News production is a specific set of actions centered on information gathering and dissemination. Photo: TUCHONG

The sociology of news production posits that news is a construction of social reality and a theoretical activity that legitimizes the status quo. Western scholars have extensively researched the ways that journalism constructs social reality, in addition to how the journalism industry constructs itself. These two processes operate in tandem, a phenomenon referred to as “the reconstruction of news,” in which the journalism industry’s construction is embedded within the news production process. This article explores how the professionalization of news production is constructed and evolves, and what core factors influence its construction and evolution.

American sociologist Gaye Tuchman was the first to introduce the concept of “key” into the field of news production, arguing that technology influences the key of the news production process, with each type of technology corresponding to different rhythms within centralized institutions, enabling journalists to meet the demands of news websites in various ways. Technology encompasses all the tools individuals use to create and achieve tasks, including both physical tools and machines as well as intellectual instruments. Without technology, society cannot function, and people cannot work.

Since the inception of news, technology has played a crucial role. Depending on the historical context, the technologies that support news can be categorized into three main types. The first type encompasses traditional technologies, represented by printing and telegraphic communication. The second category includes digital technologies, such as the internet. The third category is represented by intelligent technologies, such as artificial intelligence and algorithms. Currently, we find ourselves in a transitional era, transiting from digital technology to intelligent technology. Different technologies exhibit different characteristics, bringing about new changes in news production.

By borrowing the concept of “key,” we aim to analyze both news production and journalistic professionalism as constructed phenomena. News production is a specific set of actions centered on information gathering and dissemination. Through the technology that serves as its key, news production is imbued with different meanings, shifting from professionalization to de-professionalization, and then re-professionalization, where technology is “keying.”

Professionalization: in era of traditional technologies

Professionalization is a core proposition of journalism, dependent on the concepts of a profession and professionalism. Professionalization is the process through which an occupation transforms into a profession. A profession is a stable field of work, requiring specific qualifications or characterized by privileges that distinguish it from other occupations. Professionalism is an attitude, belief, and standard reflecting one’s aspirations to be professional, formed during the professionalization process to maintain the stability of the profession.

In journalism, early mass media technologies or “traditional technologies” such as printing, telegraphy, and radio transmission were used by traditional media, which included newspapers, radio, and television. In the early stages of journalism, these technologies continually reinforced its boundaries. First, traditional technologies facilitated the formation of journalistic professionalism by establishing technological barriers to entry and delineating professional jurisdiction. Second, traditional technologies accelerated the construction of journalistic professionalism, providing ideological justifications for the legitimacy of this profession.

In the traditional media era, journalism was structured around the technological “constraints” of the time. New technologies, like printing and telegraphy, sparked a communication revolution which gave rise to journalism and other new industries. Shaped by these dissemination technologies, journalism built a structural framework for mass media operations and functioned as a distinct social system.

However, since the emergence of modern journalism, a persistent debate has arisen: is journalism a craft, a trade, or a profession□ Through long-standing practice, journalism has effectively attained “professional” status. From a structural functionalist perspective, several factors have collectively contributed to the recognition of journalism as a profession. These include public recognition of the journalism profession, the establishment of professional norms, the establishment of journalism as a discipline complete with academic journals and evaluation systems, and the clear articulation of ethical standards by journalists’ associations. Additionally, an analysis of power structures reveals that journalism has leveraged the expert position of journalists and news organizations in the field of cultural production to gain “journalistic authority,” solidifying its status as a well-defined profession.

De-professionalization: empowerment of digital technology

Since 2003, the rapid development of the internet has posed a “de-professionalization” challenge to Chinese journalism. This phenomenon is not confined to China; globally, the internet has radically disrupted conventional news production. The standards of professional journalism are increasingly questioned, with journalists and intellectuals marginalized in the field, while the paradigms of journalistic professionalism and social responsibility face significant challenges.

