I always feel good when I see fellow journalists going out on their own to build something new, and that’s exactly what Nick Toso and Catalina Villegas are doing with Rolli. Toso is the former Washington Bureau Chief at CNN, and Villegas has worked as a producer and anchor for TV news. And with Rolli, they’re creating a set of tools for journalists to help them work faster while producing better work — exactly what every newsroom in asking them to do. “Do more with less” is a tired phrase, but that’s because it’s everywhere now. It’s the rule, not the exception.
How to do more with less doesn’t get talked about nearly as much, but Rolli has a lot to say about that. You need an expert for your story — fast? Rolli can help. You need to know if a viral story is true or not, and where it originated? Rolli can help. And you don’t actually have any money to pay for this service? Rolli can still help.
I went deep on Rolli with Nick and Catalina in this discussion, but beyond the features of service, I also put the focus on the forces in media that are putting services like Rolli in demand, including — what else? — AI.
It was a really fun conversation, and I hope you listen to the whole thing, since I don’t shy away from asking them some tough questions about trust and bias that curated services are often accused of. Hey, I’m a journalist, too.
And of course, if you enjoyed this conversation, it would be great if you could follow the show on Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast app that you want. Also, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a rating or review — it really does help the show. And if you’re on YouTube, don’t forget to “like” the video and subscribe to the channel! 🔔
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