Baseline Tools Every Journalist Can and Should Know About
Every journalist has a different process of gathering data, interviewing witnesses, and getting their work together in order to form a presentable, well-researched article.
The tools every journalist uses are different, but there are some baseline tools every journalist can and should know about.
Canva: This graphic design tool is perfect for creating visual aids to accompany articles. Journalists can use Canva to create infographics, social media graphics, and other visuals that can make their content more engaging.
Hemingway Editor: Drawing upon Ernest Hemingway’s compact, succinct writing style, this writing tool helps writers simplify their language and make their writing more concise. Journalists can use Hemingway Editor to improve the readability of their articles and eliminate unnecessary words.
Trello: Trello is a project management tool that allows journalists to organize their research, sources, and ideas in one place. It's especially useful for collaborative projects, as it allows team members to see what others are working on in real-time. Monday.com is a similar site.
StoryMapJS: This tool, sponsored by the Northwestern University Knight Lab, allows journalists to create interactive maps that can help readers to understand the context of a story. Journalists can use StoryMapJS to plot the locations of events or to illustrate the geographic scope of a story, or can use slides to create powerpoint-esque presentations that present their story in visual, digestible ways.
Otter.ai: This transcription tool can help journalists to transcribe interviews and other audio recordings more quickly and accurately. Otter.ai uses artificial intelligence to transcribe audio in real-time, making it a useful tool for breaking news situations or for interviews over Zoom with experts.
Google Trends: Journalists can use Google Trends to monitor the popularity of certain topics and to identify emerging trends. Available tools include being able to see what trending topics are the most googled. Journalists can even see fashion and shopping trends this way. This tool can help newsrooms to stay ahead of the curve and to produce content that is relevant to their audience.
Lumen5: This video creation tool uses artificial intelligence to turn written content into engaging video content. Journalists can use Lumen5 to create short, shareable videos that summarize their articles or to create video content for social media.
Snopes: Snopes is a fact-checking website that journalists can use to verify information and debunk false information. It's a valuable resource for journalists who are reporting on sensitive or controversial topics. It’s also very fun to open up and research the origins of common urban legends.
Journo Portfolio: This online portfolio tool allows journalists to create a professional website to showcase their work. This allows journalists to begin creating a portfolio visually, while also offering suggestions on how to make it more appealing to the eye and to the minds of potential employers.
CrowdTangle: CrowdTangle is a social media monitoring tool that allows journalists to track the performance of their content on social media platforms. Journalists can use CrowdTangle to see how their articles are being shared and to identify social media influencers who might be interested in their work. It can also be used to discover content through which to draw inspiration.
The best way to find new tools, ultimately, is to talk to other journalists and see what hidden gems they’ve uncovered. That way, you can find tools that match your personality more, and can help you organize and improve your process more efficiently. Hopefully these tools give you a start to work from.
