AI is transforming everything about journalism, from the way newsrooms operate to the way people consume content. Let’s look at four types of journalistic hype and the way in which AI is reshaping these categories.
Attentional hype
AI is driving attentional hype, which creates a sense of something being very important and worthy of serious consideration. Some news outlets and journalists are using this trend to appear particularly forward-thinking and letting AI do the heavy lifting.
Orientational hype
This is where AI directs the readers’ attention toward particular products, outcomes, or ways of doing things. This is usually achieved by optimising limited newsroom resourcing, which is a topic covered in a journalism degree. You can find out more about the value of targeted journalism qualifications from providers such as https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/.
Signalling hype
This form of hype informs the way in which journalists report technologies to the public and use AI to deliver strategic messaging. This will often reinforce ideas of innovation and narratives about inevitable AI saturation.
Mobilising hype
This form of hype is used to drive policies, partnerships, and collective action. It also informs professional ethics codes and drives union-driven protections against AI misuse.
These trends alone show that AI is continuing to direct and shape modern journalism and transform everything from messaging and outlets to content consumption patterns. It is an exciting, if challenging, world and one that still offers huge opportunities to would-be journalists considering a career in the field. As ever, the right qualification is the starting point for a route into the industry.
