[Commlist] CFP - Special Issue on “Smart Newsrooms? Transforming Journalism with AI” - Journalism Practice

Special Issue on “Smart Newsrooms? Transforming Journalism with AI”

Journalism Practice (publication free of charge)


Deadlines:

●      Manuscript Submission:  January 31st 2026

●      Expected Publication Date:  Fall, 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming newsroom practices and 
journalistic workflows across the media industry. This special issue 
examines the growing impact of AI on journalism, with a focus on how it 
is being integrated into professional newsrooms worldwide. It aims to 
explore current applications, best practices, limitations, and the 
future potential of AI-driven tools in news production. Qualitative 
research (Domínguez-Partida and García-Félix, 2025) evidences 
integration of AI tools in media outlets optimizes tasks and contributes 
to content generation. However, challenges remain, including high 
implementation costs, skepticism toward AI technologies, and a shortage 
of technical training among professionals.

  This special issue sets out to analyze the impact of AI on 
journalistic practices from the practitioners’ perspective, offering a 
comprehensive overview of diverse experiences across both public and 
private media organizations. In doing so, it is intended to promote a 
deeper understanding of AI’s potential to strengthen local and national 
journalism ecosystems by showcasing innovative initiatives from a 
variety of media contexts around the world.

  Alongside showcasing innovations, this special issue also seeks to 
critically examine the real-world implications of AI adoption in 
newsrooms. Rather than viewing AI as a purely technical upgrade, 
contributors are invited to reflect on how it reshapes editorial 
judgment, affects labor conditions, redefines journalistic autonomy, and 
introduces new dependencies on external platforms and proprietary 
systems. We welcome analyses that explore the tensions between 
efficiency and editorial values, the challenges of maintaining 
transparency in algorithm-assisted workflows, and the evolving dynamics 
between journalists, developers, and newsroom managers in the 
implementation of AI tools.

  Adopting a systematic approach, this special issue seeks to analyze 
how AI is reshaping journalistic routines, decision-making processes, 
and content. Recent research (Sonni, Hafied, Irwanto, and Latuheru, 
2024) highlights key trends in AI adoption, including automated news 
writing, advanced data analysis, and personalized content delivery. The 
findings also point to the emergence of hybrid roles, such as the 
“journalist-programmer”, and the growing importance of “AI literacy” 
among media professionals. Furthermore, the integration of AI in 
fact-checking has become a key area of innovation in combating 
disinformation, with tools increasingly employed to detect misleading 
claims, automate verification workflows, and support journalists in 
identifying patterns of coordinated inauthentic behavior. Recent studies 
(Gutiérrez-Caneda and Vázquez-Herrero, 2024; Cazzamatta and 
Sarısakaloğlu, 2025) highlight how machine learning models are being 
used to match claims against existing knowledge bases, flag anomalies in 
source credibility, and automate cross-referencing tasks as well as 
identifying images.

  AI also powers synthetic media such as JX Press Corp (Japan), Reuters 
News Tracer (United Kingdom), News Republic (France), and Videre AI 
(Spain), which generate news content entirely through algorithmic 
processes without human journalistic input (Ufarte-Ruiz, Murcia-Verdú, 
and Túñez-López, 2023). The EBU News Report 2025 highlights a range of 
innovative experiences from leading newsrooms experimenting with and 
implementing generative AI tools. This special issue invites empirical 
research, employing either quantitative or qualitative methodologies, as 
well as mixed methods, case studies, experimental designs, comparative 
approaches, or ethnographies on concrete initiatives that integrate AI 
into the daily routines of newsrooms.

  Other topics of interest in this special issue include the 
application of AI to media archives (Bazán-Gil, 2023), AI-driven news 
curation and automated journalism (Voinea, 2025), and AI-automated 
publishing in social media journalism (Petruccio, Neilson, and Stöcker, 
2025). Submissions are also encouraged that explore the integration of 
ChatGPT and other LLMs into journalistic workflows, as well as the 
incorporation of data science and machine learning into investigative 
reporting (Fridman, Krøvel, and Palumbo, 2025), slow journalism 
(Albizu-Rivas, Parratt-Fernández, and Mera-Fernández, 2024), and 
specialized fields such as sports journalism (Olabe Sánchez and Arias 
Robles, 2025), underscoring the importance of collaboration between 
journalists, data scientists, and designers, as well as the growing 
centrality of AI literacy in these interdisciplinary teams.

Based on this framework, contributions may address the following 
thematic areas:

1. Integration of AI in Newsrooms

To examine how AI is being integrated into journalistic practices and 
newsroom workflows across diverse media systems.

2. Impact on Journalistic Practices and Roles

To identify and analyze current applications, benefits, and limitations 
of AI-driven tools in journalism, including their impact on professional 
roles and content production.

3. Innovation in Journalism Ecosystems

To study AI’s potential to support innovation in local and national 
journalism ecosystems by showcasing empirical research on real-world 
initiatives and emerging best practices.

4. AI in Fact-Checking and Verification

To explore the integration of AI technologies in fact-checking 
practices, including the use of machine learning to detect 
misinformation, automate verification processes, and support the 
identification of disinformation networks. We also welcome analyses of 
the epistemological and ethical implications of automated fact-checking: 
How do algorithmic tools influence the definition of truth in 
journalism, and what role do journalists play in shaping verification 
outcomes when processes become partially automated?

5. Critical Reflections on AI Integration in Newsroom Practices
To explore how AI adoption impacts journalistic routines, power 
relations, and editorial autonomy in real newsroom contexts. This 
includes studies of decision-making processes, changing labor roles, 
internal resistance or negotiation, and the influence of commercial or 
technological partners on editorial practices.

6. AI and Data-Driven Storytelling

To investigate how AI is transforming data journalism practices, 
including its use in extracting, cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing 
large datasets. Contributions may explore the role of AI in enhancing 
investigative reporting, enabling automated narrative generation, and 
supporting interactive visual storytelling. We particularly encourage 
submissions that examine the collaborative dynamics between journalists, 
data scientists, and designers, as well as the importance of AI literacy 
in these interdisciplinary workflows.

Guest Editors:

Elena Yeste-Piquer

Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations

Ramon Llull University (URL)

Jaume Suau-Martínez

Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations

Ramon Llull University (URL)

For any questions email (jaumesm /at/ blanquerna.url.edu) 
<mailto:(jaumesm /at/ blanquerna.url.edu)>




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