Au oma ed spo s jou nalism. The AnaFu case s udy, he bo
de eloped by El Con idencial o w i ing oo ball ma ch epo s
Pe iodismo depo i o au oma izado. Es udio de caso de AnaFu , el bo
desa ollado po El Con idencial pa a la esc i u a de c ónicas de ú bol
doxa.comunicación | nº 29, pp. 235-254 | 235
July-Decembe o 2019
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How o ci e his a icle:
Rojas To ijos, J. L. and Tou al B an, C. (2019). Au oma ed spo s jou nalism. The AnaFu case s udy, he bo de eloped by El
Con idencial o w i ing oo ball ma ch epo s. Doxa Comunicación, 29, pp. 235-254.
h ps://doi.o g/10.31921/doxacom.n29a12
José Luis Rojas To ijos. PhD in Jou nalism om he Uni e si y o Se illa, he holds a posi ion as p o esso
in he Jou nalism II Depa men a he same uni e si y. P o esso Rojas To ijos is a membe o he esea ch
g oup en i led Communica ion & Social Sciences (COM&SOC) as well as a lec u e in he ollowing Mas e ’s
Deg ee cou ses: Inno a ion in Jou nalism a Miguel He nández Uni e si y, Spo s Jou nalism a Pompeu Fab a
Uni e si y, Communica ion and Spo s Jou nalism a he Eu opean Uni e si y o Mad id, Spo s Jou nalism a
Uni e si y CEU San Pablo-Ma ca and Spo s Jou nalism a UCAM. He is also coo dina o o he collec i e wo k
en i led Pe iodismo depo i o de manual, and co-au ho o En An ena, he s ylebook o Cadena SER.
Uni e si y o Se illa, spain
[email p o ec ed]
ORCID: 0000-0002-7390-9843
Ca los Tou al B an. PhD in Communica ion Sciences om he Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela (USC). P o esso
Tou al B an also eaches Mul imedia, New Fo ma s and Cybe Cul u e in he Depa men o Communica ion
Sciences a he same uni e si y. He has been Vice Dean o he Facul y o Communica ion Sciences a USC as well as
a jou nalis since 2006, and has pa icipa ed in he esea ch g oup known as No os Medios, o which he is sec e a y
o he g oup. He is also edi o o he jou nal o he Spanish Associa ion o Communica ion Resea ch, and p esiden
o he Galician Associa ion o Communica ion Resea che s (AGACOM).
Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela, Spain
[email p o ec ed]
ORCID: 0000-0002-0961-3925
Abs ac :
Spo s co e age has become an expanding ield o au oma ed
jou nalism due o he peculia i ies o he compe i ions. Spo ing
e en s ha e an impo an s a is ical base ha os e s he use o
s uc u ed da ase s and helps media ou le s schedule in o ma ion
ou ines because o he cyclic and epe i i e na u e o ma ches and
ou namen s, and consequen ly, o news co e age. This a icle is a
case s udy o AnaFu , he i s bo de eloped by he digi al na i e
El Con idencial. This is he i s Spanish media ou le o use his
echnology o he au oma ed w i ing o oo ball ma ch epo s.
