hope that by next year the club will have more of a structure, and staff will set specific deadlines and produce more issues. Jenkins said that will probably involve finding a way to meet after school as well. Aromando has been impressed with the group's tenacity, considering they started from scratch. "Their turnaround time and their commitment to this has been outstanding," she said. "I've worked with students that wanted to start clubs before, wanted to write, and they just don't follow through. This group has a great follow-through." In recent years, there's been a growing national focus on increasing student journalism opportunities. In states like New York and California, local governments and nonprofits have stepped in to fund and foster new student papers and high school journalism classes. It all comes at a time when young people are getting much of their news through social media, something the Storm staff acknowledged in their very first issue. "School newspapers, like The Storm, bring a sense of community and school pride that isn't achieved in the same way by social media," staffer Helen Horrigan wrote. "Our newspaper is curated by students, for students, and is designed to stay relevant and exciting." Copy the Story Link
eNCA
25-05-2025
- eNCA
Public guide to spotting fake images
NEW YORK - With the spread of disinformation growing by the day, the Columbia Journalism Review has launched a programme that outsmarts Artificial Intelligence using Artificial Intelligence. The global campaign is aimed at educating social-media users on the risks of AI-driven deception and the role we all play in spreading fake visuals. READ | German court says Meta can use user data to train AI Betsy Morais, Acting Editor for Columbia Journalism Review, and Dustin Tomes, Chief Creative Officer of agency TBWA\Chiat\Day New York unpacked this with eNCA.
Campaign ME
21-05-2025
- Campaign ME
How to spot fake news, AI-made imagery using TBWA, CJR's PSAi campaign
Columbia Journalism Review, one of the most respected voice on press criticism and the future of news, has launched a global campaign called The PSAi in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day New York to help people spot fake news, misinformation, differentiate real versus AI imagery, and identify the risks of AI-driven deception — as well as the role we all inadvertently play in spreading such visuals. The PSAi is a music video-centred social media campaign that outsmarts AI with AI – animating viral AI images that have made waves in culture to teach people how to spot fake images. People can visit to learn more about how to identify AI and understand the impact it has had on our media ecosystem. In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Derek Green, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\RAAD, said, 'The Middle East is among the world's most connected regions. Yet that reach cuts both ways: the same feeds that spark creativity are also channels for AI-generated fakes that can circle the globe in seconds. Recent regional conferences have already flagged AI-generated images as a rising threat to trust in everything from elections to humanitarian reporting.' Green added, 'Columbia Journalism Review's PSAi campaign — developed with our colleagues at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York — offers the sort of creative intervention the world needs. By turning AI on itself, it teaches people how to spot AI-driven deception and reminds every scroller that they're not just viewers, but publishers whose shares either amplify falsehoods or protect the truth.' 'This is Disruption® used for good: tackling a global challenge with the very technology that created it.' — Derek Green, CCO, TBWA\Raad With misinformation claims rising to 80 per cent for images and video, coupled with 34 million AI-generated images being created daily, the need for consumers to educate themselves on how to detect AI is more important than ever. For the past 100 years photography has been one of the greatest tools journalists have to establish truth and trust. But today, AI generated photos are making it increasingly difficult for consumers to distinguish between real and fake media. In 2024, a study of 2,000 US consumers reaffirmed the concern as 76 per cent of participants were unable to spot AI-generated images. Betsy Morais, Acting Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, 'AI has already begun to transform the environment for news and information. The novel approach of this campaign is to use AI as a tool to spot AI visuals as fakes — and to highlight the role everyone plays in making them go viral.' Since 1961, CJR has advocated for best practices in the journalism community, and believes in strong standards for verification, transparency and media literacy. With this campaign, CJR aims to recognise that if the press once had a singular power to document and publish news, versions of that work are now also visible across the vast expanse of the internet — populated by disinformation agents, synthetic-media hobbyists, and people who share what they see when they scroll. Morais added, 'At stake is trust in substantiated information and the health of democracy. It is our hope that people will feel empowered by this campaign to recognise their individual roles as newsmakers, and to promote a future based on truth.' To support the launch and continue its fight against misinformation, CJR is also sharing new research on AI and the press from Columbia's Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Dustin Tomes, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, said, 'There's never been more confusion about what's real and what's fake on the Internet. The PSAi is designed to give people simple, effective tools to spot the difference — without requiring too much effort. This isn't a silver bullet, but by delivering this education in a memorable way, we hope more people will engage and apply these lessons. Tomes concluded, 'After all, fake news doesn't spread itself. This isn't an anti-AI campaign; in fact, AI played a critical role in creating it. But today, we're all newsmakers — so we have to be more aware. We're proud of our longstanding partnership with the Columbia Journalism Review to spotlight timely issues such as 'Are You Press Worthy?' — so coming together again for this project felt not only fitting, but essential.' CREDITS: Client: Columbia Journalism Review Betsy Morais – Acting Editor Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day NY Dustin Tomes – Chief Creative Officer
