Journals / Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences / 2026 / Sayı: 68

Use of generative AI in news production in Türkiye: ‘A threat or an opportunity?’

Türkiye’de haber üretiminde üretken yapay zekâ kullanımı: ‘Tehdit mi yoksa fırsat mı?’

Gülden Demir(NISANTASI UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, NEW DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA)0000-0002-6028-5496
Melek Kılıçgedik(NISANTASI UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, NEW DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA)0000-0001-9015-2013
Pages
36–53
Publication Date
2025-06-27
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that although Generative Artificial Intelligence tools save considerable time on journalism tasks such as translation, summarization, and fact-checking, they have not significantly reduced journalists’ overall workload.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article examines journalists’ perspectives on the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in their journalism practices in Türkiye.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Data from in-depth interviews with 26 journalists from various media organiza tions in Türkiye were analyzed using thematic analysis.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that although Generative Artificial Intelligence tools save considerable time on journalism tasks such as translation, summarization, and fact-checking, they have not significantly reduced journalists’ overall workload.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Yapay zekâ · üretken yapay zekâ araçları · gazetecilik

Abstract

This article examines journalists’ perspectives on the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in their journalism practices in Türkiye. This study analyzes the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools in Turkish newsrooms, explores journalists’ attitudes toward these technologies, and investigates the ethical dilemmas and their impact on journalism practices and the news production process. Data from in-depth interviews with 26 journalists from various media organiza tions in Türkiye were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that although Generative Artificial Intelligence tools save considerable time on journalism tasks such as translation, summarization, and fact-checking, they have not significantly reduced journalists’ overall workload. Additionally, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools in reporting on sensitive, complex issues (e.g. foreign news, women’s and children’s rights) raises serious ethical concerns, particularly regarding bias in news coverage. It also seems that Generative Artificial Intelligence tools are failing to replace the essential human qualities of emotion, empathy, and contextual understanding that journalists bring to their work. Finally, the Integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence into journalism is viewed both as an opportunity and a threat to various journalistic roles, such as online journalism and editing, yet it is perceived as inevitable in the journalism profession, much like in many other fields.

Özet

Bu makale, Türkiye’de gazetecilerin gazetecilik uygulamalarında üretken Yapay Zeka kullanımına ilişkin bakış açılarını incelemektedir. Araştırma, Türkiye’deki haber odalarında üretken Yapay Zeka araçlarının entegrasyonunu analiz etmeyi, gazetecilerin bu teknolojilere yönelik tutumlarını keşfetmeyi ve gazetecilik uygulamaları ile haber üretim sürecindeki etik ikilemleri ve etkileri incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye’deki çeşitli medya kuruluşlarından 26 gazeteci ile yapılan derinlemesine görüşmelerden elde edilen veriler tematik analiz yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre, üretken Yapay Zeka araçları tercüme, özetleme ve teyit gibi gazetecilik pratiklerinde önemli ölçüde zaman tasarrufu sağlasa da, gazetecilerin genel iş yüklerinde anlamlı bir azalma yaşanmamıştır. Ayrıca, üretke Yapay Zeka araçlarının duyarlı ve karmaşık konularda (örneğin, dış haberler, kadın ve çocuk hakları gibi) haber raporlama süreçlerinde kullanılması, özel likle haber kapsamındaki önyargılarla ilgili ciddi etik sorunlar ortaya çıkarmaktadır. Ayrıca, üretken Yapay Zeka araçlarının gazetecilerin işine kattığı duygu, empati ve bağlamı anlama gibi temel insan niteliklerini yerine getirmede yetersiz kaldığı görülmektedir. Sonuç olarak, üretken Yapay Zeka’nın gazeteciliğe entegrasyonu, hem bir fırsat hem de internet gazeteciliği, editör gibi çeşitli gazetecilik rollerinde bir tehdit olarak görülmekle birlikte, diğer birçok meslek gibi gazetecilik mesleğinde de kaçınılmaz olarak algılanmaktadır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Demir, G., Kılıçgedik, M. (2025). Use of generative AI in news production in Türkiye: ‘A threat or an opportunity?’. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, Sayı: 68, 36–53. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2025-1650211

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (54)

