Algorithms + Journalism = ?

Shu Yi Tang

Jonathan Goodman

Gregory M. Kapfhammer

"At Facebook, algorithms choose the news ..."

"... And sometimes they don't get it quite right"

Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post, October 19, 2016

"Facebook's trending algorithm ..."

"... keeps promoting fake news"

Craig Silverman, Buzzfeed, October 26, 2016

Why is this happening?

Algorithms

Step-by-step instructions for solving a problem

Accept input in a well-defined format

Process the input to produce useful output

They can filter, search, sort, mine ...

... and amazingly complete many tasks!

Algorithms + Journalism = ?

Well, what can an algorithm really do?

Algorithms Can ...

Promote news articles

Produce data as a primary source

Program news reports

And even make "mistakes"!

Are algorithms "mistaken"?

People

Algorithms are created by programmers ...

... and programmers are people just like journalists!

Yes, programmers may make mistakes!

Algorithms may even have "emergent behavior"

But, this is ultimately an issue about people ...

"Facebook employees pushed to ..."

"... remove Trump's posts as hate speech"

Deepa Seetharaman, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2016

Algorithms + Journalism = ?

Mistake

Misguided

Opportunity

Let's discuss! What do you think?

Let's change the world!

Ultimate Goals? Next steps?

Start at Allegheny

Writing and speaking skills

Statistics, data management, and visualization

Team-based software development

Start Next Semester

JOUR 100 Tuesday, Thursday 3:00 - 4:15 pm

CMPSC 111 Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 - 9:50 am

Start Next Semester

Technology Tea on Tuesdays at 2 pm

Office hours scheduled by Google Calendar

Many Opportunities

Journalism and Computer Science are both important

Often more impactful when pursued together

Start interdisciplinary work in these fields

Change the world ...

... one algorithm and article at a time!