DECEMBER 25 — Looking back over the centuries-long development of journalism, its progress has repeatedly benefitted from transformations in information and communication technologies (ICTs). Each major technological innovation has, in one way or another, contributed to the advancement of journalism, albeit often accompanied by disruption and challenges.

Historically, the newspaper and publishing industries owe a debt of gratitude to Johannes Gutenberg, who invented movable-type printing press in the 15th century. This invention significantly increased the speed of reproducing multiple copies and greatly reduced printing costs. It not only laid the foundation for modern printing but also helped improve literacy, narrow knowledge gaps, and mitigate inequalities of power.

Technological change and the advancement of journalism

In 1811, some 360 years after Gutenberg’s invention of the manual printing press, the German engineers Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Bauer invented the first functional steam-powered cylinder printing press. In 1814, it was first used successfully in London to print The Times. This innovation marked the transition of printing from manual production to industrialisation. By the 1830s, steam-powered presses could produce up to 4,000 copies per hour, making affordable mass-circulation newspapers possible. This historical development unquestionably contributed to the rapid growth and flourishing of the newspaper industry.

In 1844, Samuel F. B. Morse invented the telegraph, which used electricity to transmit messages almost instantaneously over long distances. This invention dramatically shortened the time it took for frontline reporters to send copies back to editorial offices. As a result, “news” truly became news that readers could access in real time, rather than information received days later as outdated reports.

In 1887, Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves, and Guglielmo Marconi subsequently developed wireless communication devices. From this point onwards, a new player entered the media industry: radio broadcasting. In addition to reading about current affairs in newspapers, audiences could now listen to news delivered by radio presenters. Since reading newspapers required literacy, the advent of radio and broadcasting enabled those with lower literacy levels to keep abreast of current events through listening.

In 1927, Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin invented television. From then on, news was no longer limited to text and images but also included sound and moving images. With the emergence of colour television in the 1950s, the audiovisual impact of television news became even more powerful.

The evolution of communication technologies in the 19th and early 20th centuries gave rise to new media forms. The emergence of new media, however, did not lead to the extinction of older ones. Radio did not eliminate newspapers, and television did not eliminate radio. Newspapers, radio, and television have continued to coexist, complementing one another in meeting diverse audience needs while collectively raising standards of news production.

The internet’s challenge to traditional journalism

The internet, which began to emerge towards the end of the twentieth century, presents a rather different picture. James Curran and Jean Seaton (2003) divide the development of the Internet into four main stages.

The first stage began in the 1970s, when scientists used the internet primarily to share expensive computing resources, exchange research materials, and respond via email. At this point, it functioned largely as a research tool for technological elites.

The second stage occurred in the early to mid-1980s, when the broadly defined internet entered a subcultural and proto-commercial phase. Computer networks expanded and diversified, leading to wider computer usage.

The third stage, from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, was a transitional period in which the Internet gradually shifted from being primarily a research tool and subcultural playground towards commercial applications.

The fourth stage, from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, marked the commercialisation of cyberspace.

Once the internet entered its commercialised phase and became widely accessible to ordinary households in the 1990s, its impact on journalism was profound. Indeed, it posed an existential threat to traditional media. Native online news portals emerged rapidly, most of them offering content free of charge. The rise and proliferation of news websites undoubtedly constituted a challenge, if not a direct threat, to the press. Newspaper circulation declined year by year, television ratings steadily fell, and advertising revenue flowed in large volumes towards online media, particularly social media platforms.

The convergence of journalism and internet technology has become irreversible. The urgent challenge lies in how best to harness emerging Internet technologies as potential pathways forward, especially in anticipation of a future in which printed newspapers may eventually disappear.

Guarding against technological fetishism and neglect of craftsmanship

Nevertheless, when applying emerging ICTs in journalism, whether earlier forms such as data journalism or more recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI), we must guard against falling into the traps of technological determinism or technological fetishism. These perspectives place blind faith in technology, assuming that as long as sufficient capital and resources are invested, and the most fashionable technologies, especially AI, are deployed, journalistic products will inevitably be safeguarded or enhanced, and lost audiences will be recovered.

