The social construction of news automation and the user experience

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.