Resumen:
El pe iodismo au oma izado ha hallado en las cobe u as depo i-
as un ámbi o p opicio pa a su expansión, debido a la p opia na u-
aleza de las compe iciones. Es as ienen una impo an e sus ancia
es adís ica que a o ece el manejo de da os o denados y pe mi e la
p og amación de u inas in o ma i as, dado el ca ác e cíclico y e-
pe i i o de la celeb ación de pa idos y o neos y, po ex ensión, del
seguimien o que hacen los medios. Es e a ículo se de iene en el es-
udio de caso de AnaFu , el bo desa ollado po el na i o digi al El
Con idencial, p ime medio español en usa es a ecnología pa a la
Recei ed: 31/07/2019 - Accep ed: 30/10/2019 Recibido: 31/07/2019 - Acep ado: 30/10/2019
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1. In oduc ion: au oma ed jou nalism and news oom au oma ion
The ela ionship be ween in o ma ion, jou nalis s, news ooms, media, algo i hms, bo s and A i icial In elligence has
been de ined in a ious ways by many au ho s in ecen yea s. They all ha e one common denomina o , which is he
undeniable ela ionship be ween he wo lds o “compu ing, social science and communica ion” (Flew e al., 2012). Fo
Ca lson (2014), hese a e “algo i hmic p ocesses ha con e da a in o in o ma i e, na a i e ex s wi h li le o no human
in e en ion o he han ini ial p og amming”. G ae e (2016), on he o he hand, de ines he phenomenon as a “p ocess o
using so wa e o algo i hms o gene a e news au oma ically wi hou human in e en ion a e he ini ial p og amming
o he algo i hm”.
Thus, on he basis o hese de ini ions, we also encoun e di e en nomencla u es, anging om au oma ed jou nalism
(G ae e, 2016), o algo i hmic jou nalism (Dö , 2016), o obo ic jou nalism (O emus, 2015). All o hese a e he esul o
a echnological p ocess ha began a he end o he 1980s o he wen ie h cen u y (Túñez López, Tou al B an, Cachei o
Requeijo, 2018), which ocused on he p oduc ion o jou nalis ic con en , analysis and isualisa ion (Ca lson, 2014; Gao,
Hullman, Ada , Hech and Diakopoulos, 2014; Diakopoulos, 2014; Young and He mida, 2014; B oussa d, 2015; Ce e a,
2017).
In addi ion o he asks esul ing om he de ini ion i sel , o some au ho s (Loko and Diakopoulos, 2016), he main asks
o bo s ha e o do wi h pa icipa ing in dissemina ion on social pla o ms, suppo ing and managing b oadcas s, and
adding web con en (S a bi d, Leysia, Hughes and Vieweg, 2010; Mi al and Kuma agu u, 2014), while a he same ime
being capable o iden i ying ac s and e en s o jou nalis ic ele ance o la e di ussion (S eine , 2014).
1.1. S a e o he issue in he academic ield
In he academic ield, s udies on he applica ion o A i icial In elligence o he au oma ed c ea ion o news ha e
inc eased in he las 15 yea s bo h in he quan i y and quali y o he esea ch, and in he numbe o delibe a ions on he
phenomenon (Sla e y Roune , 2002; Powe s, 2012; Le y, 2012;Ka lsen y S a elin, 2013; Ma sumo o, Nakayama, Ha ada
y Kuniyoshi, 2007; Napoli, 2012; Van Dalen, 2012; Cle wall, 2014; Edge, 2014; La a , 2014; Ca lson, 2014; O emus, 2015;
This s udy comp ises he con en analysis o eigh y ex s publi-
shed on he web, semi-s uc u ed in e iews o jou nalis s om El
Con idencial, as well as a ques ionnai e ca ied ou wi h a panel o
i e expe s. Resul s show ha he de elopmen and applica ion o
A i icial In elligence in jou nalism, and pa icula ly in he spo s
ield, is s ill in he ini ial s ages, and ha news o ganiza ions om
he mos echnologically ad anced coun ies a e leading he way
in e ms o inno a ion.
Keywo ds:
Au oma ed jou nalism, obo jou nalism, da a jou nalism, spo s
jou nalism, jou nalis ic ma ch epo .
esc i u a au omá ica de c ónicas depo i as. A a és del análisis de
con enido de ochen a c ónicas publicadas, en e is as semies uc-
u adas a pe iodis as del medio y cues iona ios a un panel de cinco
expe os, los esul ados indican que el desa ollo y la aplicación de
la In eligencia A i icial al pe iodismo, y pa icula men e al pe i-
odismo depo i o, se encuen a en una ase inicial donde las o ga-
nizaciones mediá icas de los países más desen uel os ecnológica-
men e lide an la p ospección en é minos de inno ación.
