What makes a reporter human? A Research Agenda for Augmented Journalism

The objective of this article is to lay out a research agenda, named “Augmented Journalism”, to explore the future of news journalism in the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The article will determine what the critical epistemic components of this novel paradigm would be. “Augmented journalism” puts the focus on human-machine interaction, and the main question that arises from this context is “What makes a reporter human?” A broad intradisciplinary approach to human capabilities is needed, not just in the social sciences, in particular sociology, journalism studies, and psychology, but also in technical skills (computer science and user design), as well as in the operational context (media economics and management studies). The vision presented here stems from years of research into journalism practice, AI tools for news, news media business models, and the Silicon Valley mindset. The underlying logic is that the future of journalism lies in its capacity to create value for the various sectors of stakeholders, from consumers to policymakers. The project will explore what makes the work of journalists valuable, what part consists of “human” capabilities, and how news work can be augmented with AI in order to stay relevant, but efficient.