Second Module of the “Youth Media Sprint” Training Held: Focus on the Application of AI and OSINT in Journalism
The second educational module of the “Youth Media Sprint: Novi Sad Newsroom Lab” project was successfully held in Novi Sad. The main focus of this module was on the possibilities, tools, and challenges of applying artificial intelligence (AI), as well as combining it with OSINT techniques in everyday journalistic work.
The educational session on artificial intelligence in journalism was led by Bojan Cvejić, a media researcher and consultant. At the very beginning, he pointed out that artificial intelligence is a much broader concept than generative artificial intelligence, which is most often the first association when discussing this topic. According to him, AI has been used in the media for about twenty years, primarily through algorithms, analytics, and statistics to track website traffic. Although global media developed their own content creation systems much earlier, widespread and public discussion on the topic only began in 2022 with the emergence of ChatGPT.
Cvejić warned attendees that a major problem today is distinguishing between real content and AI-generated content, which can easily mislead the audience. Because of this, he especially emphasized the importance of transparency, human oversight, and verification, as AI models can generate “hallucinations” – inaccurate or completely fabricated information. These tools cannot replace journalists; rather, they serve primarily as assistants for automating routine tasks, freeing up more time for in-depth investigative work.
In the second part of the program, a specialized training dedicated to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) and artificial intelligence was held by Miloš Katić, OSINT Project Manager at BIRN Serbia. His session covered methods by which AI can help in finding, organizing, and analyzing publicly available information. Katić guided the participants through the entire digital investigation process, from identifying the initial lead to forming the final conclusion.
Through concrete practical exercises, participants learned how to define precise tasks for AI tools. Additionally, advanced document searches, checks of company registries and connected individuals, as well as tools for verifying photo authenticity and tracking locations, were demonstrated. Katić cautioned the participants that attributing specific activities to a person or organization requires strong evidence, and that any data or summary obtained using AI must subsequently be verified against the original source.
The “Youth Media Sprint – Novi Sad Newsroom Lab” project, implemented by the Regional Academy for Democratic Development (ADD) in partnership with Educons University, is supported through the broader “MedIA-Lit” program. This program is led by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) in partnership with the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in North Macedonia, the Tirana Centre for Journalism Excellence from Albania, and the Atlantic Initiative from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the financial support of the European Union and co-financing from the Ministry of Regional-Investment Development and Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of Montenegro.