Palab as cla e:
Pe iodismo au oma izado, pe iodismo obo , pe iodismo de da os,
pe iodismo depo i o, c ónica pe iodís ica.
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Lecomp e, 2015; Dö , 2016; G ae e e . al, 2016; Fan a, 2017; Hansen, Roca-Sales, Keegan y King, 2017; Lindén, 2017;
Ma coni y Siegman, 2017; Ushe , 2017; Renó y Renó 2017; Salaza , 2018; Wölkee y Powell, 2018). This quan i a i e and
quali a i e inc ease in esea ch has helped place he ocus on au oma ed con en gene a ion in he jou nalis ic ield as an
essen ial phenomenon in e ms o in o ma ion p oduc ion and consump ion by audiences.
G ae e (2016a) and Dö (2016) we e among he i s o de elop a lis o media ha we e al eady using au oma ed me hods
o con en p oduc ion. On he o he hand, i was Fan a (2017) who ocused on news agencies in o de o iden i y which o
hem p oduced con en using algo i hms and ools designed o p oduce in o ma ion in an au oma ed way.
O he esea che s ocused on he beha iou o he media when con on ed wi h con en au oma ion (Lindén, 2017), as
well as on he bene i s o cus omizing local in o ma ion h ough he applica ion o da a au oma ion ools (Lecomp e,
2015), he audience’s pe cep ion o he in o ma i e con en p oduced by applying A i icial In elligence me hods (G ae e,
2016b), and on he esponse o di e en audience segmen s (di ided by age g oup) o ex s p oduced by humans and
obo s (Sla e and Roune , 2002).
The ques ion o he jou nalis ic p o ession and how i ela es o he phenomenon o au oma ion has also been add essed
(Túñez López, Tou al B an and Cachei o Requeijo; 2018). Fo hei pa , Thu man, Dö and Kune (2017) ha e conduc ed
in e iews wi h jou nalis s om he BBC, CNN, Thomson Reu e s and o he s wi h he aim o inding ou hei opinion
on some jou nalis ic a icles p oduced using au oma ion echniques. Meanwhile, one o he i s o add ess he issue o
he ela ionship be ween jou nalis s and au oma ion was Van Dalen (2012), who analysed how se e al jou nalis s eac ed
o he launch o S a Shee , a ne wo k o in o ma ion websi es specialising in spo s opics w i en en i ely by machines.
Wi hin his new con ex , he jou nalis ic p o ession would each, o some au ho s, a s a e in which he collabo a i e
aspec would become much mo e impo an due o he libe a ion o jou nalis s om ce ain assignmen s hanks o he
applica ion o au oma ion me hods and he use o wo k syne gies (Cle wall, 2014).
A i icial in elligence (AI) is now an indispu able eali y in news ooms. Wi hin he g owing applica ion o his echnology
in jou nalis ic p oduc ion, he echnological de elopmen and applica ion o bo s and algo i hms o he au oma ic w i ing
o in o ma i e ex s s and ou .
2. Au oma ed spo s jou nalism
Apa om he wo ld o inance, he so-called “ obo jou nalism”, o “au oma ed jou nalism”, has ound he a ea o spo s
co e age o be a mo e sui able ield o i s de elopmen . This has been he case e e since majo news agencies began
p oducing ele ypes om gene a ed da a and algo i hms o b oaden hei co e age o di e en compe i ions. Some o
hese agencies ha e included AP and AFP in 2014, and Reu e s in 2015.
Thus, news agencies pa ed he way o he es o he impo an media o ganiza ions, which soon began o apply au oma ed
asks o hei co e age in o de o each mo e si es and audiences, and o espond o b eaking news as dynamically as
possible”.
