Automation, bots and algorithms in newsmaking. Impact and quality of artificial journalism

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1391

Keywords:

Artificial journalism, algorithm journalism, automated journalism, robot journalism, newsmaking, artificial intelligence

Abstract

Introduction: Changes in journalism have been considered a modernization of the news production and an update of the process to include advances in technology. The transformation over the last four decades has resulted from a handcrafted newspaper both in layout and typesetting to an online story with newsworthy texts created by prepared machines that, using algorithms, imitate structures and the way to write the news and substitute journalists. Artificial journalism is increasingly present in the media, which starts to open deontological, labour and social debates. Method: A bibliographic review is carried out to identify and summarize the main reports and studies in journalism automation. Also, a comparative analysis of sport news written by algorithms and by human journalists is conducted. Results: Cases of the impact of automation in reference media are referred, and narrative patterns of computer-generated news. Conclusions: Future trends are identified and associated to the changes resulting from the ongoing implementation of artificial intelligence in the media and their relations with audiences.

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Author Biographies

Miguel Túñez-López, University of Santiago de Compostela

PhD in Journalism by the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Professor of Corporate Communication, Strategies and Communication Plans at the Department of Communication Science from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC).

Director of the International PhD School on Arts, Humanities and Legal and Social Sciences of the USC. Advisor and professor at various European and Latin-American organizations and universities on communication management, plans and processes.

He belongs to the Research Group Novos Medios from the USC since 2007l.

He is author of almost one hundred reports, articles and books on communication. He has been Dean of the Faculty of Communication Science in the USC (2004-2009). He holds the National Journalism Prize Reina Sofía.

Carlos Toural-Bran, University of Santiago de Compostela

PhD in Communication from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and Professor of Multimedia, New Formats and Cyberculture at the Department of Communication Science from the same university. He is responsible for the Rector’s Cabinet office and journalist. Since 2006 he belongs to the research group Novos Medios, from which he is secretary. He is Director of the magazine from the Spanish Association in Communication Research (RAE-IC) and President of the Galician Association of Researchers in Communication (AGACOM).

Cesibel Valdiviezo-Abad , Technical Particular University of Loja

PhD candidate from the University of Santiago de Compostela. She holds a Master in Research in Communication from the University of Navarra.

Professor at the Department of Communication from the Technical Particular University of Loja (UTPL), She is member of the research group Strategic Communication at the UTPL.

She is author of several academic publications on communication. Main interest fields: strategic communication, institutional communication, automation in institutional communication, marketing and journalism, internal communication.

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Published

2019-09-06

How to Cite

Túñez-López, M., Toural-Bran, C., & Valdiviezo-Abad , C. (2019). Automation, bots and algorithms in newsmaking. Impact and quality of artificial journalism. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, (74), 1411–1433. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1391

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Miscellaneous