The Grey Area: How Regulations Impact Autonomy in Computational Journalism

Abstract

Computational journalists who use new technological methods in news production face an uncertain legal and policy landscape. Through data collected from eighteen in-depth interviews with journalists and editors, this article analyzes the legal issues surrounding computational journalism and provides insight into how journalists who use such methods negotiate their autonomy and independence. By utilizing a theoretical framework based in practice theory, this article illustrates how computational journalists perceive their autonomy as both constrained and enabled by legal regulation, organizational policy, and professional journalism norms and values.