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To his day, mo e han wen y majo media ou le s in se e al coun ies use bo s o expand, s eamline and di e si y hei
co e age o spo ing e en s (Rojas To ijos, 2019).Some apply hem o con inuous and las -minu e acking o esul s on
Twi e (The Washing on Pos ), o he s o he gene a ion o g aphics o en ich hei li e e en s (The Teleg aph), while an
inc easing numbe o media o ganiza ions decide o use hem o imp o e hei local co e age ( he Mi Media g oup in
Sweden, o he P ess Associa ion agency o local p ess g oups in he UK).
The sp ead o his echnology in he ield o spo s is di ec ly ela ed o he na u e o he compe i ions hemsel es. These
ha e an impo an s a is ical base ha a ou s he managemen o o ganised da a and allows o he p og amming o
in o ma i e ou ines gi en he cyclical and epe i i e na u e o ma ches and compe i ions and hei moni o ing in he
media.
This inc ease in he use o au oma ed in o ma ion-w i ing bo s has gene a ed a deba e wi hin he p o ession in ecen
yea s. The deba e has o do wi h se ing bounda ies be ween he unc ions o machines and people, as well as he
consequences o hei use in a jou nalis ic wo ld ha we e mo e agile, di e se, and o pa icula ly highe quali y.
So a , many o he expe imen s de eloped by benchma k in e na ional media o ganiza ions ha e shown ha bo s can be
use ul o he indus y in co e ing mo e opics, expanding hei audience, and en iching co e age wi h da a ha is mo e
abundan and as e , and i possible, in eal ime h ough new digi al and mobile pla o ms.
3. Case s udy: AnaFu , he new edi o o El Con idencial
Bea ing his con ex in mind, he p esen a icle add esses he case s udy o he i s echnology o his ype de eloped
by a Spanish media company o he au oma ic w i ing o spo s epo s. The case in ol es a bo nicknamed AnaFu ,
de eloped by he digi al na i e El Con idencial h ough i s jou nalis ic inno a ion labo a o y (El Con idencial Lab) in
Sep embe 2017, and his media began using i in ea ly 2018 o p oduce oo ball ma ch epo s om he Second Di ision
B and Thi d Di ision leagues on a na ional le el.
3.1. Objec i es and hypo hesis
On one hand, his s udy analyses he s uc u e and con en o hese au oma ically p oduced ex s in o de o ex ac
quan i a i e and quali a i e measu emen s on he ype o language ha is na u ally-p oduced, and on he o he hand, i s
consequences on p oduc quali y wi hin he con ex o he Spo s sec ion o his media company.
The esea ch is based on he hypo hesis ha he ou ine and s a is ical na u e o oo ball na a i es a ou s he applica ion
o a i icial in elligence in his a ea o in o ma ion o e o he s, and ha he au oma ion o spo s epo s is he esul o he
e inemen in he p og amming o a se ies o p e-es ablished edi o ial linguis ic models ha a e gene a ed om da a and
epea ed wi hou he need o human in e en ion once he ex s ha e been published.
The e o e, he na u e o he epo s au oma ically gene a ed by his bo causes he esul ing ex o ha e he endency
o e lec a se ies o linguis ic epe i ions, especially in he use o e bs and exp essions when i comes o si ua ions o
ic o y, de ea o a ie in he cou se o a ma ch, bu which a e amendable and a oidable om he momen he human
edi o p epa es he machine.
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Thus, he i s sub-hypo hesis should poin ou ha hese ypes o epo s, in spi e o wo king as a kind o empla e ha
p edisposes he s uc u e, o de and leng h o he headlines and pa ag aphs in he body o he ex , a e imp o ed by
p og amming h ough he in oduc ion o synonyms and second e e ences, as well as s a is ical con ex da a, in o de o
he epo s o be mo e in o ma i e and a ac i e.
Mo eo e , as a second sub-hypo hesis, hese au oma ed epo s a e suppo ed by da a and supposedly unques ionable
ac s, which makes i di icul o ind subjec i e elemen s in hem. When hese da a appea , hey e lec he in e p e a ion
ha he jou nalis -edi o who has en e ed he da a in o he p og amming may ha e cons ued o si ua ions ha usually
occu in a oo ball ma ch. Mo eo e , hese pa icula ‘ eadings’ o he game, due o linguis ic habi s acqui ed among
spo s jou nalis s, a imes may no co espond exac ly o wha happened on he ield.
