Image and Video Creation Using AI

Instructor: Mike Reilley, Senior Lecturer at University of Illinois Chicago and founder of JournalistsToolbox.ai

AI is transforming how journalists create and verify visual content, making it an important skill in the art of storytelling in the changing media landscape. Tools like DALL·E, Midjourney, Sora, and Adobe Firefly allow reporters to generate images and videos that illustrate complex ideas, visualize data, or enhance stories when traditional visuals aren’t available.

At the same time, understanding how to identify AI-generated media helps journalists maintain credibility, combat misinformation, and ensure ethical use of emerging technologies in the newsroom.

This 90-minute training will cover the following:

• Prompt crafting: Learn how to write and refine prompts to create compelling AI-generated images and videos.
• Fact-checking visuals: Practice using the newest tools and techniques to detect whether an image or video was created by AI.
• Tool deep dive: Explore major platforms – including Sora, Google Veo, DALL·E, Midjourney, and Adobe Firefly – and see how their quality has evolved.
• Hands-on practice: Experiment directly with AI tools and walk away with new skills for ethical, creative visual storytelling.

Register for the AI training

If you have any questions, contact ccm@journalism.cuny.edu.

Instructor

Mike Reilley is the author of two books, “Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting” and “Journalist’s Toolbox: A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI”. Mike teaches data and digital journalism courses at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is also a digital tools trainer who has taught Google News Initiative tools to more than 12,500 journalists and educators in the past seven years. He also is the founder of Penny Press Digital LLC, a digital consulting and training company that works with media outlets such as USA Today. A former reporter and copy editor at the LA Times and a founding editor of ChicagoTribune.com, Mike served for 13 years as a full-time faculty member at Northwestern, Arizona State University and DePaul University. He holds journalism degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern University. Mike founded the research site The Journalist’s Toolbox AI.