NEWS REPORT 2019 THE NEXT NEWSROOM UNLOCKING THE POWER OF AI FOR PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM ABOUT THE EBU The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s foremost alliance of public service media (PSM). Our mission is to make PSM indispensable. We represent 116 media organizations in 56 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and have an additional 34 Associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. Our Members operate nearly 2,000 television and radio channels alongside numerous online platforms. Together, they reach audiences of more than one billion people around the world, broadcasting in more than 160 languages. We strive to secure a sustainable future for public service media, provide our Members with world-class content from news to sports and music, and build on our founding ethos of solidarity and co-operation to create a centre for learning and sharing. Our subsidiary, Eurovision Services, aims to be the first-choice media services provider, offering new, better and different ways to simply, efficiently and seamlessly access and deliver content and services. We have offices in Brussels, Rome, Dubai, Moscow, New York, Washington DC, Singapore and Beijing. Our headquarters are in Geneva. Discover more about the EBU at www.ebu.ch NEWS REPORT 2019 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Large-scale use of data and artificial intelligence represents the fourth major wave in the digitalization of journalism (after online, mobile and social media). It is a significant opportunity for public service journalism, but there are also considerable risks. In particular, the new communication paradigm could heighten the dominance of technology platforms in the flow of information between people. According to a recent study, the introduction of artificial intelligence into newsrooms is considered a matter of ‘significant concern’ by two-thirds of newsroom managers, second only to funding issues. In the EBU News Report 2019, we analyse the opportunities as well as the threats, and try to find the best practices usable in public service journalism. For a more comprehensive view, we have conducted 75 interviews with subject-matter experts from the worlds of journalism, technology and academia. We have also studied relevant literature and articles and have been in close contact with leading authors who have published recently on the subject of AI and its relationship with the news industry. As in the 2018 report, 50 ways to make it better, we have formulated our recommendations on the basis of concrete examples. Supported by 30 case studies and 10 checklists (containing links to relevant further information), this report aims primarily to provide strategic and practical starting points for any newsroom looking to move to a data-informed model or invest in artificial intelligence. OUTCOMES The next wave in the digital transformation – in which large amounts of data will come into use and machine-learning technologies will be implemented in producing and distributing journalistic output – has fundamental implications for public service newsrooms (as well as for society at large). Even the most digitally advanced public- service news organizations have so far found it hard to adapt fully to the online environment and reach new audiences. Most of their online news audience are still older public-service loyalists, relationships with whom are still mostly maintained through broadcast channels. To be successful in this next wave, we argue that both cultural and technical challenges must be addressed. Strangely, we have found that unfounded fears of the new technologies and undue expectations regarding their capabilities sit side by side. More fundamentally, fears of loss of journalistic identity and autonomy persist. Wherever public service journalism is unable to overcome these fears, opportunities will be lost, raising the risk that organizations will lag behind. Our conclusion is that only some parts of journalism will be automated. However, virtually all jobs will undergo some degree of change. Newsroom staff will need a better grip on the technology. We group and analyse artificial-intelligence solutions according to their benefits: in smoothing operations, in enhancing distribution, in producing content. We also delve into the best uses of data for increasing the public service value of journalism. NEWS REPORT 2019 3 1. OPERATIONAL USE OF AI Adding AI on operational level increases efficiency in news production. However, newsrooms will not be able to stand out from the pack simply by using this kind of approach, as the technology will be widely available. Most of it is offered by third- party vendors. As the potential for differentiation for public service journalism is low in this respect, investing in these technologies – whenever the time is right – will be a matter of straight cost-benefit analysis. Operational AI is an important area with which to keep in step, but it is not where the most valuable benefits for public service lie. 2. STRATEGIC USE OF AI IN DISTRIBUTION To optimize distribution, we recommend that public service media (PSM) should invest strategically in personalization and the targeting of individual needs. Although there is some scepticism surrounding this, especially a fear of creating filter bubbles, personalization can enhance the value of public service journalism, as it enables useful content to be found by interested audiences. The new networked communication paradigm, in which people are in touch with a multitude of others, also requires this type of intervention. If high-grade content cannot be found, it cannot be consumed. We also stress, however, that ‘public service distinctiveness’ has to be coded into the algorithms to ensure societal value and avoid pitfalls and biases. 3.. STRATEGIC USE OF AI IN CONTENT CREATION AI can be used to contribute significantly to the public service mission when deployed strategically in content production. For example, new technologies and tools such as advanced data science and artificial intelligence can be adapted for use in the mission-critical area of investigative journalism. They can also be used to scrutinize algorithmic decision-making for bias and manipulation, and offer new ways to verify and check information, to maintain trust in journalism. As the technical capabilities for spreading fake news increase, effective verification will in the future require for technology and people to work together. We foresee significant opportunities arising for PSM from current progress in automated language technologies, such as automatic translation, voice recognition, and voice and text generation. For organizations operating in countries with more than one official language, or organizations collaborating internationally, these technologies represent a unique prospect. To seize every opportunity, organizations will have to overhaul work processes, cultures and even themselves. Having a data-savvy culture that understands audience diversity will heighten their ability to respond with relevant content. Public service newsrooms should move quickly from measuring only reach to including other metrics that more accurately estimate the real degree of connection with people. Successful AI projects are typically ‘owned’ by top managers, run by an in-house team, and have the size and scope that matches their strategic aims. Management must stress the value-based goals but then give sufficient autonomy to staff to attain those goals. In this highly competitive field, creating the right working environment is of paramount importance for attracting and retaining top talent. This implies investing in people: training existing staff, hiring people with diverse skill sets, driving cultural shifts and focusing on journalistic identity. The deployment of ‘machines’ rather than people is often considered an austerity measure. That is far from the truth. AI is expensive: it requires highly skilled work to be performed by highly paid specialists. In most cases, significant scale is needed to successfully build real-life machine-learning systems. In summary, public service journalism – to be able to respond to the changes in its environment– needs to collaborate more actively with national stakeholders and especially internationally, among organizations. Only by pooling resources can public service newsrooms counter the competitive threat from the ‘big tech’ platforms. NEWS REPORT 2019 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 01 IT’S TIME TO CATCH UP! 7 CHAPTER 02 AI IS A HANDY NEW TOOL: USE IT! 22 CHAPTER 03 DON’T THINK YOU KNOW THE AUDIENCE 34 CHAPTER 04 CONTENT ONLY HAS AN IMPACT WHEN IT’S FOUND 55 CHAPTER 05 FIND THE NEW PUBLIC SERVICE IN AN ERA OF AI 89 CHAPTER 06 IMAGINE YOURSELF IN A BETTER FUTURE 117 CHAPTER 07 CLOSING 139 NEWS REPORT 2019 5 CHAPTER 01 IT’S TIME TO CATCH UP! THE FOURTH WAVE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION HAS ALREADY STARTED The fourth industrial revolution, under the auspices of artificial intelligence, is transforming work, lives, economies and democracies. For the news industry, this also marks the fourth wave of digital transformation after the online, mobile and social media. There’s much hype surrounding AI, but for those who see its potential, it could make public service journalism both more valuable to audiences and a more inspiring job to do in the first place. Yet the threat is that poor comprehension of AI and unfounded fears of the technology will cause legacy media to lag behind. Again. “Create compelling themes for your projects faster than ever before.” A web service