Using AI Audio Tools to Edit Written Stories
Jan. 20, 2026
I’m a bit of a mad scientist in my AI Journalism course at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I launched the course in the Fall 2024 semester and students took to it quickly. Students were eager to learn how to use it correctly and work within journalistic guardrails. The course has filled quickly every semester for the past two academic years.
One of the experiments is to improve their writing with AI text-to-audio tools such as Eleven Labs or Speechify.
They used the tools to read writing back to them (both their writing and others). By hearing the writing rather than just reading it to themselves, they found new ways to catch errors.
So I have them download the information below, log the errors they hear/see as they listen. It catches a lot of punctuation, spelling errors and other things that an LLM or other editing tool might miss. I have them start with a couple of short stories/passages, then load their own writing into it.
College profs: Test this with your classes and let me know how if it helps. Here’s an example of how one of my students handled the assignment last spring. Last fall, nother student, Audy Nicko, was pessimistic about this approach working. But she wrote about how the technology proved her wrong.
Professional journalists: Try this with your own writing, but be careful with the privacy settings as you don’t want it training on a pre-published story.
Exercise 1:
Concerns about public safety continue to grow, an analysis of crime data reveals the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicgo., this map, maps out the areas with the highest incidences of violent crimes over the past year to now, incidences of violent crimes over the past year to now.
The map below uses a color coding system to illustrate heightened crimes in more low-income neighborhoods. As the map begins to move down in the lower West-end to the Southside it can be depicted in Maroon points crimes committed within that area are more associated with the listed above locations. What can also be depicted as the neighborhoods are more riddled with crime is also multiple police stations in communities near the South and Lower Westside compared to North neighborhoods, and communities
Chicago’s South East and Westside areas continue to be labeled as dangerous by news reports and residents. Challenges continue to shape the city’s landscape, An analysis of crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department highlights neighborhoods where residents and visitors face the highest risks in communities that consistently relate to areas pinpointed with the most maroon marks represented for crime committed in Chicago on Google Maps are the same areas being faced with homicides, and other related crimes.
Staggering crime rates in highly populated areas of homicides, and other related crimes. Since 2011, Chicago has faced struggles in taking control of the high profile of crime that continued to grow. In recent years, little has progressed.
In 2020 COVID-19 epidemic crimes such as thefts and robberies were reported low, while crimes related to homicides and shootings rose. As reported in 2021 Homicide rates in predominately African American neighborhoods experienced 40x times the murder rate in proximity to Caucasian neighborhoods.
Impoverished and underfunded environments in Chicago’s South East and Westside areas continue to be labeled as dangerous by news reports and residents. Challenges continue to shape the city’s landscape, new data reveals the most dangerous areas in Chicago in 2024. An analysis of crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department highlights neighborhoods where residents and visitors face the highest risks. While rates are still comparatively high, it was also reported that in 2023 it showed a 50% decrease in the disparity of homicide between African Americans and Caucasians.
In efforts to aid residents in lower-income neighborhoods to feel more at ease in 2021 the State Of Illinois budgeted $100 Million, donating 60% of efforts to Violent Crime Prevention in high-crime areas in Chicago. Sources also reported that another $93 million, reported in 2024, was funded for Violence Crime prevention and other programs. $38 million from private funds, $36 Million from the city,13 Million From the County, and $13 million from the State.
List the editing changes you’d make:
Exercise 2:
With a significant increase in new cases noted in June 2023 based on globe Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, the COVID-19 epidemic still affects nations all throughout the globe By far the highest levels recorded since the commencement of the epidemic, the chart displaying the global new confirmed cases from January 23, 2020, to June 13, 2023 shows a tremendous spike peaking at nearly 7 million daily instances early in June 2023.
This startling reminder that the SARS-CoV-2 virus still presents a major worldwide health hazard even years after it originally arose comes from somewhat lower case counts during 2022 and erly 2023. This abrupt June surge is worrying the strong climbing trajectory points to a highly transmissible novel variety maybe fast spreading beyond boundaries
Although vaccination campaigns have achieved great success, this data emphasizes the continuous requirement of public health policies, continuing immunization programs, and worldwide cooperation to manage epidemics even if efforts toward vaccination hve made great progress. Govrnments, health organizations, and people have to be alert to guard underprivileged groups and avoid another overload of health systems.This most recent comeback underlines that CVID-19 is not yet beaten as the globe approaches the fourth year of the epidemic and complacency might have a great cost if the world is to prevent such terrible losses, closely monitoring case patterns, genetic sequencing to track mutations, and promoting fair access to imunizations and treatments remain top concerns.
List the editing changes you’d make:
Exercise 3: Now test it with one of your stories from this class or papers from another class. Try something you’ve done in this class or another class. Paste the text below and list the editing changes you would make.
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Textbooks
The Journalist’s Toolbox
My new book, “The Journalist’s Toolbox A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI” was published by Routledge in December. You can order it here,
Data + Journalism
Samantha Sunne and I co-authored a textbook, “Data + Journalism” that’s available now on Routledge. (Order here). It’s an introductory- to intermediate-level guide to learning data storytelling from A to Z.
In Quotes …
“Once upon a time, the world was a realm of unanswered questions and there was room in it for poetry. Man stood beneath the sky and he asked “why?”. And his question was beautiful. The new world will be a place of answers and no questions, because the only questions left will be answered by computers, because only computers will know what to ask. Perhaps that is the way it has to be.” — British journalist James Cameron, 1969
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