Reimagining Journalism in the Era of Digital Innovation

Dear Colleagues,

At present, journalism is undergoing profound transformation, which is driven by digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and changes in audience habits. From automation in journalistic practice and the personalization of content to new narrative formats and emerging modes of consumption, journalism is being redefined on multiple levels—technological, professional, ethical, and educational.

The convergence of factors such as digital acceleration, the emergence of new narratives, the redefinition of business models, and the change in social expectations of the media is shaping a new media ecosystem in which the foundations of the profession are being rethought (Peña-Fernández et al., 2023). These transformations affect all links in the information value chain in a transversal manner, from sources to audiences, including newsrooms, distribution channels, and financing models.

Innovation in journalism cannot be analyzed solely as a response to technological advances but must be analyzed as a complex process, located at the intersection between culture, economy, education, and citizenship. New formats such as podcasts, immersive journalism, interactive visual projects, and newsgames not only incorporate digital tools but also involve a reconceptualization of storytelling, modes of production, and the relationship between journalists and audiences (Paulussen, 2016; García-Avilés et al., 2022).

Added to this are transformations in labor and training dynamics. Precariousness, professional polyvalence, and the need for multidisciplinary skills pose challenges for training and education systems in communication (Hossain & Wenger, 2024). In addition, the growing disconnect between younger generations and traditional media raises questions as to how journalistic trust, credibility, and relevance are built today (Newman et al., 2024).

In this scenario, the sustainability of journalism requires new perspectives on business models, information entrepreneurship, the role of local and community media, and strategies to strengthen the social function of journalism in contexts of misinformation and polarization. Media literacy and citizen participation emerge as essential axes to renew the symbolic pact between media and society (Wardle & Derakhshan, 2021; Pérez-Escoda et al., 2022).

Artificial intelligence is one of the elements of this most recent transformation. However, its analysis should not be isolated but rather incorporated into a comprehensive approach to the mutations of the ecosystem. From the automation of editorial processes to content generation and news personalization, AI raises ethical, political, and professional questions that can only be addressed from a multidisciplinary and inclusive perspective (Carlson, 2016; Luengo & Herrera-Damas, 2021; Cerezo, 2024).

The proliferation of digital positions linked to specific machine learning functions—transcriptions, text translation, and pattern identification in large volumes of data—has not only failed to displace traditional positions in sectors where interpersonal skills, such as adaptability to change, are valued (Ceide et al, 2023) but has also bolstered traditional skills such as analyses, interpretation, and contextualization of information (Cerezo, 2024). In fact, this proliferation has highlighted the journalist’s unique ability to culturally interpret data automated by machines (Carlson, 2016).

As traditional media attempt to reinvent their business models and younger generations reformulate their ways of relating information, interdisciplinary research becomes essential to understand these evolving dynamics that affect the entire information value chain, which is composed of three essential elements: sources, media, and audiences.

Thus, in this Special Issue, we seek to bring together research from an interdisciplinary perspective that critically analyzes the processes of structural change that are affecting journalistic practice. Priority will be given to approaches that extend beyond technology to understand innovation as a cultural, professional, economic, and educational phenomenon.

Submitted papers should be original, theoretical essays and empirical studies addressing, among others, the following topics:

1. The incorporation and impact of artificial intelligence in journalism.
2. Redefining journalism and technological innovations in the digital environment.
3. New news formats in digital journalism (e.g., immersive, interactive, data journalism, etc.).
4. New formulas in the processes of creation, production, distribution, and consumption of content.
5. Teaching innovation in journalism education and the development of new professional profiles.
6. Disruptive business models and entrepreneurship in journalism.
7. Mechanisms against the disinformation and promotion of new media literacy formulas.

References

• Carlson, M. (2016). Automated journalism: A posthuman future for digital news? In The Routledge Companion to Digital Journalism Studies. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315713793
• Ceide, C. F., Ruiz, M. J. U., & Álvarez, M. V. (2023). Employer activity in public television in the age of automation: employer branding, recruitment channels, selection processes, skills and professional profiles in demand | Actividad empleadora en la televisión pública de la era de la automatización: emplo. Estudios Sobre El Mensaje Periodistico, 29(4), 855–868. https://doi.org/10.5209/esmp.88582
• P. (14 de julio de 2024). La IA Gen y la 'deconstrucción' de la cadena de valor de los medios. Programatically.com https://www.programaticaly.com/colaboradores/ia-gen-deconstruccion-cadena-valor-medios-pepe-cerezo
• Diakopoulos, N. (2020). Automating the News: How Algorithms Are Rewriting the Media. Harvard University Press.
• Eder, M., & Sjøvaag, H. (2025). Falling behind the adoption curve: Local journalism’s struggle for innovation in the AI transformation. Journal of Media Business Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2025.2473301
• García-Avilés, J. A., Ferrer-Conill, R., & García-Ortega, A. (2022). Gamification and Newsgames as Narrative Innovations in Journalism. In Studies in Big Data (Vol. 97). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88028-6_5
• Gutsche, R. E. (2024). Cultures of Digital Architectures: Power and Positionalities in the Backend of Online Journalism Production. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 48(3), 392–410. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599221113989
• Hossain, M. S., & Wenger, D. (2024). Has Journalism Education Kept Up With Digital Transformation? Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 79(2), 129–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776958231224038
• Luengo, M., & Herrera-Damas, S. (2021). News Media Innovation Reconsidered: Ethics and Values in a Creative Reconstruction of Journalism. In News Media Innovation Reconsidered: Ethics and Values in a Creative Reconstruction of Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119706519
• Marconi, F. (2021). Newsmakers: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Journalism. Columbia Journalism School.
• Paulussen, S. (2016) Innovation in the Newsroom. In Tamara Witschge, C.W. Anderson, David Domingo,and Alfred Hermida (eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Digital Journalism. London: Sage, pp. 192-206. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311948168_Innovation_in_the_Newsroom
• Pérez-Escoda, A., Ortega Fernández, E., & Pedrero Esteban, L. M. (2022). Digital literacy to combat fake news: Strategies and gaps among university students. Revista Prisma Social, (38), 221–243. https://revistaprismasocial.es/article/view/4696
• Peña-Fernández, S., Meso-Ayerdi, K., Larrondo-Ureta, A., & Díaz-Noci, J. (2023). Without journalists, there is no journalism: the social dimension of generative artificial intelligence in the media | Sin periodistas, no hay periodismo. La dimensión social de la inteligencia artificial generativa en los medios de comunicación. Profesional de La Informacion, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.mar.27
• Sonni, A. F., Hafied, H., Irwanto, I., & Latuheru, R. (2024). Digital Newsroom Transformation: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Journalistic Practices, News Narratives, and Ethical Challenges. Journalism and Media, 5(4), 1554–1570. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5040097
• Tejedor, S., & Vila, P. (2021). Exo Journalism: A Conceptual Approach to a Hybrid Formula between Journalism and Artificial Intelligence. Journalism and Media, 2(4), 830–840. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia2040048
• Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2021). Information Disorder: Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Research and Policy Making. Council of Europe.

Prof. Dr. Eglée Ortega Fernández
Prof. Dr. Carmen Llovet
Guest Editors

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• journalistic innovation
• artificial intelligence
• digital transformation
• new narrative platforms
• journalism education
• media literacy
• disinformation
• immersive journalism