Automated Journalism and the Freedom of Media: Understanding Legal and Ethical Implications in Competitive Authoritarian Regime

Today news organizations of many developed countries, being part of the digital world, are heralding new ways of news production through automated journalism and embracing new sort of technology-related challenges. The relationship between journalists and automation can vary significantly in different socio-cultural contexts, suggesting considering how automated journalism impacts media freedom through diverse legal and ethical problems. While the implications of automated journalism for media freedom in many Western democratic countries are in question, it is imperative to look at its impacts on media freedom in competitive authoritarian regimes. This study particularly looks at the case of Pakistan. Drawing on the new institutionalism theory, hence this study contributes an analysis of possible legal and ethical dilemmas that can arise from the practice of automated journalism in Pakistan’s journalism institution, affecting the state of media freedom in the country. This analysis is imperative for preparing the Pakistani journalists for automated journalism practice and for the development of a regulatory framework that can recognize transformations led by automation in journalism. Moreover, this study uses the qualitative method of in-depth interviews and uses thematic analysis to present the study’s findings.