You’ve probably heard someone lately saying something to the effect of, “I had AI do my notes for billing and it helped a lot!” You may have also heard someone express a concern about losing their job to AI.
Both of these sentiments are heavily presented these days. And it’s hard to know where to stand with AI. Especially if you’re in the latter camp and worrying about lack of employment and relevance.
TV news talent is no exception. It may seem that a TV news reporter, anchor, or meteorologist couldn’t be replaced. But these days, it seems anything is possible. So we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of AI in broadcast journalism.
When Is AI in Broadcast Journalism Helpful?
For as much as it is often demonized (and we’ll get to that), AI can be helpful across many industries. The same is true for broadcast news.
The natural language processing tools in AI can summarize lengthy documents, highlight important quotes, and translate content into multiple languages. This makes journalism more accessible to global audiences. It can also be used to personalize content for readers to increase engagement.
AI also has the ability to process vast volumes of data from documents, videos, social media, and transcripts way faster than traditional methods. It can also identify patterns, anomalies, and correlations in those large datasets to provide more comprehensive reporting. Furthermore, AI can streamline tasks like trend analysis, transcription, and keyword searching. Freeing up journalists from these tasks enables them to focus on more in-depth investigations, powerful storytelling, and fact-checking.
Speaking of which…
The Cons of AI in Broadcast Journalism
Broadcast journalists are faced with an increasing wave of dis- and misinformation. This has weakened trust between audiences and those reporting the news. As such, many people have turned to social media, which is completely unverified for their news and information.
Combine this with the fact that news outlets are under significant financial strain with lessening advertising revenue and reduced subscriptions, and some outlets are making editorial compromises they may not have considered in the past. This can include prioritizing trending content over public-interest reporting. Even if the trending content isn’t always fact-checked.
All of this is made worse by AI because it can be used to generate false content, images, audio clips, and even voices that make it difficult for audiences to determine what is real. Then, newsrooms are flooded with this disinformation or misinformation and simply don’t have the resources to fact-check it all. This just further deepens the chasm of mistrust.
AI has advanced so far that in early 2024, a seasoned professional journalist from France was targeted with a deepfake that manipulated his article headline AND his voice. The altered content distorted his reporting and spread disinformation that undermined his credibility. While AI is busy harming reputations, it’s also threatening the safety and effectiveness of reporters who focus on public interest.
And automation isn’t just coming for the journalists and reporters. It could replace editors, designers, and distribution staff as well – thereby eliminating broadcast journalism as we know it.
All Is Not Lost
With content so easily altered and public skepticism on the rise, it can be difficult to know where you stand as TV news talent. How will AI in broadcast journalism impact you?
There’s no way to tell, at this point. But TV news talent agent Mort Meisner believes that maintaining clear oversight and accountability is where it begins. And he’s been in this industry for over three decades, so he’s seen it all.
If you’re a broadcast journalist who’s curious about working with a TV news talent agent who will do what it takes to ensure that AI doesn’t undermine the credibility upon which journalism depends, contact Mort today. You’ll be blown away by his expertise.
