Abstract
There is broad agreement that flourishing democracies need adequate journalism, so called democracyrelevant journalism. In many countries such democracy-relevant journalism is severely challenged these days. Some say the challenges result from the ongoing digitization (e.g., platform-based ownership and business models, ad-tech, vast amounts of content, misinformation, deepfakes). Others consider innovative digital solutions (e.g., AI and GenAI increasing production efficiency, algorithms detecting fake news and hate speech, AI/IS-based verification systems) to be crucial levers for tackling these challenges. We discuss how insights from the Information Systems (IS) discipline can be transferred to the specifics of democracy-relevant journalism. How can IS-based research contribute to securing democracy-relevant journalism? What additional studies would help in this socially relevant endeavor? Where are the limits of IS-based contributions? By exploring diverse perspectives, the panel aims to trigger broader conversations that position IS research at the forefront of this – for all our societies – critical and transformative moment.
Recommended Citation
Loebbecke, Claudia; Ågerfalk, Pär J.; Beck, Roman; and Krasnova, Hanna, "DEPLOYING IS RESEARCH FOR SECURING DEMOCRACY-RELEVANT JOURNALISM: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES" (2025). ECIS 2025 Proceedings. 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2025/panels/panels/4
DEPLOYING IS RESEARCH FOR SECURING DEMOCRACY-RELEVANT JOURNALISM: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
There is broad agreement that flourishing democracies need adequate journalism, so called democracyrelevant journalism. In many countries such democracy-relevant journalism is severely challenged these days. Some say the challenges result from the ongoing digitization (e.g., platform-based ownership and business models, ad-tech, vast amounts of content, misinformation, deepfakes). Others consider innovative digital solutions (e.g., AI and GenAI increasing production efficiency, algorithms detecting fake news and hate speech, AI/IS-based verification systems) to be crucial levers for tackling these challenges. We discuss how insights from the Information Systems (IS) discipline can be transferred to the specifics of democracy-relevant journalism. How can IS-based research contribute to securing democracy-relevant journalism? What additional studies would help in this socially relevant endeavor? Where are the limits of IS-based contributions? By exploring diverse perspectives, the panel aims to trigger broader conversations that position IS research at the forefront of this – for all our societies – critical and transformative moment.
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.