Trust me, I’m a journalist: The power of authentic storytelling vs AI
Much has been written – ironically – about the decline of traditional journalism, and there’s no doubt that it is unrecognisable compared to when I started out as a reporter.
I could go on for hours about those glory days (and for anyone who ever worked in a local newspaper office, Alex Morrison’s There’s Someone in Reception: Adventures in Local Journalism is an enjoyable trip down memory lane).
The explosion of technology in the years since have changed almost every aspect – from how journalists find stories, who and what their sources are, to how, when and where they’re reported.
Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is how consumers themselves now choose their news and the dizzying array of sources to pick from, not all of them good.
In a world where fake news, clickbait and biased reporting seem to lurk around every corner, the annual Digital News Report published earlier this month by the Reuters Institute offers a glimmer of hope.
Whilst the headline is less than inspiring – the public’s trust in news has fallen to an all-time low – the global study of almost 100,000 people in 48 markets shows that support for impartial news remains high, albeit consumed in a different way with 77% watching online news videos at least once a week.
More people are accessing news via social media, although just one in 10 of those surveyed said creators and influencers met their news needs, suggesting that they are complementing rather than replacing more traditional formats.
The report says: “Against the backdrop of disruptive political, economic and social change, core news values nevertheless remain relevant.
“While opinions may be fragmenting in many countries, support for principles such as impartiality persists, even if audiences express dissatisfaction with aspects of their current news experience.
“People still care about what news and journalism – in new ways and in some traditional forms – aspire to.
“The popularity of creators and online video is not evidence that people no longer want news, but it suggests they want news to feel more accessible, more understandable, and more relevant to their lives.”
People buy people
As specialists in legal and litigation PR, we know the power of authentic storytelling – creating relatable content that connects with its intended audience. That could be on a practical level, explaining a legal development that affects them, or on an emotional level, shining a light on injustice and helping victims of negligence and wrongdoing raise awareness and seek the support they deserve.
The stories that resonate the most are always those that have a human-interest angle – the clue’s in the name – and I suspect that will always be the case.
People buy people, as the saying goes. People buy authenticity and relatability and will see straight through a sales plug thinly disguised as a story or something that’s clearly been written by AI. A growing number of the publications we work with have clauses written into their contributor agreements now which specify that any content submitted must be written by a real life expert and not a bot.
Brands, in order to survive and grow, have to earn credibility and trust, something which is hard won and easily lost in today’s digital-first world. The Telegraph last year was accused of publishing a story about an AI-generated banker and his wife and their struggle to pay school fees. It later transpired that the article had been written by a real journalist, who themselves had been duped by the person they were interviewing, but the paper was still widely criticised – including a reprimand from the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).
A recent investigation by Which? identified brands using AI-generated influencers to push their products on social media, something which is unlikely to inspire trust or loyalty in consumers.
Even the algorithms that we all love to hate on platforms like Google and LinkedIn are flying the flag for authentic storytelling, prioritising useful content that is thoughtful, informative and adds value.
From video-sharing platforms to podcasts, accessed directly or via social media, the way we get our news has changed and will continue to evolve. The news we want, however, is still rooted in authentic storytelling from credible sources and brands that fail to realise this risk being left behind, floundering in a sea of their own AI slop.
