AI in Newsrooms is an Advantage for Entrepreneurs and Investors
Understanding how AI tools shape a reporter's story angles and questions can give you an edge when preparing for interviews
AI is seeping into nearly every business sector, and the media newsroom is no exception. The New York Times recently confirmed it’s adopting AI tools to help with edits, headline writing and to suggest interview questions.
An article in The Verge from Feb. 17 explores what I would call the baby steps taken by the Times. My two cents is that as more newsrooms adopt AI in these ways, entrepreneurs and investors stand to benefit when preparing to speak with the media.
AI advantages for media interviews
I recently interviewed a venture capitalist for my podcast (not yet published), and, naturally, we discussed AI. The VC turned the tables on me and at one point asked, “Do you see AI agents in journalism that folks like yourself would look to and say, ‘OK, I want AI to do the prep work’ or ‘I want AI to build a meeting brief for me’?” This got me thinking. For entrepreneurs and investors, understanding AI’s role in shaping questions and story angles could be a game-changer in media training.
Typically, when conducting media training for my clients, I provide insights into the reporter’s background, what stories they cover, and which questions to expect. For example, I might say, “This reporter loves anecdotes” or “She’s really into biotech, so expect questions about the latest trends in medical innovation” or “This publication covers a lot of diversity stories, so you should lean into that when telling your founding history.”
But now, with AI programs like Echo from the Times, the game could change. AI can suggest angles, generate questions and help reporters and interviewees prepare. For startup founders or venture investors, this means you could predict questions and story angles. This gives you a better chance to prep and focus on delivering your key messages.
Why it matters
AI in journalism isn’t new. We’ve seen it in sports journalism for years (I once covered high school sports, BTW). Take a sports app: it gathers game data in real-time, adds highlights, maybe a comment from a player or coach, and then generates a quick and accurate summary of the latest game. AI can do this efficiently and at scale.
I’ve long been a proponent of using AI as a tool. In my Substack post from December, I discussed how generative AI can enhance the writing process just like a thesaurus, a spellcheck program or a good editor can.
While AI isn’t yet writing full articles for your favorite business publications, it’s clear that it’s shaping content. Entrepreneurs and investors can use this shift to their advantage. If you know AI tools are helping reporters focus on specific angles or questions, why wouldn’t you use AI to shape your own story angles and media engagement, without losing the human touch?
As more newsrooms adopt generative AI technology, it provides founders and investors with predictable angles and questions, making media interactions more manageable and targeted.
For example, you could input details about your company’s history or funding announcement into your favorite Gen AI machine, tell it which reporter and publication you’re speaking to, and ask for a list of potential questions. If your targeted publication has covered ethics or diversity in your sector, you should be able to anticipate related, up-to-date talking points. This way, you could have your answers ready to roll off your tongue before the reporter finishes asking you the question.
Limitations of AI
While AI has great potential in business journalism, there are limitations. AI’s relevance in the newsroom will vary by beat, and I imagine some news organizations will not allow their investigative reporters to use AI. At least, not initially. However, for business media interviews—where your narrative matters and where you’re looking to gain that competitive moat advantage—AI tools offer a solid way to fine-tune your preparation and approach.
With AI shaping the future of journalism, entrepreneurs and investors who understand its role can leverage this shift in their media engagements. By anticipating story angles and interview questions, you can better prepare and stay ahead of the curve. This will make all the difference in a competitive landscape.
Do you already use AI to help prep for media interviews? Let me know. I’d love to hear more about it!