Hi, I’m Adam – the creator of The Brief NI.

I started The Brief NI out of frustration – frustration at how hard it was to find real news buried under celebrity gossip, uncritical press release rewrites, and paywalled content that prioritised engagement over information.

My background blends journalism, technology, and data analysis. I previously ran a startup blog (StartNI), a community of writers (Belfast Bloggers) that even caught the attention of local television, and worked behind the scenes as the “tech guy” for multiple journalists. These experiences shaped my belief that news should be open, insightful, and challenge official narratives – not just recycle them.

By day, I’m Head of Digital at Excalibur Press, but this project is something different – something I felt had to exist.

A New Approach to News

The Brief NI didn’t start as a business plan – it started as a personal experiment. Could AI help cut through the noise? Could automation spot the gaps and contradictions in government press releases?

To my surprise, when I shared my early work, people started relying on it as their primary news source – not because it used AI, but because it provided real scrutiny in a way that mainstream media wasn’t doing.

This isn’t “AI journalism” in the way some imagine it.

• It’s data journalism, powered by automation and AI-assisted critique.
• It’s a living archive of government press releases, using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to cross-reference past claims against new ones.
• It’s an evolving tool to expose patterns, inconsistencies, and missing details in public policy – not to generate fluff.

I believe technology should enhance journalism, not replace it. And if AI is going to be used in news at all, it should be transparent, ethical, and genuinely useful.

What I Stand For

✅ Real Scrutiny
No fluff, no filler – just analysis of what’s really happening in government, not just what officials want the public to hear.

✅ Privacy Respect
No click-tracking, surveillance capitalism, or intrusive cookies. The Brief NI uses Plausible Analytics instead of Google, because I believe in privacy over ad-tech profits.

✅ Open Access
Knowledge should be accessible to all. That’s why I refuse to lock important news behind paywalls. If politicians can announce policies in public, scrutiny of those policies should be public too.

✅ Balance & Transparency
I’m not without biases (I’ve even stood for election!), but I believe news should inform, not manipulate. The Brief NI’s articles are designed to be fair, structured, and useful, even when they challenge those in power.

What’s Next?

I’m constantly improving The Brief NI.

• Soon, a full RAG system will allow even deeper cross-referencing of government statements over time.
• I’m expanding data-driven features, including a calendar of government consultations and deadlines, so the public knows when they can have their say on policy.
• And I’ll continue making sure The Brief NI stays ahead of the curve in holding decision-makers accountable.

Thanks for visiting The Brief NI – I hope you’ll find it a refreshing alternative in an era of clickbait and corporate media conformity.

🚀 More data analysis coming soon… and I’m just getting started!