“The Guardians of the Truth”: Journalists’ Resistance to the Algorithmization of Journalism

Jan KREFT

Department of Management and Economy, Gdańsk University of Technology, ul. Traugutta 79, 80-233 Gdańsk , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9294-7175

Monika BOUSZEWICZ-KREFT

Business Faculty, WSB University in Gdansk, Al. Grunwaldzka 238a, 80-266 Gdańsk, Poland , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4129-8424

Mariana FYDRYCH

Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, ul. prof. St. Łojasiewicza 4, 30-348 Kraków, Poland , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7706-9792

Abstract

Regardless of the term used, be it “robot journalism,” “automated journalism,” “algorithmic journalism” or “machine-written journalism,” the process of automatic content creation and distribution is progressing in the newsrooms. Meanwhile, exercising control over the creation and distribution of news is considered a fundamental element of journalists’ professional identity. The article presents the results of research on the perception of algorithmic content creation conducted among journalists in the context of their professional values and identity. The research was conducted with a qualitative method using a semi-structured interview technique with 18 journalists employed in leading Polish media. According to the study, algorithmic journalism is perceived by journalists primarily in the context of posing a threat to the fundamental journalistic principle of providing true information: what they bring to the fore is the potential for creating and spreading fake news. The respondents, who defended their journalistic professional identity, compared the disadvantages of algorithmic journalism with the unique competences of “human” journalists, perceiving the latter as advocates of concern for the quality standards of social discourse and as “guardians of the truth”.

Keywords:

truth, post-truth, journalistic identity, algorithmic journalism