News Automation and Algorithmic Transparency in the Newsroom: The Case of the Washington Post

Abstract

News organizations have turned to news automation to innovate specific processes in the newsroom.Despite the many advantages for news organizations in producing innovative news content, the news automation process is opaque and often not easily accessible for news consumers -undermining the core journalistic ethic of transparency.In this case study we examine how institutional dynamics shape internal and external algorithmic transparency practices at The Washington Post.Our findings, based on 16 expert interviews, reveal that while engineering teams at The Post exert great efforts to make some algorithmic systems transparent and explain their functions to the public (external), less information is being shared inside the newsroom (internal).This lack of internal algorithmic transparency is a potential pitfall as it could lead to mistakes in the news production and the reporting process in general.

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