Journalistic Values and GenAI: A Transnational Study of Editorial Policies

Abstract

The consolidation of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the journalistic sector, to the point that its ethical dimension is being altered. However, the mission and values of the media in the face of the current emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) have barely been explored. Bearing this in mind, it is important to understand not only how journalists perceive AI, but also to examine the role that the media assign to themselves and the audience’s participation in this context. This research explores the roles defined by a sample of leading media outlets (n = 21) in seven countries in Western Europe and North America: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. To this end, a discursive content analysis is applied to three newspapers (printed or digital) per country. The findings reflect differences between countries and media outlets, within a common trend of prioritizing responsibility as the primary editorial value, followed by truthfulness. We also found scant direct references to AI regulation, alongside the development of participatory interactivity within readership established by the media outlet. Furthermore, greater participation of audiences was observed in publicly funded publications, granting audiences a deliberative role.