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About me

Hi! I am an award-winning digital journalist with ten years of experience in newsroom leadership and innovation. 

 

Currently, I am based at Stanford University as a John S. Knight fellow, where I am exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on the information ecosystem, especially on media, journalism and elections. At Stanford, I am working on a range of projects: prototyping AI tools for reporters and editors, developing strategies for newsrooms, and researching AI policy and ethics. I am also learning to code (Python) and building skills in entrepreneurship and business development.

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From 2013 to 2023, I was Head of Social Media for news at the Austrian Public Broadcaster ORF. In this role, I built our social presence on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook from scratch and grew it to reach a total audience of 2.4 million followers in a country of nine million. I led a team of six producers and editors, and oversaw our entire news coverage on social.

In addition to my work in media, I offer strategy consulting, lectures, workshops, and talks. From 2015 to 2022, I taught highly popular courses on viral misinformation and fact-checking at the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna

Patrick Swanson reporting on the US elections in 2020 from Washington, DC

Election night in Washington, DC (2020)

Patrick Swanson talking to students (2022)

Talk with students in Austria (2023)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2023-now

JSK Journalism Fellow

Stanford University

Projects

  • Prototyping new and experimental generative AI tools for reporters and editors

    • ​Collaborating with researchers at Stanford CS department and NLP group

  • Developing AI strategies for newsroom leaders and media entrepreneurs

    • Conducting workshops and training programs on AI for journalists

  • Exploring use of AI for leadership coaching, built my own chatbot based on GPT-4

  • Research on AI policy and impact on news business, ethics and audience behavior

  • Building a foundation of coding skills (Python) and network in the AI community

Courses

2013-2023

Head of Social Media, Zeit im Bild
Austrian Public Broadcasting ORF

  • Founded the social team, built Austria’s largest news accounts from scratch

    • Grew presence to reach a total of 2.4 million followers in a country of 9 million

  • Hired, trained, mentored and managed a young team of six journalists and editors

  • Oversaw news coverage and strategy on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X

  • Started researching AI in 2017, exploring machine learning for content moderation

  • Used data analytics to steer editorial strategy, influencing executive decision-making

  • Led development of news products, collaborating with tech team and leadership

TEACHING

2015-2022

Lecturer, Digital Journalism

University of Applied Sciences

Vienna, Austria

  • Taught highly popular courses on fact-checking to combat viral misinformation, newsroom innovation and video strategy

EDUCATION

2010-2014

BA in Political Science​
University of Innsbruck, Austria

  • Thesis on the role of language in International Relations, focusing on speeches by former U.S. president Barack Obama

RECOGNITIONS & AWARDS

2019
 

  • Walther Rode Prize for coverage of the 'Ibiza affair'

  • CNN Digital Leadership Fellow in Atlanta and New York

2015
 

  • 30 best Austrian journalists under 30

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