USA Today
20-05-2025
- USA Today
Emilie Kiser's son Trigg's death shows how little privacy influencers get
Emilie Kiser's son Trigg's death shows how little privacy influencers get Show Caption Hide Caption Essential water safety tips Learn essential water safety tips to ensure a fun and safe summer for the whole family. Emilie Kiser's millions of social media followers were sending her prayers regarding a drowning incident involving a 3-year-old boy days before police confirmed it was her son. On May 18, the 26-year-old influencer's son, Trigg, died days after he was pulled unconscious from a backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, Sonu Wasu, Chandler Police Department's public information officer, said in a statement. Kiser hasn't publicly spoken out since before the accident, which occurred on May 12. However, within hours after 3-year-old Trigg was hospitalized, speculation began to swirl online. "If the rumor is true about Emilie Kiser I'm actually going to be sick," one person wrote on X on May 15 — days before the child's identity was confirmed. The tragedy, and the online rumors surrounding it, highlight the lack of privacy influencers have in the modern age. Internet seemingly connected photo of home to Emilie Kiser The speculation around Kiser's son all seemingly stemmed from a photo in a local news story. KPNX 12News, a local television news station based in Phoenix, Arizona, reported on May 12 about the drowning call for the 3-year-old child. The article was accompanied by photos from outside the home where the incident took place, which quickly sparked online speculation that it involved Kiser's son, according to social media posts. While Kiser has never shared her address online, some users cross-referenced the image of the home in the story with an earlier real estate listing of the home. Kiser's TikToks, which show her house in the background, matched closely with the listing's images, leading many to believe the incident happened at her home. Trigg Kiser dies 3-year-old son of TikTok influencer Emilie Kiser dies after pool incident 'We will be here when you are ready' In the days that followed, Kiser's name was one of the most searched terms on Google. A Reddit "snark" page — a social media feed where people closely track the online activities of influencers, according to Columbia Journalism Review — that monitored Kiser was also made private until further notice "out of respect for the family." The 26-year-old, who, before this incident posted to social media multiple times per day, hasn't updated her accounts since May 12. However, in the meantime, her view and follower counts have continued to rise, with her most recent video garnering more than 36 million views as of May 20. The comments have been flooded with messages of support, even before Kiser's son was confirmed as the child involved. "We will be here when you are ready, we love you!" one commenter wrote on May 18. Another from May 17 said, "Literally every comment in here should just be praying. In every aspect." Water safety tips Do you have a pool? What you should know about water safety for children Influencers are available 'much more readily than a celebrity,' professor says Popular influencers, like Kiser, cultivate close connections with their followers through parasocial relationships, which consist of "illusionary interaction between a social media user and an influencer while the social media user consumes the content of the influencer," according to a 2024 study in the International Journal of Advertising. Parasocial relationships have historically been applied to the attachment fans have toward celebrities. However, social media influencers offer a go-between to connect with people "much more readily than a celebrity," John Powers, assistant professor of interactive media and design at Quinnipiac University, told USA TODAY. "The idea is, a social media influencer could be me, so therefore I feel like this person is just your average person who lives in a normal house and lives their lives like I do," Powers said. "But they also lose that separation when they have millions of followers and people who are constantly checking in on them." Unlike celebrities, though, Powers said influencers have to maintain a balance between their professional life and personal life when both overlap. "Part of their appeal is that they're normal, and so they want to be inside their home and show your average kitchen or your average living room or your average backyard or whatever it is," Powers said. "Sometimes it may be important to make sure that the information shown is very, very generic." In cases like Kiser's, when tragedy strikes, Powers said that social media users should remember not everything plays out online. "That's where I think people get misled — they're invited into her life, but certainly it's her public life. It's her influencer life, and she also has a private life," Powers said. "And I think we as consumers of that kind of connection can sometimes be fooled that we actually are closer than we think." Trigg Kiser's death is still under investigation, police say CPD is investigating the circumstances around this case, Wasu said on May 18. Additional details will not be released until the investigation has closed. "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the child's family and loved ones during this unimaginable time," Wasu said. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
India Today
16-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Chatbot as fact-checker: Grok, Grok. Is this true? Sure sir, let me please you!
