Automating judgment? Algorithmic judgment, news knowledge, and journalistic professionalism

an article by Matt Carlson (Saint Louis University, USA) published in New Media & Society Volume 20 Issue 5 (May 2018)

Abstract

Journalistic judgment is both a central and fraught function of journalism.

The privileging of objectivity norms and the externalization of newsworthiness in discourses about journalism leave little room for the legitimation of journalists’ subjective judgment. This tension has become more apparent in the digital news era due to the growing use of algorithms in automated news distribution and production.

This article argues that algorithmic judgment should be considered distinct from journalists’ professional judgment.

Algorithmic judgment presents a fundamental challenge to news judgment based on the twin beliefs that human subjectivity is inherently suspect and in need of replacement, while algorithms are inherently objective and in need of implementation.

The supplanting of human judgment with algorithmic judgment has significant consequences for both the shape of news and its legitimating discourses.

Before I even glanced at the full text my head was reeling. Yes, humans make mistakes but not as often as a badly written algorithm which will get it wrong every time.

Full text (PDF 18pp)

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Mindful Authoring through Invocation: Leaders’ Constitution of a Spiritual Organization

an article by Boris H. J. M. Brummans and Jennie M. Hwang (Université de Montréal, Canada) and Pauline Hope Cheong (Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA) published in Management Communication Quarterly Volume 27 Number 3 (August 2013)

Abstract

This article examines how those who hold leadership positions in an internationally renowned Taiwanese Buddhist humanitarian organisation establish themselves as legitimate authors of their organisation by invoking a spiritual leader in their daily interactions and use this invocation to author their organisation with a shared sense of compassion and wisdom.

In so doing, this article extends the literature on mindful organising and offers practical insights into the cultivation of mindfulness in an organisational setting. In particular, this study underscores the importance of understanding how a spiritual organisation is communicatively constituted by voicing a revered figure into everyday situations, illustrating the profound connections between voice, invocation, and vocation.

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