(Lost) Pride and Prejudice. Journalistic Identity Negotiation Versus the Automation of Content

ABSTRACT

The objective of our research was to broaden the knowledge regarding the relationship between the work of journalists and their professional identity, and, in particular, to identify the attitudes of this professional group towards algorithmic content creation under conditions of liminality. Previously, the implementation of the technology of algorithmic content creation by media organisations was associated primarily with financial factors (production savings). The pandemic situation, for security reasons forcing the use of new technologies to perform remote work, became an additional factor enhancing the sense of liminality. A qualitative study was conducted in the form of 25 in-depth interviews in leading Polish media at the initial stage of the pandemic. The results showed that the most important aspect concerning liminality was the loss of pride in performing a prestigious profession. Following waves of financial savings in editorial offices, and after the pandemic, journalists viewed the algorithmic creation of content as the next potential “plague” affecting their perceived degradation of the profession. The anticipated change in working conditions, already interpreted as a threat to journalists, signified a liminal experience dictated by a new factor and prompted them to choose defence strategies.

KEYWORDS:

• Liminality
• professional identity of journalists
• algorithmic creation of content
• the pandemic
• algorithmic journalism
• automated journalism

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).