'Is this true @grok?'Surely you must have typed these words on X — or at least, seen others doing it during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. But can we rely on it to fact-check videos related to a military conflict?Recently, the xAI chatbot made headlines for inserting 'white genocide', a far-right conspiracy theory, into unrelated queries. The company now claims to have fixed it. But was this an isolated instance of Grok messing up?advertisement As India and Pakistan's armies locked horns, unverified videos of explosions, firing, and fighter jets dogfighting flooded the platform. Some people decided to be cautious and asked Grok for verification. Grok was quick and useful — but not always is a handy tool and not a terrible place to start when looking for 'fact-checks'. But keep in mind: it can confidently mislead you. In fact, according to a March 2025 Columbia Journalism Review study, Grok 3, when asked to cite the source of any given information, failed 94 per cent of the found that in the case of queries related to the India-Pakistan conflict, its 'fact-checks' were hit-and-miss. Here are some examples where it gave the wrong answers. Interestingly, with the confidence of a diligent on Israel flagged as Amritsar advertisementA video of bright lights flashing in the night sky was widely shared as a Pakistan Air Force attack on Punjab's Amritsar being thwarted by India's S-400 missile defence system. So, when people asked Grok if this was correct, the chatbot confirmed it was from Punjab's Amritsar and possibly involved the S-400 in reality, this August 2024 video shows the Lebanese political party and paramilitary group, Hezbollah, firing rockets at Northern Israel. It was even shared on the official account of Israel on August 4, problem with Grok appears to be recency bias, or giving more weight to recent events than older ones. It even admitted that it can overemphasise recent trends or viral ideas from platforms like X, and 'If something's been hyped up lately, I might give it more weight than it deserves long-term.'Nepal is not Pakistan The Columbia study found that these AI chatbots rarely admit when they don't know something. Instead, they blabber authoritative-sounding, incorrect example, a video related to violent pro-monarchy protests in Nepal's Kathmandu in March was shared as Pakistan's attack on India, as part of its Operation Bunyanul Marsoos. When asked to verify this video, Grok responded that it did show Pakistan's retaliatory operation on Indian military bang from Bangladesh A video of a massive explosion was presented by Pakistan-based X accounts as evidence of the failure of India's air defence missile systems. When some people asked Grok to fact-check this video, the bot said that the video likely showed Indian missile strikes on Pakistan in either Bahawalpur or Muridke!This video is neither Indian nor Pakistani. It dates back to February this year, and shows a massive fire in Khilgaon, to Alex Mahadevan, the director of MediaWise, Poynter's digital media literacy project, 'The sources it pulls from are opaque, but it seems most of its responses come directly from X, which is already flooded with misinformation. Because Grok is trained on and responds using this kind of content, it tends to do worse than models like ChatGPT or Claude.'Grok is a yes-man!Grok agrees with whatever you say too easily. Consider this July 2024 video, which shows a Russian anti-aircraft gun getting destroyed by its own shell exploding. Many claimed this video was from the India-Pakistan conflict and showed the Indian Army's first affirmed that these were Indian soldiers operating a tank, adding it was either from a training exercise or related to India's recent border tensions with Pakistan. An X user then responded to Grok, sharing the screenshot of a July 2024 news report stating it was Russian soldiers in the video. Immediately, Grok changed its stance and bias is a core weakness of all large language models — they're sycophantic by design,' explained Mahadevan. 'Their job is to predict what the user wants to hear, and they'll adjust their answers based on how a question is asked. So, if you're looking at a video, and you're pro-India or pro-Pakistan, you might get different answers about the same clip, especially if it's actually from somewhere like Ukraine. The model tries to please the user, not tell the objective truth.'Blame it on 'slow fact-checkers'When we cross-questioned Grok about its faulty responses, the chatbot shifted the blame to fact-checking outlets, which 'lag behind real-time events or carry biases themselves'! When we asked Grok to spell out the steps it follows before giving answers, it lectured us on the correct methodology for fact-checking, rather than telling us what it actually to Dr Oren Etzioni, the founder of TrueMedia, a nonprofit combating deepfakes, 'Their (AI chatbots') internal analysis is opaque. They can be asked to explain themselves, but the explanation itself is not always trustworthy.'Tune InMust Watch
