News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.

The occupation of "News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists" has an assessed automation risk of 52.5%, indicating a moderate likelihood of being partially automated in the foreseeable future. This figure closely aligns with the base risk of 53.3%, suggesting that while certain aspects of the role are susceptible to automation, substantial portions still require a human touch. Much of the standard information processing and repetitive content generation can be handled by algorithms, but the nuanced and interpretative aspects of journalism remain challenging for machines. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, it is expected that automation tools will increasingly assist journalists, while certain complex tasks will still depend on human expertise and judgment. The top three most automatable tasks for this occupation highlight its vulnerability to automation. Writing commentaries, columns, or scripts with the aid of computers can be significantly streamlined by AI text-generation technologies. Additionally, coordinating and serving as an anchor on news broadcasts can partly be replaced by virtual anchors or automated production systems. Furthermore, examining and processing news items—whether of local, national, or international significance—to determine coverage topics or process editorial assignments is increasingly managed by data-driven platforms and machine learning algorithms capable of sifting through and summarizing vast quantities of information faster than humans. Despite these trends, there remain core responsibilities that resist automation due to their reliance on specifically human attributes. Writing columns, editorials, and reviews that interpret events or provide opinion relies on an individual’s unique perspective and critical thinking, making it difficult for AI to replicate convincingly. The assignment of stories to other reporters or the delegation of duties to production staff often requires nuanced interpersonal and evaluative skills that transcend rigid algorithmic logic. Writing online blog entries with additional information and commentary also integrates timely judgment, creativity, and a distinct personal or organizational voice. Indeed, the primary bottleneck skills—originality at levels of 3.3% and 3.1%—underscore the value of inventive, independent thought in journalism, representing the human capacity to create, contextualize, and interpret news events in ways that current automation cannot fully emulate.