MONOGRAPHIC: ALGORITHMS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTOMATED JOURNALISM IN THE HYBRID MEDIA SYSTEM

2022-07-29

Thematic editors:
Koldobika Meso Ayerdi
koldo.meso@ehu.eus
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0400-133X
Ainara Larrondo Ureta
ainara.larrondo@ehu.eus
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3303-4330
Simón Peña Fernández
simon.pena@ehu.eus
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2080-3241
University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)

About this monograph

The transformation of cybermedia and the emergence of new actors—including the audiences themselves—has led to the formation of a hybrid system in the digital sphere, where multiple actors converge in a shared space to create and share informational content.

If the rise of platforms and social media changed the way media outlets created journalistic content and related with their audiences, the ongoing technological crisis of digital media has turned algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) the new challenge that companies and professionals must now face.

Thus, the transposition of interactions taking place in different spheres of human activity into digital macrodata represents a multidimensional phenomenon that entails complex reflections, analyses and prospections. Clarifying these debates seems necessary in a context where academic contributions are proliferating. The economic, social, cultural and technological advances promoted by big data and AI are of interest to journalism, both as a profession sensitive to social changes and as an industry generating data and information of service and impact on public opinion.

Journalism is proving to be a fertile field for promoting analysis of big data and AI from multiple perspectives, particularly those linked to the epistemology, ethics and business development of the profession, but also its research and education. Examining their impact therefore requires holistic approaches that include procedural issues linked to the industrial production of the profession, while also exploring advanced conceptions of its value, uses and impacts from perspectives enriched in terms of interdisciplinarity, in a context where media outlets and professionals strive to retain control over the essential aspects of journalistic activity while facing with increasingly tech-driven innovation.

References

Ali, W. y Hassoun, M. (2019). Artificial Intelligence and Automated Journalism: Contemporary Challenges and New Opportunities. International journal of media, journalism and mass communications 5(1), 40-49.
Lemelshtrich Latar, N. (2018). Robot Journalism. Can Human Journalism Survive? World Scientific Publishing. Singapur.
Lewis, S. C. & Westlund, O. (2014). Big data and Journalism. Epistemology, expertise, económicas and ethics. Digital Journalism, 3(3). 447-466.
Palomo, B., Heravi, B., Masip, P. (2022). Horizon 2030 in Journalism: A Predictable Future Starring AI?. In: Vázquez-Herrero, J., Silva-Rodríguez, A., Negreira-Rey, MC., Toural-Bran, C., López-García, X. (eds) Total Journalism. Studies in Big Data, vol 97. Springer, Cham.
Túñez, J.M., Toural, C., Cacheiro, S (2018). Uso de bots y algoritmos para automatizar la redacción de noticias: percepción y actitudes de los periodistas en España. El Profesional de la Información 27(4), 750–758.
Wu, S., Tandoc, E. C. y Salmon, C. T. (2019). When Journalism and Automation Intersect: Assessing the Influence of the Technological Field on Contemporary Newsrooms. Journalism Practice, v. 13(10), 1238–1254.

Subtopics

With the aim of promoting a exhaustive, varied and interdisciplinary analysis of the described media landscape, this CFP invites researchers in the field to present their work focusing on various areas, with particular attention to the subtopics outlined below:

• AI applications in journalistic genres and formats
• Impact of AI on the processes and routines of newsrooms and professionals
• Journalistic training for robotised communication environments
• Specific uses of robotics applied to language
• New tools for audiovisual and audio production
• The impact of algorithms on communication and audiences
• Ethical and deontological implications of AI in the field of social media
• AI and the transformation of business models in communication

Thematic editors

Koldobika Meso Ayerdi is a full professor and director of the Department of Journalism at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). He holds a PhD in Journalism and a Master’s Degree from UPV/EHU in collaboration with El Correo. As a professor, he teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

He has published over a hundred works in the form of chapters, books and articles in quality academic journals. He has presented more than a hundred papers and communications at national and international conferences. His research has been carried out within the framework of his continuous participation in more than ten research projects funded in competitive public calls. He is currently the Principal Investigator of the project "News, networks and users in the hybrid media system," together with PhD. Simón Peña Fernández. He has also led Educational Innovation Projects and participated as a researcher in other initiatives within the activities of the Specialised Group in Educational Innovation KZBerri, which received an IKD teaching distinction from the Educational Advisory Service of UPV/EHU. He has four recognized research six-year periods.

Ainara Larrondo Ureta is a full professor in the Department of Journalism at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). She holds a PhD in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Contemporary History from UPV/EHU. She teaches trilingual courses (Spanish, Basque and English) at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, focusing on topics related to digital communication.

As a researcher, she has authored over a hundred works, including chapters, books, international presentations and articles in quality academic journals indexed and in impact positions (Social Science Citation Index, Scopus). Her research has been developed in the framework of her continuous participation in more than ten publicly funded competitive research projects at European level, the National R&D Plan, UPV/EHU and the Basque Government. Since 2015, she has been the Principal Investigator of “Gureiker”, a category A Consolidated Group of the University System (IT1112-16 and IT1494-22) (Gureiker.info).

She has also direct Educational Innovation Projects and participated in three others as a researcher within the framework of the activities of the Specialised Group in Educational Innovation KZBerri, which was recognized with an IKD teaching distinction by the Educational Advisory Service of UPV/EHU. She has led and participated in several significant research and transfer contracts with public entities (Euskal Irrati Telebista/Radiotelevisión Pública Vasca). Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow, Centre for Cultural Policy Research (2011/2012). She has given workshops and academic conferences at institutions such as the Universities of Buenos Aires, Beira Interior, Hanze Applied Sciences of Groningen (2017), Sacro Cuore of Milan (2018) and Udine (2018). Vice-Dean of Infrastructures at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication of the UPV/EHU (2015/2021). She has been awarded 3 six-year research fellowships.

Simón Peña Fernández is a full professor in the Department of Journalism at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Since 2004, he has published 60 articles in academic journals and presented around a hundred papers and communications at national and international conferences. His extensive publication record is closely linked to his active participation in over thirty publicly funded competitive research projects, including eight European projects (Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+) and three National Plan projects. His main research areas focus on cybermedia, innovation and social media.

Calendar

Deadline for submission of articles: 17 March 2023.
Publication date: June 2023.