M3· Media, communication and film
AI Journalism & Verification
You learn to research, report and fact-check with AI at your side, to verify or debunk images, video and audio, and to show your working so readers can trust the result.
- Who it is for
- BA Media & Communication students heading towards reporting, sub-editing, fact-checking or research, and anyone who wants a disciplined method for telling real from fake.
- AI core
- 9 units · 20 h
- This course
- 6 modules · 12 lessons · 3.5 h
- Live projects
- 2, on Professional and Career
- Sub-editor
- Fact-checker
- Research Associate
The skills these roles ask for. Preparation, not a promise of a job.
- PerplexityFree tier
- NotebookLMFree tier
- Google Lens reverse image searchFree tier
- TinEyeFree tier
- InVID-WeVerify verification pluginFree tier
- Gemini SynthID verificationFree tierVerified
- Content Credentials (C2PA) VerifyFree tier
- Sarvam speech-to-textFree tierVerified
- Google SheetsFree tier
- DatawrapperFree tier
You never pay for a tool subscription. “Verified” means we checked the free access on the vendor’s own site this month. Tool names describe what you learn; no vendor endorses Launchpad.
What you will learn, in order.
Lesson films are narrated with an AI voice, over visuals made with AI tools and checked by our team. Saarthi, the coach, is an AI. Mentors and reviewers are people.
Part 1 · The AI core, shared by every stream
00Set up your coach1 hLearn how the core works, write the learning-context document that tells every AI tool who you are, and set Saarthi up as a coach that makes you think instead of thinking for you.1 h
- How this core works6 min
- Write your learning-context document8 min
- Seven roles for AI, and study modes7 min
01How LLMs work and fail2.5 hBuild a working mental model of a large language model: tokens, prediction, context windows and memory. Then learn its predictable failures (hallucination, sycophancy, stale knowledge, bad arithmetic) and reproduce them yourself.2.5 h
- Tokens and next-word prediction7 min
- Context windows and memory7 min
- Hallucination, sycophancy and other failures8 min
- Lab: one prompt, three models, five failures8 min
02Description and context engineering3.5 hWrite briefs that get the right output the first time: role, task, context, examples and format. Then make them reusable with Claude and ChatGPT Projects, Gemini Gems, custom GPTs and NotebookLM, and learn to work with PDFs, spreadsheets and images.3.5 h
- The brief: role, task, context, format8 min
- Examples and output formats7 min
- Projects in Claude and ChatGPT8 min
- Gems, custom GPTs and NotebookLM8 min
- Working with files: PDFs, spreadsheets, images8 min
03Verify everything2.5 hCheck AI output the way fact-checkers do: lateral reading, tracing citations and numbers to the original, using deep-research modes without trusting them blindly, and testing a prompt properly with a 10-case golden set.2.5 h
- Lateral reading7 min
- Checking citations and numbers8 min
- Deep-research modes: use and limits7 min
- Your first eval: a 10-case golden set8 min
04Connectors and MCP2 hConnect AI to the places your work lives (Drive, Gmail, Sheets, business data) without writing code. Learn what an MCP server is, why a reviewed directory differs from unreviewed community servers, how to grant the least access that works, and how to keep browser extensions on a short leash.2 h
- What connectors and MCP are8 min
- Trust, least privilege and the reviewed directory8 min
- Browser extensions and AI browsers7 min
- Lab: ask the seller-data MCP server, check every answer8 min
05Agents and automations3.5 hHand multi-step work to AI safely. Tell an agent from an automation, decide what to delegate, use browser and coding agents with care, and build an n8n workflow that uses AI with a human-approval step before anything leaves the system.3.5 h
- Agents vs automations: what to delegate8 min
- Browser agents, safely7 min
- Automation basics with n8n and Zapier8 min
- Lab: build an automation with a human-approval step8 min
- Failure modes and your failure-mode note7 min
06AI for learning and careers1.5 hUse AI to learn faster without outsourcing the learning, write applications that still sound like you, and practise interviews out loud with Saarthi.1.5 h
- Learning with AI, not instead of learning7 min
- Applications in your own voice7 min
- Mock interview with Saarthi8 min
07Diligence: law, ethics, integrity2.5 hThe rules that apply when you use AI in India: the DPDP Act 2023 and its 2025 Rules, academic integrity and disclosure, copyright (including where Indian law is still unsettled), and bias. You finish by writing your own AI-use policy.2.5 h
- DPDP Act 2023: personal data and AI8 min
- Academic integrity and disclosure7 min
- Copyright and AI in India8 min
- Bias and fairness7 min
- Write your personal AI-use policy7 min
08Core capstone1 hPut all four Ds together on one anonymised marketplace settlement file: ask good questions, automate one step, verify every number against Saarthi's P&L engine, and defend your work live in five minutes.1 h
- The capstone brief6 min
- Lab: ask, automate, verify8 min
- Prepare your 5-minute defence7 min
Part 2 · AI Journalism & Verification
01The verification mindset2 lessonsWhy AI makes both fakes and fact-checks faster, and the habits (lateral reading, provenance first, stating uncertainty) that keep you right.2 lessons
- Verification when anything can be generated10 min
- Check three claims with AI search and lateral reading20 min
02Verifying images, video and audio2 lessonsReverse search, keyframes, metadata, geolocation, shadows and watermark checks: a repeatable workflow for visual and audio claims.2 lessons
- A workflow for visual and audio verification11 min
- Verify five viral items30 min
03Source-grounded research2 lessonsUse AI research tools that cite, ground them on documents you choose, and catch fabricated or misread citations before they reach print.2 lessons
- Grounded AI research and the citation trap10 min
- Build a source notebook and audit its citations25 min
04Data journalism with AI2 lessonsFind a story in a dataset, let AI help with the analysis, recompute every number yourself, and chart it honestly.2 lessons
- From dataset to defensible story10 min
- Analyse seller trends and chart one finding30 min
05Interviews, transcription and quotes2 lessonsRecord and transcribe interviews in Indian languages with AI, protect sources, and make sure every quote matches the tape.2 lessons
- AI transcription and quote integrity9 min
- Transcribe and quote-check a mixed-language interview25 min
06Ethics, law and showing your method2 lessonsWrite with care for defamation, privacy and the 2026 synthetic-media rules, disclose AI use in your reporting, and publish methods notes and corrections.2 lessons
- Responsible AI journalism in India10 min
- Write a newsroom AI policy and a methods note20 min
Two briefs. Real-shaped work.
