Bridging Local Journalism Practice and Innovation: Co-designing Automated Tools to Support News Investigations
(2025) Algosoc — Location: Amsterdam (10.April.2025)
Files
No attached file found for this publication.
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- In the last decades, journalism has been significantly shaped by several technological and social developments, such as the digitization of information, emerging new media platforms, shifting media practices and declining advertising investments in favor of social media platforms. While national media struggle, these challenges are even more pronounced for local outlets, which usually face the same issues but with even more limited resources. Despite these obstacles, local journalism remains an essential actor for local communities. By covering events often overlooked by national media, local outlets enhance social cohesion and sustain regional identities. Although local news organizations may occasionally rely on sensationalist narratives, their focus on community issues and the activities of local authorities helps stimulate civic participation and influence political behavior. In response, many have explored automation as a strategy to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency. To contribute to this endeavor, we will present an ongoing research and development project aimed at co-designing with local journalists a software tool that partially automates and speeds up some of their daily practices. It is conducted in partnership with a local media outlet in French-speaking Belgium which provides access to real-world data, editorial practices, and insights into the constraints of resource-limited news production. By combining social sciences methodologies with software development, the project aims to capture the lived experiences, challenges, workflows and values of journalists, therefore ensuring that the technical solutions are deeply grounded in the real-world needs and practices of local journalists.
- Affiliations
Citations
Claes, A., & Descampe, A. (2025). Bridging Local Journalism Practice and Innovation: Co-designing Automated Tools to Support News Investigations. Algosoc, Amsterdam.