Media-alan tutkimussäätiö myönsi 2.2.2021 Randa Romanovalle 22 010 euroa aiheelle ”Journalistic self-regulation in the Nordic Countries: the challenge of artificial intelligence and algorithmic automation”.
The project aims at scrutinizing how national and editorial self-regulatory bodies regulate the usage of artificial intelligence-based mechanisms in the media of the Nordic countries. Preliminary reviews indicate that despite the strong tradition of journalistic self-regulation, the current ethical frameworks in the Nordic countries don’t meet the requirements of the professional community and endanger the positions of the most respectful institutions such as media councils or media ombudsmen. A lack of expertise and limited resources may decrease the role of these bodies and cast doubt on the traditional idea of the media regulating themselves. Considering the current theoretical debate regarding AI capabilities and challenges, I investigate concrete practical solutions and assess their effectiveness within the Nordic media market.
The English-language dissertation consists of three articles and a summarizing report. The project is intended to fill gaps in research on practical implementation of journalistic self-regulation. The English-language dissertation consists of three articles and a summarizing report and contributes to the knowledge of the current estate of media self-regulation seeking for modern approaches and ethical solutions at the time of growing popularity of AI-based tools.
Using a comparative analysis of the normative documents (journalistic guidelines, statements and codes of ethics) and examining specific structural traits of self-regulatory institutions in the Nordic countries, in my first article, I outline differences and similarities in the ethical approaches to AI between selected countries and ask the question: are the media systems of the Nordic countries still so homogenized in terms of journalistic self-regulation as it is presented in normative theories?
