Beyond Algorithms: The Human Heart of Journalism

 

The professional landscape us journalism students are preparing to enter is being reshaped by AI right in front of our eyes. According to research by the United Nations, AI can process vast volumes of data, from official documents to social media, far faster than any traditional methods, freeing journalists to focus on in-depth investigation and storytelling.

Major news organizations have already been implementing AI. Outlets like the Associated Press, Reuters, and Forbes have been using AI to generate reports about finance and sports for years. More recently, newsrooms are experimenting with AI for tasks ranging from grammar editing to headline writing.

Despite AI's capabilities, human journalists remain indispensable in producing quality news. A 2025 Reuters Institute survey found that most people think AI will make news cheaper to produce, but much less trustworthy. Audiences felt more comfortable with AI handling some of the back-end tasks like editing, spelling, and grammar, but strongly disapproved of using it to create content. 

There are numerous questions with AI's credibility for news. AI can't conduct deep investigative work that uncovers corruption or holds power accountable; it lacks the intuition to follow leads, cultivate confidential sources, and ask probing questions. Additionally, AI systems can perpetuate biases present in their training data.

The employment picture is somewhat blurry. The U.N. says that automation could potentially replace reporters, designer, editors and distribution staff. "With fewer journalists on the ground, we risk losing investigative reporting, local news coverage, and the rich storytelling that defines journalism." The key will be adapting to work alongside AI rather than competing against it.

While AI threatens many industries' jobs, I truly believe no matter how advanced it becomes, human journalists can never be replaced. Fundamentally, journalism is about holding power accountable and serving democracy; roles that demand human judgement, courage, and moral responsibility. The First Amendment protects the freedom of press because a free society depends on the people who can challenge authority, expose wrongdoing, and speak truth even when its unpopular or dangerous. 

 

Clicks to Consequences: Why Your Data Matters

Online privacy doesn't feel like much of a concern until you truly realize just how much of your life is silently being logged. In this TED Talk, data wasn't just browser cookies, it was an "electronic tattoo," as Juan Enriquez described it: a lasting record of what you post, click, buy, and share. That permanence can follow you into future jobs, relationships, and finances. This data is a kind of immortality you didn't choose.

The type of data being collected ranges widely from your online habits to the locations you visit. If your location data is constantly collected, it can reveal patterns like where you worship, which meetings you attend, clinics you visit, and who you spend your time with. On her TED Talk, Catherine Crump emphasized how location data can build a detailed story of someone over time, often without the person realizing it. When data is sold elsewhere, it can be stitched together by third parties (like data brokers) to predict your behavior, score your "risk," and influence decisions that affect your life. The data market has become invaluable, mainly for targeted advertising, but doesn't stop there. For example, details from your browsing history and online behavior can shape how you're marketed to, what offers you see, and potentially how companies evaluate you for things like financial loans or healthcare coverage.

It's quite evident that we need better laws and real enforcement around how data is collected and what happens after it's collected. There needs to be new laws proposed that would make the selling or transferring of personal data to undisclosed third parties illegal; especially sensitive data like location, health information, and communications data. Features like privacy-invasion features, like background microphone access or always-on tracking unrelated to an apps core purpose, should be heavily regulated or straight up banned. 

There are things we can do to protect ourselves in the meantime. We need to treat our privacy like basic hygiene: review app permissions (especially location and microphone), turn off "always" location access (unless the app requires it to run), delete apps you don't trust or use, and be selective about what you post. If the last five years have taught us anything, it's that an online past is hard to erase. While these individual choices may not fix system overnight, they will reduce our exposure as we push for stronger regulation of data resale and surveillance.