Taking in o accoun he s a ing poin o he hypo hesis and he sub-hypo heses o his case s udy, he objec i es o his
esea ch a e as ollows:
- Analyse he s uc u e and con en o he spo s epo s gene a ed au oma ically by he i ual edi o AnaFu in El
Con idencial.
- Ob ain quan i a i e and quali a i e measu emen s on he ype o na u ally-gene a ed language p oduced, paying
special a en ion o he deg ee o epe i ion exis ing in o mulas e e ing o si ua ions o ic o y, ie o de ea in he
cou se o he ma ches epo ed.
- Examine he use o synonyms and second e e ences in ex s, as well as he inpu o s a is ical da a ha may lead o an
imp o emen in he quali y o he epo s.
- E alua e he ex en o which he use o he echnology can bene i his ype o jou nalism, based on con en analysis and
he ga he ing o opinions h ough in e iews wi h jou nalis s and ques ionnai es gi en o expe s, as his echnology
o e s g ea e opic di e si ica ion, a wide scope o news co e age, and he emo al o au oma ic asks om edi o s so
hey can de o e mo e ime o epo ing and esea ch.
3.2. Sample and me hodology
Fo his pu pose, based on a sample ha includes he de ailed analysis o 80 au oma ically-gene a ed epo s published
on he El Con idencial websi e du ing he 2018/2019 season, a iables ha e been s ablished ha include leng h o he
a icles, leng h o pa ag aphs, ypes o headlines, lexicon used, e c. Mo eo e , he o e all aim is o e alua e he deg ee o
epe i ion o hese ex s and o conside he ex en o which his echnology can be imp o ed on he basis o p og amming
and human edi o ial in e en ion o supe ision.
In e iews and ques ionnai es
In o de o comple e his analysis and gi e mo e con ex o he s udy, wo o he me hodological echniques ha e been
used: on one hand, semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h hose di ec ly esponsible o he El Con idencial Lab, he depa men
ha de eloped he echnology, as well as wi h hose in cha ge o he media’s Spo s news oom, whe e i s applica ion
began; on he o he hand, ques ionnai es we e gi en o a panel o i e expe s in jou nalis ic inno a ion.
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The in e iews we e conduc ed wi h Alejand o Laso, di ec o o El Con idencial Lab, and Víc o Ga cía, edi o -in-chie o
he media’s Spo s sec ion. Wi h ega d o he ques ionnai es, hey we e sen o academics who specialise in inno a ion
and new echnologies in jou nalism om se e al Spanish uni e si ies. These indi iduals a e as ollows, in alphabe ical
o de :
– Lluís Codina is ull p o esso in he Depa men o Communica ion o Pompeu Fab a Uni e si y, Di ec o o he Su-
ppo Uni o Quali y and Teaching Inno a ion, and Coo dina o o he Resea ch G oup on Digi al Documen a ion
and In e ac i e Communica ion. He is one o he leading igu es in he ield o digi al jou nalism in a gene al sense,
and especially in opics ela ed o he seman ic web, da abases, jou nalis ic documen a ion, and documen a y in o -
ma ion sys ems.
– Miguel Ca ajal P ie o is a PhD lec u e in he Depa men o Social and Human Sciences a Miguel He nández Uni-
e si y in Elche, Di ec o o he Mas e ’s Deg ee p og amme in Inno a ion and Jou nalism, and one o he mos enow-
ned expe s in he s udy o inno a ion in Spain.
– Miguel Túñez López is ull p o esso o O ganisa ional Communica ion and Communica ion S a egies in he De-
pa men o Communica ion Sciences a he Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela, Di ec o o he Pos g adua e p o-
g amme in Con empo a y Communica ion and In o ma ion, and one o he mos ac i e esea che s in he ield o
in o ma ion au oma ion p ocesses.
