![]() This process leads to the creation of a new hybrid scenario (Diakopoluos, 2019 Porlezza & Di Salvo, 2020), in which traditional human–machine relationships are rewritten from the perspective of algorithms, which can be seen on the most basic level as problem-solving mechanisms (Just & Latzer, 2017, p. Even more so as the pervasiveness of automation entails new relational and communicative dynamics in the newsroom (Wu, Tandoc & Salmon, 2019), but also when it comes to the relation with the audience (van Dalen, 2012). Both the pervasiveness (Thurman, Lewis & Kunert, 2019) of these innovative tools as well as their disruptive potential in restructuring newswork and professional roles become thus central elements worth of studying (Lewis et al., 2019). 53).ĪI, algorithms, and machine learning are increasingly becoming part of newsrooms, influencing nearly every aspect of journalism (Zamith, 2020). In addition, a fifth of the respondents declared that they are not particularly concerned by the ethical and ontological challenges linked to the implementation of automation, and that they are far more excited by the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will have in the news industry (idem, p. 7) found that “some of the hopes and fears are based on false premises and conjecture” when it comes to news automation. ![]() In one of the largest studies carried out, Beckett (2019, p. While the article offers a slanted evaluation of news automation, it resonates to a certain extent with industry-wide perceptions. With news media in countries beyond Scandinavia now increasingly deploying robot journalism, I believe the talk we used to hear, of content automation as a threat, will shift to a focus on the opportunities and benefits that automating routine reporting can bring to newsrooms. As a result, journalists are familiar with the technology and its benefits in the newsroom. The author concludes the article on a highly positive note:Īs of October 2021, Scandinavian-specifically Swedish and Norwegian-publishers use news robots a lot more extensively than the news publishing industry in other markets. The piece offered a boosting overview of how Scandinavian news publishers have been using automation in their newsrooms, which is not surprising given that United Robots is among the main companies that have delivered news automation programs to Swedish news media groups since 2015. On October 27, 2021, the London-based website PressGazette, a trade magazine that offers industry-related news about digital media, published an article by one of its commercial partners, “United Robots,” about the potentials of news automation, entitled “Automated journalism: Journalists say robots free up time for deeper reporting” (Campbell, 2021). Analyzing data gathered from the research project “Journalism innovation in democratic societies,” the findings show that opportunities are often seen in economic terms, while ethical issues are completely ignored. Drawing on Helberger’s (2019) normative and Just and Latzer’s (2017) algorithmic construction approach, this research aims to investigate the opportunities and challenges of automation in the light of the ontological understanding by experts in the field of journalism. The way news automation is understood by journalism scholars and practitioners raise important ontological questions about both the impact of these technologies, but also about new communication scenarios and the social connotation of news automation. ![]() Scholars have highlighted both the potentials and pitfalls of these technologies, both when it comes to the changing nature, role and workflows of journalism and the way they affect the dynamics between humans and machines as editorial decisions are increasingly determined by algorithms. Over the last couple of years, artificial intelligence and automation have become increasingly pervasive in newsrooms, permeating nearly all aspects of journalism. The Missing Piece: Ethics and the Ontological Boundaries of Automated Journalism
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