The fundamental flaw of technological determinism lies in its tendency to exaggerate the decisive power of technology while underestimating the influence of other factors. As the British cultural theorist Raymond Williams emphasised, human beings exercise agency in their use of technology. Technology itself does not determine outcomes; rather, it is the product of specific social systems. Throughout social development, numerous conflicting factors are at play. These may enable us to appropriate new technologies in novel ways or repurpose them towards goals quite different from existing social arrangements. Ultimately, how technology is used, and for what purposes, remains part of the broader processes of social development, growth, and struggle.

In other words, when embracing emerging communication technologies, we must constantly remind ourselves: people should control tools, not be controlled by them. Since the 19th century, communication technologies have indeed facilitated the growth of journalism. However, regardless of how convenient and efficient technology becomes, journalism, being an industry centred on content production, must never neglect the importance of craftsmanship.

The essence lies at craftsmanship

What, then, is meant by “craftsmanship”? It refers to the attitude of diligently honing one’s own knowledge and skills, striving for perfection, and having a passion for excellence and continual refinement in one’s chosen profession.

Should journalism not aspire to this same spirit of craftsmanship? After gathering materials, journalists must accurately grasp the key points of a story so that audiences not only understand what happened, but also why it happened. Commentators must perceive the broader picture, diagnose social problems incisively, and articulate public concerns. Photojournalists, camera in hand, freeze moments at the scene into images that convey warmth, empathy, and emotional impact. Outstanding journalists achieve these results only through sustained self-discipline, diligent honing of their craft, and thoughtful creativity in everyday practice. 

It is through such craftsmanship that we can sense an author’s moral courage in a well-written piece, or feel a photographer’s compassion in a powerful image. Works shaped by craftsmanship reveal the creator’s soul; the author’s presence is vividly imprinted upon the work.

As we embrace AI, we must remain vigilant against mindsets of technological determinism and fetishism that erode human craftsmanship. Overreliance on AI risks fostering intellectual laziness - defaulting to machine-generated outputs that lack ambition, exhibit monotonous style, or even contain obvious and rudimentary errors.

This is not to argue for rejecting AI’s assistance. Rather, it is a reminder that in embracing AI, we must uphold the principle of “craftsmanship as the essence, AI as the tool”. Craftsmanship remains fundamental; AI is merely an instrument for extending human capability. 

Craftsmanship as the compass for revitalising journalism

Take data journalism as an example. In 2009, The Guardian launched its Datablog, widely regarded as a pioneering instance of a major news organisation adopting data journalism. By leveraging Internet technologies to analyse and filter large datasets and presenting the results through multimedia formats, data journalism sought to renew audience engagement with critical issues in the digital age. Yet decisions about which topics to pursue, how to define problems, which data to analyse, and how to construct narratives infused with human sensitivity and warmth all ultimately depend on the journalist’s craftsmanship.

The same applies to AI. While it is tempting to allow AI to generate outputs with a few keystrokes, the quality of those outputs depends on our ability to ask precise, insightful questions that are contextually grounded and reflect humanistic concern. The effectiveness of prompts ultimately reflects the intellectual depth of the person posing them. If the questioner lacks knowledge, vision, or rigour, the resulting output will almost certainly be mediocre.

For this reason, we must also be wary of misconceptions about higher education and academic training in the age of AI — the belief that with AI assistance, formal learning pathways are no longer necessary, and mediocrity can easily pass for talent. Should this trend go unchecked, we may one day collectively lament the disappearance of craftsmanship. In short, valuing craftsmanship and cultivating talent remain central to any hope of revitalising journalism.

It is therefore no coincidence that Microsoft named its AI assistant, released in 2023, Copilot. The term itself reminds us that AI is merely a co-pilot. The true pilot, the one who sets direction and exercises judgement, must always be the craftsman endowed with insight, responsibility, and human wisdom.

* Assoc Prof Dr Chang Teck Peng is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Communication and Creative Industries (FCCI), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT). 

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.