AI Practices in Local Newsrooms: A Study on AI-Assisted Reporting by German Journalists

This study, through in-depth interviews with 21 local journalists in Germany, reveals the actual application status of AI in local newsrooms, the challenges encountered, and future opportunities. The study found that although journalists have limited understanding of AI's capabilities, they are willing to use AI for data processing and news story discovery, filling the gap in empirical research on AI applications in local newsrooms.

With the decline in newspaper revenues, local newsrooms are facing survival pressure, and AI is seen as a means to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Existing studies mostly focus on large media outlets or theoretical discussions, lacking in-depth understanding of AI applications in local newsrooms, hence this empirical study was conducted.

Using qualitative research methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 journalists from different types of local news organizations in Germany, focusing on three core questions: AI usage scenarios, data interaction challenges, and AI opportunities from the perspective of discourse design. After transcribing the interview recordings, findings were extracted through thematic analysis and grounded theory.

Currently, AI usage in local newsrooms is in the initial stage: journalists have cognitive biases about AI capabilities (overestimating creative writing, underestimating data processing); data interaction faces challenges such as difficulty in access, skill gaps, and interpretability issues; although they are willing to use AI, the lack of guidance and support leads to a gap between intention and actual usage.

Journalists have diversified imaginations about AI's future roles: some see it as an enhancement tool (freeing up data work), while others worry about it weakening humanistic care. This diversified discourse provides references for AI system design, which needs to integrate professional values, work processes, and organizational culture.

For newsrooms: Invest in data literacy training, establish data management processes, and encourage an experimental culture; For developers: Design user-friendly, transparent, and interpretable tools; For policymakers: Provide financial support and build cooperation platforms to promote the digital transformation of local news.

This study provides an empirical basis for AI applications in local news, revealing the interaction between cognition, organization, and culture in technology adoption; theoretically, it introduces the discourse design perspective; practically, it provides a guide for digital transformation. The relationship between AI and local news will continue to evolve in the future, pointing the way to building a resilient news ecosystem.