– Ramón Sala e ía Aliaga is Full P o esso in he Depa men o Jou nalis ic P ojec s a he Uni e si y o Na a a, Vice
Dean o Resea ch on he Communica ion Facul y o he Uni e si y o Na a a, Sub-Di ec o o he Cen e o In e ne
S udies and Digi al Li e, and one o he mos ou s anding academic e e ences in he ield o cybe jou nalism and
digi al media a he na ional and in e na ional le el.
– Xosé López Ga cía, Jou nalism Chai o he Depa men o Communica ion Sciences a he Uni e si y o San iago de
Compos ela, Di ec o o he No os Medios Resea ch G oup, and among hose esea che s wi h he mos dis inguished
in es iga i e ca ee s in he ield o digi al jou nalism in Spain.
The s anda d ques ionnai e p epa ed and sen o he panel o expe s consis ed o he ollowing i e ques ions:
– Wha is you pe cep ion o he applica ion o a i icial in elligence o jou nalism?
– Speaking o his echnology, wha is you opinion ega ding he con ibu ion o bo s o he au oma ic w i ing o news?
– To wha ex en can bo s con ibu e o he b oadening o spo s co e age, one o he a eas in which hey a e mos wi-
dely used?
– To which opics and spo s compe i ions do you hink he media could bes apply his echnology?
– To wha ex en do you conside his echnology imp o able? Could his imp o emen possibly be achie ed by edi o ial
in e en ion o h ough supe ision by he edi o s o gi e he inishing ouch o he ex be o e i s inal publica ion?
Analysis shee
Fo he con en analysis o his case s udy, an analysis shee was d awn up con aining a o al o ele en aspec s in o de o
check he deg ee o epe i ion o he bo ’s w i ing, o in o he wo ds, he ex en o which he p og amming o ha language
is e lec ed, which is gene a ed au oma ically on he basis o human inpu .
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In his way, measu emen o he epo ex by means o his analysis has made i possible o compa e he mos o mal
aspec s o hose mos ela ed o he con en o he in o ma ion in o de o es ablish he deg ee o a ie y o hese ex s, and
wi h i , he quali y o he p og amming o he da a in oduced.
Wi h ega d o he mo e o mal aspec s, he ollowing ha e all been analysed: The p epa a ion o headlines; subheadings
and p e-headings; he numbe o pa ag aphs; he s uc u e; he o de o he elemen s in he ex ; and he leng h o he
sen ences. Meanwhile, he use o s a is ical da a and sou ces, as well as he use o lexicon (wi h special emphasis on
he mos hea ily used e bs and adjec i es), and o he aspec s o s yle ha measu e epe i ions wi hin he ex (use o
synonyms and second e e ences, o no ) ha e been s udied in e ms o con en .
In his way, e ms used by he bo when e e ing o simila si ua ions such as ic o y, d aw, de ea , coaches and
eplacemen s, e e ees and wa nings, ha e also been e alua ed. Mo eo e , i subjec i e o in e p e a i e elemen s had
slipped in o hose ex ual e e ences, hese would ha e been due o p e ious human in e en ion as well.
The e o e, he ele en i ems on he analysis shee a e a anged in h ee sec ions: elemen s o he headline, body o he ex ,
and aspec s o w i ing and s yle. These a e as ollows:
Elemen s o he headline
- Headline (includes esul / does no include esul )
- Subheading (includes esul / does no include esul ; enhances headline o s a is ical e e ences / does no enhance
headline o s a is ical e e ences)
- P e-heading (b oadens headline in o ma ion / epea s headline)
Body o he ex
- Leng h (numbe o pa ag aphs)
- Du a ion (es ima ed eading ime)
- Sen ences pe pa ag aph
Aspec s o w i ing and s yle
(Use o synonyms o second e e ences in e bs and adjec i es, subjec i e /in e p e a i e elemen s)
- Ways o e e o ic o y
- Ways o e e o a ie
- Ways o alk abou a de ea
- Ways o e e o coaches and eplacemen s
- Ways o e e o e e ees and wa nings
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4. Resul s
The analysis o El Con idencial’s au oma ed oo ball epo s used a sample o eigh y published ex s ela ed o all ma ches
o he Na ional Championship o he Second Di ision B League played on he 9 h and 10 h o Feb ua y and he 2nd and 3 d
o Ma ch, 2019.