  1. Anadolu Ajansı. (n.d.). Medyada yapay zeka etik kullanım rehberi. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/haberakademisi/haberler/medyada-yapay- zeka-etik-kullanimrehberi/533264 google scholar
  2. Attard, M., Davis, M., & Main, L. (2023). Gen AI and journalism. Centre for Media Transition, University of Technology Sydney. https://doi. org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24751881 google scholar
  3. Aydın, B., & İnce, M. (2024). Can artificial intelligence write news: A research on determining the effect of artificial intelligence on news writing practice. Intermedia International e-Journal, 1(24), 24–41. google scholar
  4. Azimli, S. Ö. (2022). The use of automated journalism in the Turkish media: An observation of its present and future [Master’s thesis, Istanbul Bilgi University]. Institute of Graduate Programs. google scholar
  5. BBC. (2024). Guidance: The use of artificial intelligence. BBC Editorial Guidelines. https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/ use-of-artificial-intelligence google scholar
  6. Beckett, C. (2019, November 18). New powers, new responsibilities: A global survey of journalism and artificial intelligence. POLIS Journalism and Society, London School of Economics and Political Science. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2019/11/18/new-powers- new-responsibilities/ google scholar
  7. Beckett, C. (2024, September 3). What we have learnt about generative AI and journalism and how to use it. https://charliebeckett. medium.com/what-we-have-learnt-about-generative-ai-and-journalism-and-how-to-use-it-7c8a9f5e86fd google scholar
  8. Beckett, C., & Yaseen, M. (2023). Generating change: A global survey of what news organisations are doing with AI. POLIS Journalism at LSE. google scholar
  9. Bontridder, N., & Poullet, Y. (2021). The role of artificial intelligence in disinformation. Data & Policy, 3, e20. https://doi.org/10.1017/dap. 2021.20 google scholar
  10. Böyük, M. (2024). Artificial intelligence journalism: An enquiry within the framework of news values and ethical principles. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 67, 142–160. google scholar
  11. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10. 1191/1478088706qp063oa google scholar
  12. Broussard, M., Diakopoulos, N., Guzman, A. L., Abebe, R., Dupagne, M., & Chuan, C. H. (2019). Artificial intelligence and journalism. google scholar
  13. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 96(3), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699019859901 google scholar
  14. Chadha, K., & Koliska, M. (2014). Newsrooms and transparency in the digital age. Journalism Practice, 9(2), 215–229. google scholar
  15. Chan-Olmsted, S. M. (2019). A review of artificial intelligence adoptions in the media industry. International Journal on Media Management, 21(3–4), 193–215. google scholar
  16. Cheng, S. (2024). When journalism meets AI: Risk or opportunity? Digital Government: Research and Practice, 6(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/ 10.1145/3665897 google scholar
  17. Chua, G. (2024). Get ready for the AI-driven world of news. Nieman Lab: Predictions for Journalism, 2025. https://www.niemanlab.org/ 2024/12/get-ready-for-the-ai-driven-world-of-news/, google scholar
  18. Cools, H., & Diakopoulos, N. (2024). Uses of generative AI in the newsroom: Mapping journalists’ perceptions of perils and possibilities. Journalism Practice, 1(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2394558 google scholar
  19. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. google scholar
  20. Deuze, M., & Beckett, C. (2022). Imagination, algorithms and news: Developing AI literacy for journalism. Digital Journalism, 18(10), 1913– 1918. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2119152 google scholar
  21. Diakopoulos, N. (2024, November 14). From transcription to trust: How AI is transforming news production (G. A. Peck, Inter-viewer). Editor & Publisher. https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/from-transcription-to-trust-how-ai-is-transforming-news-production,252811, google scholar
  22. Dutkiewicz, L., Krack, N., Kuczerawy, A., & Valcke, P. (2025). Artificial intelligence and media. In N. A. Smuha (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the law, ethics and policy of artificial intelligence (pp. 283–305). Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/ services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/0AD007641DE27F837A3A16DBC0888DD1/9781009367813AR.pdf, google scholar
  23. Erdoğan, E. (2024). Editörden. Reflektif Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1), 1–4. google scholar
  24. Erdoğan, E., & Uyan-Semerci, P. (2021). Toplumsal araştırma yöntemleri için bir rehber: Gereklilikler, sınırlılıklar ve incelikler. İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları. google scholar
  25. Etike, Ş. (2023). Türkiye'deki haber merkezlerinde yapay zeka teknolojileri: Gazeteci deneyimleri ve algıları. In H. Hülür & C. Yaşın (Eds.), Yeni medya ve toplumsal dönüşümler (pp. 298–428). Ütopya Yayınevi. google scholar
  26. Foy, P. (2022, December 5). What is generative AI? Key concepts & use cases. MLQ.ai. https://www.mlq.ai/what-is-generative-ai/ google scholar
  27. Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903 google scholar
  28. Guest, G., Namey, E. E., & Mitchell, M. L. (2013). Collecting qualitative data: A field manual for applied research. SAGE Publications. google scholar
