Dear Network,

What exactly is it that I do on LinkedIn? Which category does it fall into? My answer is this: it most certainly is journalism.

First off, I monitor online sources, based on a prior selection, before finally and meticulously choosing content, one by one. Not to forget, I need to check the plausibility of my sources. Most sources do not make it to LinkedIn posts. As you may know, gatekeeping is a key component of journalistic research.

Secondly, I engage in producing glimpses based on the gist of the source, i.e. summary texts of the main points. I do this with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), but I oftentimes have to heavily redact the mentioned glimpses, for my readers’ convenience. In fact, the glimpses need considerable rework in the vast majority of cases. This requires deep subject-matter knowledge and journalistic ‘savoir faire.’

I also write original articles, mostly on soft counter extremism and hate speech, in the framework of the Policyinstitute.net mission statement. That means that I deliver articles, other documents, audio, and video pieces, on a daily basis, regarding matters of principle within the field of non-kinetic counter-terrorism, theory pieces and, none the least, actionable recommendations in this and other related areas, such as countering hate, narratives, and AI.

My projects, as showcased on five Policyinstitute.net websites, mostly touch upon digital communication, religious questions, societal issues, and the technical sector. Quite importantly, what I post is, for the most part, solutions-oriented. Besides media- theoretical pieces, I share a great many texts on current affairs that also fall into the latter categories. Finally, I work with, and supervise, volunteers who contribute third-party analyses on the previously mentioned topics, as well as on capacity building in the Sahara-Sahel region.

Thus far, I have distributed more than 40k posts on counter-terrorism, against hate, on dis-/misinformation, and AI. On a good working day, my regular posts, in their ensemble, reach 3k views.

Besides my work for Policyinstitute.net, I periodically report on German politics and the economy under the headline of de-news.net – i.e. classical online journalism in the English and the French language.

In sum, my work consists of monitoring and researching reliable content, gatekeeping, writing-up, as well as editing. Due to the fact that it is all about objectivity, what I do is thus not public relations. I do not work for any client. Rather, it is full-fledged journalism, in the near sense.

I use this opportunity to thank you for all of your support, reactions such as likes, and your comments, which are strong motivators for me to continue distributing quality content.

Thorsten Koch, MA, PgDip
Policyinstitute.net
20 May 2024