This sample is conside ed adequa e gi en he ac ha i uses ex s p oduced in he same way om he same sou ce, which
is a bo in his case. Fu he mo e, a selec ion o ex s has been ga he ed on he El Con idencial websi e ha we e published
h oughou he same season in ol ing he same p o agonis s, and we e sp ead ou o e ime o nea ly a mon h in o de
o see i he e had been an e olu ion o imp o emen in he echnology used.
The Thi d Di ision in Spanish oo ball consis s o ou g oups o wen y eams each, and in he analysed epo s, all o he
clubs appea e e enced on wo occasions. In his way, when all o he eams a e p esen , i is possible o ob ain a be e
in-dep h iew o he ex s and o obse e i he e is any ype o di e ence o a ia ion in he w i ings depending on he
clubs and p o agonis s co e ed in he epo s.
The i s epo w i en by AnaFu was published in El Con idencial on No embe 14, 2017, and as highligh ed in Image
1, i s debu was announced in he Spo s sec ion o his media on Twi e . In his wee , he eade was made awa e ha a
obo would b ing all o he Second Di ision B and Thi d Di ision spo s epo s o he web
Image 1
lec o de que se a aba de un obo que ae ía a la web odas las c ónicas de Segunda B
y de Te ce a Di isión.
IMAGEN 1
Cap u a de pan alla de ui de El Con idencial Depo es. 14-11-2017.
4.1. Análisis cuan i a i o y cuali a i o
En una p ime a ap oximación den o de es e es udio, hay que des aca que las c ónicas
au oma izadas de AnaFu p esen an una es uc u a ija, casi inamo ible. Es a, a modo de
plan illa o molde, se epi e una y o a ez, y cons a de cua o pa es di e enciadas:
an e í ulo, i ula , sub í ulo y cue po de ex o.
El an e í ulo, en le as blancas sob e ama neg a, es sucin o (una ex ensión media en e
cua o y ocho palab as); algo más que el i ula (es e ocupa una línea y media en la
isualización de la pan alla de o denado ) y el sub í ulo (siemp e co o en una línea). En
lo que espec a al cue po de ex o, el núme o de pá a os es casi es ánda , de o ma que
oscila en e los cinco (en la mayo ía de las ocasiones) y los sie e pá a os.
IMAGEN 2
Sc eensho o he wee om El Con iden ial Spo s. 14-11-2017.
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4.1. Quan i a i e and Quali a i e analysis
In a i s app oach wi hin his s udy, i should be no ed ha AnaFu ’s au oma ed epo s ha e an es ablished, almos
unchanging s uc u e. Taking he o m o a empla e o mould, his s uc u e is epea ed con inuously and consis s o ou
dis inc pa s: p e-heading, headline, subheading, and body o he ex .
The p e-heading, in whi e le e s on a black g id, is concise (an a e age leng h o be ween ou and eigh wo ds); he
headline is somewha longe ( his occupies one line and a hal on he compu e sc een display); and he subheading
(always sho , on one line).As a as he body o he ex is conce ned, he numbe o pa ag aphs is nea ly s anda d,
anging om i e (mos o en) o se en pa ag aphs.
Image 2
Cap u a de pan alla. C ónica publicada el 09-02-2019.
