Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Journalism: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Developments in information technologies have caused a transformation in the media sector and have changed conventional journalism over the past 25 years. In many news organizations worldwide, algorithms generate thousands of news articles daily with minimal human intervention. Automation is becoming an increasingly important tool for content production in news agencies. News written by robots has significantly expanded coverage, especially in specific areas such as financial news and sports. This study focuses on digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence in the media. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight journalists working as managers, editors, and reporters in the Istanbul and Ankara headquarters of media organizations that produce printed and electronic content across Turkey. The data obtained from these interviews were analyzed, and five themes were identified. The interviewed journalists stated that they generally use artificial intelligence for correcting sentences and spelling errors in news, framing the news, and creating its historical background. However, they emphasized that such news cannot be published without undergoing an editorial process.

Keywords

• Journalism
• digitalization
• artificial intelligence.

Gazetecilikte Dijitalleşme ve Yapay Zekâ Kullanımı: Nitel Bir Çalışma

Öz

Bilişim teknolojilerindeki gelişmeler, medya sektöründe bir dönüşüme sebep olmuş ve son 25 yılda konvansiyonel haberciliği değiştirmiştir. Dünyada birçok haber kuruluşunda, algoritmalar her gün çok fazla insan müdahalesi olmadan binlerce haber oluşturmaktadır. Otomasyon, haber ajanslarında içerik üretimi için giderek daha önemli bir araç haline gelmektedir. Robot tarafından yazılan haberler, özellikle finans haberleri ve spor olmak üzere belirli alanlarda kapsamı büyük ölçüde genişletmiştir. Bu çalışmada medyada dijitalleşme ve yapay zekâ kullanımı ele alınmıştır. Türkiye genelinde basılı ve elektronik içerik üreten medya kuruluşlarının İstanbul ve Ankara merkezlerinde yönetici, editör ve muhabir olarak çalışan 8 gazeteci ile derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Bu görüşmelerden elde edilen veriler analiz edilerek beş temaya ulaşılmıştır. Görüşülen gazeteciler, yapay zekâdan genellikle haberin cümle ve imla hatalarını düzeltmede, haberin çerçevesini kurmada ve haberin geçmişiyle ilgili arka planını oluşturmada yararlandıklarını, ancak bu haberlerin editoryal süreçten geçmeden yayımlanmasının mümkün olmadığını belirtmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Gazetecilik
• dijitalleşme
• yapay zeka

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