The job of a journalist is no longer to publish information. In today's rapidly changing media landscape, journalism's primary role is to help the public make sense of a complex world by interpreting, filtering, and verifying information.
The shift is towards dialogic communication. Journalists are expected to act more as moderators and curators within community-driven platforms like WhatsApp and Discord.
Modern reporting takes greater consideration of the audience. The types of stories that capture people's attention — whether they choose to read, watch, or listen — as well as how long they engage with them, are evolving. Audiences, especially younger individuals, are increasingly turning away from traditional news sources in favour of content created by individuals who offer explanations of current events. Because of news avoidance and fatigue, slow journalism and solution-oriented reporting may be on the horizon.
Data journalism has significantly streamlined investigative reporting, allowing journalists to collect, analyse, and process information with greater speed and precision. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is also a new form of modern journalism, alongside podcasts and scrollytelling, that has shifted toward more in-depth narrative journalism. While artificial intelligence, the most impactful change in journalism, poses a threat, it has the potential to enhance journalism.
Algorithms represent another significant transformation. When we employ external LLMs (such as those from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others) for automation, we lose control over these algorithms. This is particularly concerning, as they are trained on users’ input.
We have had to adjust to User-Generated Content (UGC). We observed the emergence of computer-assisted reporting and the growth of fact-checking, alongside the pollution and weaponisation of the public sphere. Though trust in journalism is declining and often political actors brand critical journalism as an enemy, tech companies benefit from the content journalists create without fair compensation, and AI systems modify and reuse journalistic work.
In media and technology, we are witnessing a digital cold war, characterised by various countries employing trolls and sock puppets to undermine their opponents. Some individuals remain unaware of or even ignore that the content they share may not be authentic. ‘Sock puppet’ is a term referring to an online alias used to praise, manipulate, or comment anonymously, acting as a digital extension of the creator’s identity.
Significant changes have also occurred in Arab Gulf journalism, mostly due to technological progress and shifting dynamics with state control; moving from a state monopolised landscape to a more complex ‘hybrid media system’, where state-controlled, privately owned, and digital-first platforms coexist. However, this reality presents a "watered-down" hybridity, in which digital and print methods are used together but not fully combined. While technology has advanced, the overall regulatory environment remains a mix of liberalisation and state control.
Nonetheless, Arab Gulf countries are showing signs of rising interest in quality journalism, largely because the countries are making substantial efforts to draw in international investment, a pursuit which is driven by a desire for economic advancement, job opportunities and access to new technologies.
Presenting a model of state-led modernisation, Gulf nations use sports, media, and cultural events to project an international image of modernity, tolerance, and forward rationale that draws investment and tourists.
As scholars Carola Richter and Claudia Khozman wrote in Global Communications OpenBook: ‘Arab media matters globally because they reflect a range of often distinct but specific political approaches and understandings of publics and the public sphere. These approaches are potentially shaping media practices beyond the Arab world, incorporated by migrant audiences, transnational journalists, or international investing companies.’
Strong journalism is more important now than ever before. This refers to journalism that interprets and explains instead of reactive reporting or nation-branding– although both can provide strategic advantages. In an information environment saturated with synthetic content, we will be transitioning from platform reliance to direct engagement with audiences.
Sonia Ambrosio
The writer is a journalist, academic and researcher in media studies
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