Safeguarding Editorial Independence in an Automated Media System: The Relationship Between Law and Journalistic Perspectives

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between legal and journalistic perspectives on the way editorial independence can be safeguarded in the context of automation. It aims to bridge two discussions. First, the journalism studies literature that has explored how automation challenges the way editors and journalists fulfil their role in newsrooms and society. Second, the legal discussion that is revisiting how the conditions for editorial independence can be created in a media system where automation is increasingly important. To do so, this article contrasts a normative framework that outlines the functions of editorial independence in European media law with interviews with editors and journalists involved in data journalism and news personalisation. It finds excellent potential for a complementary relationship between legal and journalistic perspectives on editorial independence. However, the challenges posed by automation fall outside the mechanisms through which this relationship has traditionally been operationalised.