ChatGPT negatively impacts journalism industry

June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 ~ jadynraee17 ~ Leave a comment

by Jadyn Barrow
Druid Hills High School

New technology and innovations are made each day and some become beneficial to the world and some don’t. ChatGPT is an AI tool used to assist humans and it was made on November 30, 2022 by OpenAI. With the creation of ChatGPT, more and more people began to use and rely on AI. Whether it was answering a simple question, writing a school paper or writing a paper for work. Although it was beneficial to some people, it’s deeply affecting my future and fellow journalists in many ways.

One of the main issues is that people claim the work of AI or ChatGPT as their own. As mentioned in Mashable, literary magazines, such as Clarkesworld, have been having issues regarding ChatGPT. When they were accepting submissions, they noticed that forms of AI were used to write literary pieces, which limits the creativity of the writer. I have noticed that when writers use ChatGPT, their work becomes boring and has no creative features, hence a robot is writing it.

“What’s so important about journalism is following our journalism ethics and making sure things are factual and accurate,” said Kayla Renie, Newsroom Adviser of The Red & Black. “And when ChatGPT makes those mistakes, it puts a bad tone on journalists. So, I think as a whole, it could be confusing. Did a real person write this, did a journalist write this, did a member of my community write this, or was this a computer compiling all this information.”

Fellow people have similar thoughts as myself, and it’s not limited to just journalists. Rodolfo Delgado wrote in Forbes, ‘As writers, our distinct voices and authenticity are what draw people in. Reflect upon the individuals you follow or enjoy reading about. More often than not, you’re drawn to them because you resonate with their thoughts, their persona. As a writer, if you heavily rely on AI to improve your grammar or refine your ideas, you risk losing yourself in the process. Consequently, you stand to lose your readers and followers.’

Therefore, when writers use ChatGPT work as their own, it looks bad on them and makes them look lazy and untalented. “Journalists are speaking for what’s taking place, so that our readers can be educated and connect, and AI doesn’t do that, it takes images from anywhere and creates images and things that are not unfolding in front of you; it’s literally the opposite of photojournalism,” Renie said. “We need real people to document because a computer can’t do that with emotion, with honesty and connection to educate, it’s just created from the void.”

A potential fear that occurs in the journalism industry due to the creation and use of AI is if it will eventually take the jobs of journalists. AI continues to “improve” every time it’s used and if it keeps getting smarter, there’s a chance it could be able to destroy the journalism industry. As a future journalist, I don’t want ChatGPT and other AI tools to take my career away because I believe it would be unfair and human writers are better as a whole than robot writers. Thankfully other journalists have the same fear as myself that AI is out for their jobs.

“Journalism will always have an importance and matter,” said Renie. “You can’t set aside the value of face to face journalists, journalists being members of the community, and getting your information from a real person, somebody who’s trustworthy. I think where AI could infringe on journalists’ jobs would be copy editing or doing quick pieces.”

Many people including myself believe that forms of AI, such as ChatGPT, are negatively affecting the journalism industry as a whole, limiting the critical thinking skills and creativity of writers and taking over their careers. And for everyone else, AI causes dependency, which will cause people to lose their sense of creativity.

Are Underage Drinkers More Prone to Risks Such as Developing a Substance Use Disorder?

June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 ~ jadynraee17 ~ Leave a comment

by Jadyn Barrow
Druid Hills High School

Each day, more and more underage young adults continue to be involved with the use of alcohol, whether it was due to peer pressure, stress, or problems regarding mental health. With more involvement, this leads to a higher chance of developing a substance use disorder. According to American Addiction Centers, 9.7 million young adults from the ages of 18 to 25 dealt with a substance use disorder.

According to National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a factor of young adults developing a substance use disorder is that they are unaware of the potential risks. Some of the risks include changes in brain development, alcohol poisoning, long-term effects on heart, lungs, pancreas, and kidneys and increased deaths and injuries. If more young adults become aware of the risks that come from drinking early on, many instances of underage drinking could be prevented.

One problem many young adults don’t realize is that their surroundings can have an influence on their decisions. In situations where everyone is drinking, it’s easy to fall under peer pressure and the drinking habits of others can impact the underage. According to Cleveland Clinic, a 5% increase in adult binge drinking leads to a 12% increase in the chances that the children or teenagers around them will drink.

With that being said, whether it’s involving drinking or not, your surroundings and peers tend to hold an influence on you.

Researchers said in the NIAAA, “Evidence suggests that the most reliable predictor of a youth’s drinking behavior is the drinking behavior of his or her friends. Many research–based interventions target the child’s relevant behavioral skills, such as his or her ability to react appropriately to peer pressure to drink, as well as his or her knowledge, attitudes, and intentions regarding alcohol use.”

Many health consequences come with underage drinking, and that can vary from poor health issues as severe as changes in brain developments. Because the brain continues to develop into your 20s, the use of alcohol before that can mess up the full development. According to the NIAAA, underage drinking can ruin the brain structure and functions, such as causing learning problems. Due to this, the brain wouldn’t be able to function properly compared to the brain of a young adult who didn’t participate in underage drinking.

