The Social Construction of News Automation and the User Experience
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Keywords

News automation
Structuring of uses
Professional practices
Diffusion of innovation

How to Cite

Dierickx, L. (2020). The Social Construction of News Automation and the User Experience. Brazilian Journalism Research, 16(3), 432–457. https://doi.org/10.25200/BJR.v16n3.2021.1289

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the social representations and cultural practices of journalists in shaping the uses (and non–uses) of news automation software as a tool to support journalism practices. It is approached through an empirical study conducted within two newsrooms in French–speaking Belgium, where we have followed the process of a socio–technical construction involving journalists in the design process. This first form of use led the journalists to reconfigure their professional practices, placing the accent on the necessity of shaping a tool that will reproduce their know-how. Still, automated news will only make sense through journalistic mediation.

Este artigo examina o papel das representações sociais e práticas culturais de jornalistas na modelagem dos usos (e não–usos) do software de automação de notícias quando considerado como uma ferramenta de apoio às práticas do jornalismo. É fundamentado em um estudo empírico realizado em duas redações na Bélgica francófona, onde seguimos o modelo de uma construção sociotécnica que envolveu jornalistas no processo de design. Essa primeira forma de uso levou os jornalistas a reconfigurar suas práticas profissionais, enfatizando a necessidade de moldar uma ferramenta que reproduza seu know–how. Ainda assim, as notícias automatizadas só farão sentido através da mediação jornalística.

Este artículo examina el papel de las representaciones sociales y las prácticas culturales de los periodistas en el modelado de los usos (y no usos) del software de automatización de noticias cuando se considera como una herramienta para apoyar las prácticas periodísticas. Se basa en un estudio empírico realizado en dos salas de redacción en Bélgica francófona, donde seguimos el modelo de una construcción socio–técnica que involucró a periodistas en el proceso de diseño. Esta primera forma de uso llevó a los periodistas a reconfigurar sus prácticas profesionales, enfatizando la necesidad de dar forma a una herramienta que reproduzca sus conocimientos. Aun así, las noticias automatizadas solo tendrán sentido a través de la mediación periodística.
https://doi.org/10.25200/BJR.v16n3.2021.1289
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