  29. Gutierrez-Lopez, M., Porlezza, C., Cooper, G., Makri, S., MacFarlane, A., & Missaoui, S. (2022). A question of design: Strategies for embedding AI-driven tools into journalistic work routines. Digital Journalism, 11(3), 484–503. google scholar
  30. Keefe, J., Zhou, Y., & Merrill, J. B. (2021, May 12). The present and potential of AI in journalism. Knight Foundation. https://knightfounda tion.org/articles/the-present-and-potential-of-ai-in-journalism/, google scholar
  31. Kortak, İ. Y. (2023). Yeni medya çağında haber üretiminin değişen yüzü: Haber merkezlerinde yapay zekanın kullanım şekillerinin analizi [Master’s thesis, Marmara University]. Institute of Social Sciences. google scholar
  32. Kothari, A., & Cruikshank, S. A. (2022). Artificial intelligence and journalism: An agenda for journalism research in Africa. African Journalism Studies, 43(1), 17–33. google scholar
  33. Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-11.3.1428 google scholar
  34. Missaoui, S., Gutierrez-Lopez, M., MacFarlane, A., Makri, S., Porlezza, C., & Cooper, G. (2019, May). How to blend journalistic expertise with artificial intelligence for research and verifying news stories. In Proceedings of the CHI 2019 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. google scholar
  35. Moran, R. E., & Shaikh, S. J. (2022). Robots in the news and newsrooms: Unpacking meta-journalistic discourse on the use of artificial intelligence in journalism. Digital Journalism, 10(10), 1756–1774. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2085129 google scholar
  36. Morse, J. M. (1994). Designing funded qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 220–235). Sage Publications. google scholar
  37. Mwita, K. M. (2022). Factors influencing data saturation in qualitative studies. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 11(4), 414–420. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v11i4.1776 google scholar
  38. Newman, N. (2024). Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2024. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-01/Newman%20-%20Trends%20and%20Predictions%202024% 20FINAL.pdf, google scholar
  39. Nishal, S., & Diakopoulos, N. (2023). Envisioning the applications and implications of generative AI for news media. In Proceedings of the CHI ’23 Workshop on Generative AI and HCI (pp. 1–8). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/nnnnnnn.nnnnnnn google scholar
  40. Pavlik, J. V. (2023). Collaborating with ChatGPT: Considering the implications of generative artificial intelligence for journalism and media education. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 78(1), 84–93. google scholar
  41. Renner, N. (2017, June 16). As AI enters newsrooms, journalists have urgent responsibility. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr. org/tow_center/artificial-intelligence-newsrooms.php google scholar
  42. Rinehart, A., & Kung, E. (2022). Artificial intelligence in local news: A survey of US newsrooms' AI readiness. The Associated Press. google scholar
  43. Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE Publications. google scholar
  44. Schiffrin, A. (2024). AI and the future of journalism: An issue brief for stakeholders. UNESCO. google scholar
  45. Schiller, V., & Brundett, T. (2024, February 13). AI is a big opportunity for the news media. Let's not blow it. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/analysis/ai-opportunity-news-media-lets-not-blow-it.php, google scholar
  46. Simon, F. M. (2024, February 6). Artificial intelligence in the news: How AI retools, rationalizes, and reshapes journalism and the public arena. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/artificial-intelligence-in-the-news.php, google scholar
  47. Small, M. L. (2009). “How many cases do I need?”: On science and the logic of case selection in field-based research. Ethnography, 10(1), 5–38. google scholar
  48. Staller, K. M. (2021). Big enough? Sampling in qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Social Work, 20(4), 897–904. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 14733250211024516 google scholar
  49. Stray, J. (2019). Making artificial intelligence work for investigative journalism. Digital Journalism, 7(8), 1076–1097. https://doi.org/10. 1080/21670811.2019.1630289 google scholar
  50. Thäsler-Kordonouri, S. (2024). What comes after the algorithm? An investigation of journalists’ post-editing of automated news text. Journalism Practice, 1(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2404692 google scholar
  51. The New York Times. (2024, October 7). How The New York Times uses A.I for journalism. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/07/reader- center/how-new-york-times-uses-ai-journalism.html, google scholar
  52. Türksoy, N. (2022). The future of public relations, advertising and journalism: How artificial intelligence may transform the communi- cation profession and why society should care? Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi / Turkish Review of Communication Studies, 40, 394–410. google scholar
  53. Uzunoğlu, S. (2023, July 26). Haber odasında yapay zekâ: Temkinli bir iyimserlik şart. newslabTürkiye. https://www. newslabTürkiye.org/2023/07/26/haber-odasinda-yapay-zeka-temkinli-bir-iyimserlik-sart/ google scholar
  54. Yu, Y., & Huang, K. (2021). Friend or foe? Human journalists’ perspectives on artificial intelligence in Chinese media outlets. Chinese Journal of Communication, 14(4), 409–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2021.1915832 google scholar