Along with physical effects, underage drinking affects the emotional and behavioral well-being of an individual as well. The National Library of Medicine stated that involvement with alcohol at a young age can cause low self-esteem, depression and suicide. And it’s more common for mental health problems to occur in those who use alcohol at a young age.

Dr. Avani K. Patel, a psychiatry resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, told the American Medical Association, “It can also worsen your psychiatric disorders if you’re experiencing anxiety or depression,” or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she said. “It actually worsens PTSD and can be associated with other substance-use disorders, so you may pick up another substance to supplement what you’re already doing.”

Many people have different beliefs whether underage drinking is harmful to young adults or not. However, there are potential risks in underage drinking and it’s best to be aware before participating in such activities.

Just a Crush to Journalism Career

June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 ~ jadynraee17 ~ Leave a comment

Journalism sensation, Joe Dennis, continues to leave an impact in the journalism industry, but it all had to start from somewhere.

“I’ve had a lot of criticism. I believe that I used to be very self conscious of things. But, whenever it came to anything I produced journalistically, and I got a lot of criticism, I wouldn’t even become defensive. I guess I was always more happy, they were just joining in as a part of the process,” said Dennis. “So, anytime there was feedback, it almost made me feel good, because I’m like, wow, this person cares enough to take the time to call me out on something.”

With over 20 years of experience in the journalism industry, Dennis has done everything from being a radio announcer, professor, news editor, freelance reporter, etc. He always had an interest in radio, however the very start of his career and overall interest in journalism was during his orientation for freshman year at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.

The leader of his orientation group, Dave Monahn, was also the sports editor for the school newspaper, The Chronicle. When Dennis heard about The Chronicle in need of a volleyball reporter, he wasn’t interested. However, when he realized that it might help him have a chance with his crush, Tara Fenske, who was a middle hitter in volleyball, he went with it.

“Every experience you have on this earth makes you a better journalist, honestly. And I’ve made mistakes in journalism, that helped me tremendously to move forward,” he said. “You’ll realize that different people remind you of people from your past. And so, you learn, you know, how can I approach this person or how do I need to get the information from this person.”

Dennis wouldn’t have the success he has now if he didn’t make mistakes in the past. Although he made mistakes, it was earlier on, so he had plenty of time to learn from his mistakes and build his career as a journalist.

“You are put in situations and you see things that you would never would likely ever normally see. It hasn’t made me sad about the world,” he said. “It’s made me motivated to change the world and it’s made me motivated to uncover stories like that, and to shine the spotlight on things that need to be addressed.”

Transitioning from volleyball reporter to full time journalist, Dennis covered events that were much more complex than covering a volleyball match at North Central College. He saw the world at some of the toughest times, but despite how bad situations were, he was able to make people aware of them. And that was a big change from what he initially started in.

“And he was such a good listener. I learned so much from him on how to listen to people and genuinely care and show some empathy to people,” he said.

Dennis was able to be patient and truly care about the subject when interviewing and he realized that it came from his past. When looking about and reflecting about his dad, Walter, he realized that he gained beneficial skills early on in his life, which shaped him to be a better journalist.

Although Dennis was very hesitant working in a career related to journalism, after every single experience, he began to enjoy every bit of it.

“I love journalism, and I love getting to meet people and hear their stories,” he said. “And yeah, I would definitely do it over again if I had to.”

Jadyn Barrow

June 17, 2024June 18, 2024 ~ jadynraee17 ~ Leave a comment

Hello, my name is Jadyn Barrow. I’m 16 years old, and I will be a junior at Druid Hills High School. I have lived in Atlanta for five years. However, I was born in Chicago, and raised in Miami. I absolutely love visiting places like the ocean and lake because I enjoy getting outside and exploring nature. Some of my hobbies include, reading, writing, swimming, spending time with friends and family, shopping and more. However, my favorite hobby is writing. I have always had a passion for it. Whether it was writing essays or making up my own stories, writing was always something important to me.

In the beginning of my freshmen year, I decided to join the Saga Yearbook Staff, where I could be a part of creating the school yearbook. Joining the yearbook staff sparked interest because I was able to use writing and photography skills. During school and even outside, I would spend time interviewing students and staff, taking photos, editing my work and designing spreads. It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, it was completely worth it. Going into my sophomore year, I was honored to have the position as editor-in-chief of the Saga Yearbook for Druid Hills, and I was so thrilled. I had a major leadership role and it was under my responsibility that the yearbook was made well and consisted of all events. I enjoyed covering all the stories that my school and community had to offer since it brought out my inner journalist. Overall, the main goal I had as a journalist was that every story got heard, no matter the topic.

In the end, the most valuable thing I gained from joining my school’s yearbook staff was that I wanted to be a journalist in the future and I wanted to base my career around that. I plan on majoring in journalism in college and then continue on with being a journalist.