“For our newsroom, AI is a tool that helps us simplify and even improve certain steps in the editorial process. However, it is certainly not a tool that is allowed to take over the core of our work.” The clarification was published last weekend in a Berlin-based newspaper daily MirrorBecause it hoped to contain a scandal that had rocked the German media world.
In the same text, the editors explained their reasoning for taking the tough decision to halt publication of the column of one of its best-known political commentators until further notice, after it emerged that the newspaper’s former publisher and editor-in-chief, Stefan-Andreas Kasdorf, had used AI to write opinion pieces.
The 67-year-old said he was aware of the magnitude of his misconduct: “I have made a huge mistake, damaging the reputation of the publication and my own reputation,” Kasdorf said. “For this I sincerely apologize. I have used AI in the texts. I should have made it clear and therefore not allowed them to be published.”
The editorial leadership removed several of Kasdorf’s articles from the newspaper’s website: “We have decided to take the articles in question offline for a period of time until a detailed investigation can be completed,” they explained.
The Kasdorf case has fueled the sometimes heated debate about the use of artificial intelligence in journalism. Just a few days ago it was revealed that in a guest op-ed Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) The head of state of Thuringia, Mario Voigt, was also created with the help of AI. FAZ said it became aware of this only after the article was published.
Origin of journalistic work
Media researcher Vera Katzenberger of the University of Leipzig considers the Kasdorf case particularly serious because it shook confidence in journalism.
“This is not about brainstorming or collaboration on research, this is about the core of what journalism does,” Katzenberger told DW.
Readers buy or subscribe to newspapers because of the expertise or viewpoints of certain writers. “If opinions are generated by AI without disclosing its use, the public may view it as deception.”
When AI influences opinion
Katzenberger also thinks Kasdorf’s AI-assisted opinion pieces are dangerous because such comments have a special function in democratic debate: “They provide us with orientation in an increasingly complex world and help us form our own opinions. If opinion pieces are generated by AI, it directly interferes with the formation of public opinion.”
This is a problem, Katzenberger said, because AI has no values, no political standing, no sense of responsibility. However she can see a positive outcome to the case: “It really shows that editorial departments take their policies very seriously and that violations like this have serious consequences.”
daily Mirror The editors said they removed Kasdorf’s texts pending investigation because they violated editorial guidelines that were clearly communicated within the organization and were binding on everyone. “Journalistic judgment, evaluation of information, analytical classification and the way it is written should always be the responsibility of the writers.”
that need is shared Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Which has now removed from its website an apparently AI-generated guest opinion by the head of the Thuringian state. Media researchers see two sides to the issue: “Anyone who writes text or presents a guest opinion should disclose whether AI has been used or not,” thinks Katzenberger.
Katzenberger said, “At the same time, editors cannot rely solely on what authors say.” AI is now fundamentally changing journalism work processes, and editorial teams now have to adapt their proofing methods to conform and establish clear rules, he said: “What kind of AI support is allowed? When is there an obligation to label AI-generated content? What level of individual contribution is expected?”
However, Matthias Döfner, CEO of the influential Axel Springer company, criticized FAZ’s removal of the AI-generated opinion piece by the head of the Thuringian state.
Döfner said he inspired AI to controversially target FAZ, with the resulting text being published as an opinion piece with Döfner’s byline and accusing FAZ of dismissing modern technologies, saying it was “a desperate attempt by the stagecoach-lobby to ban the automobile.”
press council guidelines
The German Press Council, the self-regulatory body covering German print and online media, says responsibility for all editorial reports, no matter how they are produced, rests solely with the newsroom: “This responsibility also applies to artificially generated content,” it said.
Despite this, the Press Council considers the labeling requirement for AI-generated text unnecessary. Rationale: For ethical evaluation of complaints, it does not matter who created the article and what tools they used. However, there are cases which the Press Council considers to be serious violations of due diligence and veracity.
In March, the website business insider, The one by Axel Springer was publicly censured for publishing an AI-generated report about a mother with one child working from home and attributing it to a named author. The report was later removed.
Vera Katzenberger believes that such gross violations of editorial guidelines require immediate action. For many journalists, using AI has become as natural as using a search engine or spell-checker. “The line between legitimate endorsement and AI authorship, which should be cited, is becoming blurry,” he told DW.
Katzenberger also hopes that regular training and open discussion on borderline cases of AI use will improve the situation. She advises her students to think of AI as a tool, not a replacement for their own journalistic abilities: “There’s always a risk that their own professional development will be sidelined if AI does the thinking for them.”
She also thinks it’s important that media outlets deal with mistakes transparently: “Trust is not built and broken on a single incident,” she said. Newsrooms can’t rebuild by refusing to use AI altogether. That would be misleading. “AI is here to stay,” Katzenberger said.
This article has been translated from German.