- Project 1
Data story on Indian e-commerce seller trends with a full verification log
Report and write an 800–1,200-word data story about a change in how small Indian online sellers do business, using the anonymised Saarthi seller data and public primary sources. Every number, quote and claim must trace to a source logged in your verification log, and every AI-computed figure must be recomputed by you.
You hand in
- An 800–1,200-word story with a headline, standfirst and two charts
- A verification log: every factual claim with its primary source, page or timestamp, and who checked it
- A recomputation log for every number from the dataset
- At least one interview (classmate playing a seller from a provided brief is acceptable) with a quote sheet checked against audio
- A specific AI-use disclosure for the story
- A methods box explaining the data, its limits and the anonymisation
Data: Anonymised and partly synthetic seller-month table from the Saarthi data pack (category, state-level region, month, orders, revenue band, returns, ad-spend band), with small cells merged, plus public primary sources the student finds. No seller identities.. Reviewed by Saarthi against a published rubric, signed off by a mentor.
- Project 2
Verify or debunk 10 viral AI-era images and clips, with a methods note
Work through a set of 10 images, videos and audio clips of the kind that go viral, some real, some miscaptioned, some edited and some AI-generated. Reach a verdict with a confidence level for each, then publish a methods note explaining your workflow, your tools' limits and what you could not establish. You defend two verdicts live to a night editor (Saarthi).
You hand in
- Ten verdict cards: claim, preservation record, checks run, evidence, verdict, confidence and gaps
- Marked 'FALSE' or 'MISLEADING' versions of any debunked media, safe to publish
- A 1,000-word methods note covering workflow, tools, their limits and lessons
- A short reader-facing explainer for the three most important items
- A timing log showing how long each item took
Data: The Saarthi verification set: 10 items curated by the course team, mixing real public-domain or licensed media, miscaptioned media, edited media and AI-generated media made for training, with a sealed answer key. No real private individuals appear.. Reviewed by Saarthi against a published rubric, signed off by a mentor.
In voice mock interviews and client calls, Saarthi plays: Meera, night editor at a fictional Bengaluru digital news desk. It is 11 pm, a dramatic clip is trending, and she wants to know in twenty minutes whether you can stand it up. She asks what you checked, what you could not check, and what exact words you would publish.
On plans that include mock interviews. You get written feedback after every call.
Pick a plan for AI Journalism & Verification.
One payment. The access deadline for each plan is shown before you pay.
Foundation
01Learn the AI your field now runs on.
₹2,999
One payment. GST included.
- Access for 120 days (about 4 months) from the day you pay
- No 1:1 mentor sessions
- The common AI core and your domain course
- Saarthi, your AI coach, any hour
- Hands-on labs on free tools
- Verifiable certificate
Professional
02Prove it on real work.
₹7,999
One payment. GST included.
- Access for 180 days (about 6 months) from the day you pay
- One 1:1 session with a mentor
- Everything in Foundation
- Two live projects, reviewed by Saarthi and a mentor
- Public portfolio page of verified work
- Voice mock interviews
- One 1:1 coaching session
Career
03Work alongside our team.
₹14,999
One payment. GST included.
- Access for 240 days (about 8 months) from the day you pay
- Four 1:1 sessions with a mentor
- One 1:1 call with an industry expert
- Everything in Professional
- Four-week supervised practicum with the Saarthi team
- Four 1:1 coaching sessions with your mentor
- An exclusive 1:1 call with an industry expert in your field
- CV and LinkedIn review
- Priority mentor replies
Your access period starts the day you pay and is shown before you pay. One exam pause per enrolment, for up to 15 days. When access ends the course locks, and your portfolio page and certificate stay live. Full refund within 7 days, pro-rata after that, and an automatic refund for any practicum, 1:1 mentor or expert session we do not deliver. Refund policy