AI for Media

A live 6-week certification for journalists, PR pros, and communicators

AI for Journalists, PR, Communications, and Media

News cycles are faster. Pitches are getting harder to land. Stories and campaigns need to move at the speed of AI. This six-week, live program shows newsroom and communications professionals how to build practical AI workflows, with hands-on coaching from Pete Pachal.

What do 1,000 journalists and PR pros know about AI that you don't? They took AI Quick Start, a 1-hour live class from The Media Copilot. 94% satisfaction. Find out how to work smarter with AI in just 60 minutes. Get 20% off with the code AIPRO: https://mediacopilot.ai/

Next cohort: Tuesdays, June 23 to July 28, 2026

Classes meet weekly, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET.

$1,500. Save 25% with code EARLYMEDIA25 through June 6.

Register New Account

Additional discounts available for NGOs, educators, freelancers, and group enrollments. Contact us.

← Back to Courses Home

Who this program is for

PR shops and newsrooms face the same shift: AI in every step of the workflow. This course covers both worlds, with examples and exercises drawn from each.

Reporters and editors

Staff and freelance journalists who want faster research, smarter sourcing, and stronger story pipelines without losing the byline standard.

PR and comms pros

PR, comms, and media relations specialists who run campaigns, manage press lists, and need AI that respects brand voice and client confidentiality.

Newsroom and agency leaders

Editors, comms directors, and team leads building scalable, responsible AI workflows across newsrooms or agencies.

Independents and educators

Freelance journalists, consultants, and educators teaching AI literacy who want to ship better work and add AI-enabled services.

What you’ll learn

Where AI fits in the newsroom and the comms lifecycle, with editorial and brand controls intact
Prompting and custom assistants that speed up pitches, drafts, scripts, and follow-ups without flattening your voice
Grounded research with NotebookLM and deep-research tools for document troves, transcripts, and source lists
Vibe coding for interactive story pages, campaign microsites, and live dashboards, no dev team required
Agents and automations that handle media monitoring, scheduling, and the repetitive parts of your week
A capstone project tied to your beat, accounts, or organization, with instructor coaching

The Curriculum

Click any week to see what’s covered.

1⚖️ ETHICS AND THE BASICSWEEK 1 · TUE JUN 23Where AI fits in newsroom and PR work

FUNDAMENTALS

What today’s AI models can and can’t do. Where AI fits in the reporting and PR lifecycle.

GUARDRAILS

Hallucinations, bias, copyright, and privacy. Draft a personal AI policy for your newsroom or agency.

2🤝 BUILDING ASSISTANTSWEEK 2 · TUE JUN 30Your AI teammates for pitches and beats

PROMPTING

A practical framework for prompts that hold up under pressure. Style controls, tone presets, and refusal patterns.

CUSTOM ASSISTANTS

Build assistants for pitches, social posts, briefings, beat coverage, transcript review, and drafting.

3🔬 RESEARCH AND NOTEBOOKLMWEEK 3 · TUE JUL 7Grounded analysis on documents and coverage

DOCUMENT MINING

NotebookLM and deep-research tools for filings, transcripts, and large coverage troves. Stress-testing for accuracy.

LISTS AND TARGETS

Credible expert lists for journalism. Influencer and reporter lists for PR. Verification workflows for each.

4🔨 VIBE CODINGWEEK 4 · TUE JUL 14Interactive pages without a dev team

BUILDERS

AI-powered builders for prototyping interactive story pages, campaign microsites, and live dashboards.

SHIP IT

Turn reporting, data, or a campaign idea into a working web experience you can publish.

5⚙️ AGENTS AND AUTOMATIONSWEEK 5 · TUE JUL 21AI that acts outside the chat window

OPERATIONS

Set up agents for media monitoring, sentiment tracking, content scheduling, and follow-ups.

GOVERNANCE

What to give an agent access to. What to keep on a tight leash. Failure modes to plan for.

6🎓 CAPSTONE AND FINAL PRESENTATIONWEEK 6 · TUE JUL 28Show what you built

PRESENT

Share your story package, assistant, workflow, campaign prototype, or dashboard.

REFINE

Get instructor and peer feedback. Walk away with something you can put to work the following Monday.

Every student also gets two 30-minute 1:1 coaching sessions with the instructor.

What past students say

Blair Moreland

SVP of Communications

I went into the course with very limited experience using AI tools. Knowing how quickly the world of AI is evolving, I wanted a crash course on the most recent trends and tools and how PR professionals are using them. This class provided invaluable and creative insight into different AI tools and use cases, as well as how to get the most out of them. As someone with a lot of client work on their plate, I appreciated how straightforward and organized the class was, the library of materials we received, and the support to apply what I learned.

Melissa Flynn, APR

PR and Communications Professional

Like most of us, I walked into this course having played around with ChatGPT. I left knowing how to think differently about my work, my profession, and how I can lean into AI to better help my clients. The tools matter, but what the course truly taught us was how to lean into AI for business solutions. Awesome course.

Jill Manuel

PR Professional

This course was eye-opening for me. I learned how to use multiple AI tools for content creation, PR, and marketing in a thoughtful, ethical, and practical way. The level of instruction is outstanding, with experts on the cutting edge of AI who understand how to translate that knowledge in an accessible and transparent way. Based on what I learned in each session, I dramatically changed my workflow and strategies.

Devin Boyle

Comms Strategist and Consultant

Take this course. It helped me get out of the AI is scary quicksand and actually start using it in my work, not just talking about how I should. I learned practical tools for media monitoring, sentiment analysis, content development, research, and more. If you're in PR or comms and want to use AI to be more strategic, efficient, and productive, I highly recommend it.

Blair Moreland

SVP of Communications

I started the course with limited AI experience. The class was straightforward, organized, and provided invaluable insight, useful materials, and open access to the instructors. Highly recommended for PR pros.

Eric Porterfield

Senior Director, Policy Communications

Whether you're just beginning or a regular user of AI, this course is perfect for the comms professional looking to bolster your knowledge and use of AI in your career. Highly recommend.

Sarah Okrent

Head of Communications

AI can seem overwhelming and even tedious but with this course I found it to be not only manageable but useful, and even fun. I signed up to build my confidence with AI, to experiment with people who can give real guidance, and to turn some of my ideas into reality. Over six weeks I found fellow students who had the same doubts and questions, and as a group we worked through them. I now know so much more about what AI can do, what it can not do, and which tools are best for the work I do.

Your instructor

Pete Pachal

Founder of The Media Copilot and a longtime tech journalist and editor. Pete has held senior roles at CoinDesk (Chief of Staff for Content), Mashable (Tech Editor), and NBC Universal (Senior Producer). He writes a column for Fast Company on AI in business and consumer technology, and runs The Media Copilot newsletter, podcast, and YouTube channel.

Pete has trained reporters and communicators at newsrooms, agencies, and conferences across North America. This course distills what he’s learned about applying AI in real editorial and communications work without sacrificing standards.

Trusted by professionals at

Brands and organizations whose teams have trained with us

Have a question?

Not sure if the course is the right fit for you or your team? Want to ask about group rates, scholarships, or custom training? Reach out and we’ll get back to you within one business day.

Email the team

Ready to work smarter?

$1,500. Save 25% with code EARLYMEDIA25 through June 6.

Enroll Now

Group discounts and installment plans available. Contact us for details.