In the process of de-professionalizing news production, technology is also keying, achieving disenchantment through empowerment. Here, “technology” primarily refers to digital technologies represented by the internet, which have blurred the boundaries of different media forms including text, sound, images, and film, enabling instantaneous and indiscriminate presentation of all knowledge forms.

Digital technology has facilitated two types of empowerment. The first is knowledge empowerment, allowing the public to access and verify information at minimal cost. The second is production empowerment, enabling anyone to publish, disseminate, and comment on content. In the realm of news production, these powers have resulted in blurred professional boundaries, leading to a generalization of news subjects and objects. Ordinary individuals participate as diverse news producers, with assorted text forms entering the realm of news reporting, further leading to the erosion of the core of journalistic professionalism—objectivity.

The internet has granted users the power to express themselves publicly, blurring the lines between content production and consumption. The public are no longer passive information recipients— they are now both consumers of cultural products and producers of meaning. As a result, they are active subjects in news production, entering the ecosystem through user-generated content, with “we media” and “I-journalism” as typical representations.

This empowerment enables netizens to critique professional journalists when news coverage falls short of their expectations, challenging the authority of journalistic professionalism and contributing to its de-professionalization. The psychological shift stems from the now-blurred boundaries of news production roles. Digital technology equips users with new tools for news production, while rendering these skills and efforts less unique and valuable. In other words, news production is no longer the exclusive domain of journalists, and journalism is no longer a specialized profession.

Re-professionalization: supported by intelligent technologies

News is an “institutionalized” process involving prediction, preparation, and routine management. However, institutions often emerge as solutions to crises and transformations, and when they become ineffective, they are replaced. Journalism’s professional model has evolved and will continue to do so, necessitating the ongoing evolution of the specific requirements essential for the profession. News production needs to achieve re-professionalization to reshape journalism’s legitimacy, with technology itself facilitating this re-professionalization.

The re-professionalization of news production signifies a return to the essence of journalism, restoring its promise and hope in two ways. First, journalists regain their primary role in news production. Second, journalism reestablishes itself as the voice of the public. By leveraging intelligent technologies to free journalists from mundane, uncreative tasks, journalists can take part in more distinctive news production. Also, by using intelligent technologies to focus on the essence of news, audience attention returns to issues that truly concern the public.

As technology becomes increasingly integrated into news production, the relationship between technology and journalists appears to be more complex. Does technology expand human capabilities or replace human jobs? Undoubtedly, technology enhances productivity in journalism, but this enhancement is rooted in strong technological innovation and commercialization, which also contributes to the impoverishment of the journalism industry and its practitioners. While intelligent technologies are gradually replacing certain journalistic functions, they also present new possibilities for journalists to reclaim their central role in news production.

In one sense, intelligent technologies liberate reporters. For example, tools like ChatGPT and news bots can already produce content in areas such as sports and finance, and future technologies are likely to expand into broader domains of journalism, freeing journalists from repetitive writing. This gives journalists more time to engage in investigation and creative news production.

To foster a symbiotic relationship between journalists and technology, a middle ground is essential: journalists need to develop skills that complement intelligent news production rather than compete with it. Technology lacks creativity, flexibility, and analytical thinking—qualities that are the cornerstone of journalism and distinguish humans from technological programs. Amid expanding archives of data, it is more challenging than ever to differentiate useful information from chaos, underscoring the role of journalists in discovering, organizing, analyzing, and presenting valuable information. This highlights the importance of professional journalists in an era of noise.

In addition, intelligent technologies equip journalists with new tools. AI-generated news explores a path toward general-purpose AI that can serve as an auxiliary tool empowering producers. The potential of intelligent technologies in news production is immense, but their utility depends on how journalists choose to employ them. AI cannot replace humans; only a combination of humans and AI can replace roles that do not require human skills.

In summary, as technology continues to evolve, its impact on the news industry will also change, but as a field of cultural production, journalism remains fundamentally reliant on its practitioners. Journalists must master technology to reclaim their centrality within the industry.

Qiang Yuexin (professor) and Hu Qingshan are from the School of Journalism and Communication at Wuhan University.