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About dots & dashes
dots & dashes is your bi-weekly newsletter dedicated to journalism and AI written by Mark S. Luckie. Drawing from my background in the technology and journalism industries, I aim to show how people can start using AI right now, from small-scale implementations to larger investments.
dots & dashes gets its name from Morse code, a system of dots and dashes that was one of the earliest transformative technologies for communication. The goal of dots & dashes isn’t to highlight the uses of AI a lot of people think of when they hear the phrase like generating images and videos from a few prompts. No judgment for those wanting to visualize a dog surfing in a volcano or samurai aliens battling against supermodels (no really). dots & dashes instead explores how newsrooms and journalists can use AI responsibly and ethically.
AI is in many ways a powerful tool. Wielding it requires thoughtfulness. The best uses of AI are to speed up routine tasks and to build on existing and/or proprietary resources. AI has a wide range of applications and can be adapted to suit different organizations’ needs (and budgets). However, I will not be advocating for tools that – intentionally or not – replace people in roles that have been and should be done by humans. Also, there are serious environmental concerns about how some AI tools are powered. With this in mind, it is important to at the very least understand the capabilities of AI as they continue to expand.
There is a whole universe of experts and writings about AI across multiple industries, but my focus is on practicality and sharing learnings with an eye toward brevity. Though I do ask for your forgiveness in advance if I go on at length about a particular fave. I also care deeply about using tech to connect with readers and viewers in meaningful ways. Stories come first. Technology is a means to enhance them.
I appreciate you joining me on this journey and go ahead and subscribe if you haven’t already!
Hi, I’m Mark, a journalism devotee and technologist who is always exploring the possibilities of emerging digital tools.
In my earliest roles in newsrooms, I had a front-row seat for the evolution of “new media” — as it was dubbed then — into technology that was fully integrated into modern journalism.
I began writing about this progression more than a decade ago on my blog 10,000 Words. There was an ever-expanding desire by journalists to understand how to use new technology tools and engage with practical resources. The site became very popular very quickly. Many thanks to everyone who read 10,000 Words and incorporated the learnings into their work, as well as readers of my book The Digital Journalist’s Handbook. |  |
Now, journalism is in a full circle moment with AI. In dots & dashes, I aim to show how people can start using AI right now, from small-scale implementations to larger investments. AI has a wide range of applications and can be adapted to suit different organizations’ needs (and budgets).
My career has spanned a range of different newsrooms, from working as a crime and legal affairs reporter at the Daytona Beach News-Journal to National Innovations Editor at The Washington Post, where I carried the torch of merging newsroom coverage with technology. I’m also a veteran of the tech sector, having served as manager of news partnerships at Twitter and later at Facebook and Reddit, in similar partnership roles with a focus on multiple industries.
After seeing firsthand the disparities between the amount of resources dedicated to underrepresented communities, I shifted my career to shorten these gaps and empower individuals. In 2021, I joined the Legal Defense Fund as director of digital strategy, where I led a team using technology to revolutionize communication in a legacy nonprofit. Currently, I’m the Director of Audience and Engagement at Capital B, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to uncovering important stories about how Black people experience America today. The opportunities for experimentation and growth in the newsroom are endless and ongoing.
Empowering journalists to give voice to the communities they represent has always been a major passion of mine. dots & dashes is a unique resource for journalists and newsrooms to accomplish through emerging AI platforms. Please subscribe if you haven’t already and I’ll see you in your inbox!
