Smart Tools, Fresh Stories: AI Tools for Columnists with Meredith Cummings

NSNC Presents an Upcoming Webinar: "What: Smart Tools, fresh stories: AI tools for columnists with Meredith Cummings"

When: 7-8 p.m. EST Nov. 19

Cost: $25-$35 or by donation.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/smart-tools-fresh-stories-ai-tools-for-columnists-with-meredith-cummings-tickets-1892669769229?aff=oddtdtcreator

Description: Smart Tools, fresh stories: AI tools for columnists with Meredith Cummings

AI isn’t just a buzzword — it’s quickly becoming an essential ally for columnists, opening up new creative and practical avenues across the writing process. Whether brainstorming fresh angles, outlining compelling story structure, fine-tuning headlines, writing crisp copy, or editing and fact-checking with precision, AI helps tackle each stage with speed and confidence. Used thoughtfully and ethically, these smart tools can also organize notes and research effortlessly, helping every columnist shine by saving time and amplifying impact.

The session will demonstrate how AI tools to help columnists with generating ideas, writing and drafting, headline writing, editing and fact checking as well as organizing notes and research.

About Meredith Cummings

Meredith Cummings, is an award-winning freelance multimedia journalist for various outlets including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication at Lehigh University where she teaches Opinion Writing and AI uses in Editing, among other classes. Cummings received four first-place awards in 2025 from the Pennsylvania Press Club, and was awarded the AEJMC 2024 Linda Shockley Award for Excellence in Teaching, as well as the Lehigh 2025 College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. Cummings is president of the National Society of News Columnists. She loves the Muppets, Alabama sports teams, geeks out about language and words, and has a PEZ dispenser collection in her office. Reach her @merecummings on all social media.

The session will be moderated by Chris Carosa. The session will be moderated by Chris Carosa. Carosa is an American author, journalist, and investment adviser. He is a senior contributor to Forbes.com, chief contributing editor of FiducaryNews.com, the publisher of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, and is a weekly and monthly columnist for ALM's BenefitsPRO, an online news site, and Benefits Selling, a monthly print magazine. Carosa served as President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists from 2019 to 2020 and is a current board member of the NSNC and the New York Press Association.