Robo-journalism with us to stay?

Really, robots will need a lot of reconfiguring to become journalists! They will need a lot of re-engineering to take on some of the characteristics of journalists.

Like being brazen or being jacks of all trades and masters of none, for instance!

At least, I believe, these are the key characteristics of most journalists in Ghana.

Journalism is a noble profession, opening up vast arenas of knowledge for observation and study.

The opportunity, though sometimes gets into the head of reporters leading to much impetuousness that most find offensive.

Thus, for some Ghanaians I come across each day, journalists are the cause of all challenges, whether political, institutional, economic or social.

Beneficiaries

It would, therefore, be highly relieving for all (except journalists themselves) to have robots doing journalism.

For one thing, there will be precision, no flaws or mistakes in a story.

The professional group that would be most happy are public relations officers, whose back and forth with journalists after programmes for the stipend given for T & T, would end.

Politicians would also be highly pleased having no pestering fellows calling them up, and asking annoying questions which they would rather wish remained under the carpet.

Like a tele-prompter, the robot journalist merely has to be programmed with the very nice sounding questions (the answers to which have already been scripted) at a Meet the Press encounter, for any pedestrian politician to run his or her mouth.

Information merely has to be so coded as to highlight aspects politicians want to let out, and the robots would within seconds churn out a good propaganda piece ready for distribution to all targets before human propagandist of politician can say:  Jack!

Institutions would also heave a sigh of relief with no salaries to pay, no haughty and recalcitrant journalists to deal with and no social benefits to calculate and make good on.

There will be no rejoinders, as precise machines will accurately produce  out information for the public.

Robo-journalism

Although the above are all suppositions, configuring robots as journalists is not a far-fetched idea.

Already, some endowed news media such as the Press Association (PA) are experimenting with funding from Google to launch the Reporters and Data and Robots (Radar) initiative next year.

The initiators of this idea believe that the effort will be a cost effective way of covering beats such as health, local authorities and  crime.

From open data sources, the robots will automate reports for consumption.

Critics of the effort point to the relevance of the human skill of investigations, the art of cultivating relationships with sources, and an analysis of the facts for meaning that human journalists possess.

Whatever the case, Robo-journalism is not merely an idea of our generation.

With time, they might take over much of the work of journalists as employers seek cost effectiveness, and give excellent journalists a run for their money.

Time-tested values

With the imminent competition, there is the need for journalists to, therefore, strive in their own human ways to be better at accuracy, balance, fairness and speed.

These well-tested and traditional principles of journalism, fact checking, balance and fairness, will be the values that will make journalists stand out against their robotic counterparts in the future.

As some point out, robo-journalism is beset with fake news even before its birth, with the experiences of some in the circulation of false news about political opponents just to discredit them during elections on social platforms.

People may doubt the information from news outlets, wondering who is behind the robot, and the intent of the information it has been programmed to produce.


Writer’s email: caroline.boateng@graphic.com.gh