"This could save us months of work" - Use Cases of AI and Automation Support in Investigative Journalism
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: As the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) expand, more researchers are studying their adoption in newsrooms. However, much of the research focus remains broad and does not address the specific technical needs of investigative journalists. Therefore, this paper presents several applied use cases where automation and AI intersect with investigative journalism. We conducted a within-subjects user study with eight investigative journalists. In interviews, we elicited practical use cases using a speculative design approach by having journalists react to a prototype of a system that combines LLMs and Programming-by-Demonstration (PbD) to simplify data collection on numerous websites. Based on user reports, we classified the journalistic processes into data collecting and reporting. Participants indicated they utilize automation to handle repetitive tasks like content monitoring, web scraping, summarization, and preliminary data exploration. Following these insights, we provide guidelines on how investigative journalism can benefit from AI and automation.
Authors: Besjon Cifliku, Hendrik Heuer
Institutions: Center for Advanced Internet Studies, University of Wuppertal
Language: English
Topic: Journalism and Media Studies
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4409720883