El o den de los pá a os, como el que se mues a en la IMAGEN 2, es siemp e el mismo:
- un p ime pá a o en el que se indica el esul ado, i ales y luga de los hechos,
seguido de an eceden es (con ex o) y consecuencias en lo que se e ie e al luga
que ocupan los con endien es en la clasi icación;
- un segundo pá a o en el que se esume lo ocu ido en el p ime iempo;
- un e ce pá a o en el que se esume lo ocu ido en el segundo iempo (es os dos
pá a os son más co os o más la gos en unción de los goles ma cados ya que se
ag ega el au o de cada uno de ellos);
- un cua o pá a o donde se ecue da de nue o la posición que ocupa cada equipo
en la clasi icación al é mino del pa ido (ya se hizo en el p ime pá a o);
- y un quin o en el que se in o ma de los pa idos de esos equipos en la siguien e
jo nada del campeona o.
IMAGEN 3
Sc eensho . Repo published on 09-02-2019.
The o de o he pa ag aphs, such as he one shown in Image 2, is always he same:
– The i s pa ag aph indica es he esul , compe ing i als, and loca ion o he e en , ollowed by backg ound in o ma-
ion (con ex ), and consequences ega ding he anking o he con es an s;
– The second pa ag aph summa izes wha happened in he i s hal ;
– The hi d pa ag aph summa izes wha happened in he second hal ( hese wo pa ag aphs a e sho e o longe de-
pending on he numbe o goals sco ed, as he sco ing playe o each goal is included in he epo );
– The ou h pa ag aph again eminds he eade o he posi ion occupied by each eam in he anking a he end o he
ma ch ( his has al eady been done in he i s pa ag aph);
– The i h pa ag aph in o ms he eade abou he nex day’s ma ches and he eams in ol ed.
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is high, and also in jou nalis ic o ganiza ions ha excel in e ms o inno a ion when sea ching o new app oaches
suppo ed by echnology and knowledge as a means o p og ess and g ow h.
The inc ease in he numbe o expe iences, and abo e all in hei quali y and in eg a ion in o he media s uc u e, mean
ha con en au oma ion solu ions will no only execu e p og ammed commands, bu will also be able o p opose complex
decisions based on hei abili y o lea n.
5.2. F om he hand o bo s o au oma ic news w i ing
Bo s w i e news au oma ically suppo ed by p ocesses and s uc u es p o ided by A i icial In elligence. Mo eo e , his is
he mos widesp ead4, use o AI in he ield o jou nalism, and is nea ly uni e sal in his a ea. Howe e , i s ex ensi e use
is no posi i e pe se. The e is a possibili y ha jou nalis ic o ganisa ions will all in o he ap o using his echnology o
he simples applica ions, and ha au oma ed news gene a ion will encou age ices and bad p ac ices, examples o which
could be he ollowing:
The au oma ed gene a ion o con en may become a simple agg ega ion o da a.
As a esul , he in o ma ion migh be epe i i e since i comes om s uc u es ha a e highly basic, e y simila o A i icial
In elligence. The applica ion o hese p ocedu es is cos ly and equi es cons an upda ing and p ocess e iew.
I may esul in news ooms being emp ied, as AI migh eplace jou nalis s a he han being a ool o jou nalis s o use,
manage and in eg a e in o he unc ioning o he media.
5.3. The con ibu ion o bo s o he wo ld o spo s ega ding co e age, opics, mino spo s, and compe i ions
The panel o expe s who collabo a ed wi h his esea ch ha e highligh ed he capaci y o A i icial In elligence o p o ide
media o ganisa ions wi h ools ha will allow hem o p o ide in o ma i e co e age o e en s and spo s compe i ions
cha ac e ised by i s s anda dised s uc u e (wi h no ms o ules), epe i ion (scheduling o compe i ions), and he
possibili y o syn hesising o ansla ing hese ac s in o da a (massi e s a is ical load o spo s in o ma ion).
The in ini e con en p oduc ion capaci y o a news oom sys em based on algo i hmic and AI solu ions shows a s ong
in luence on he conside a ions ha he i e expe s ha e b ough o he issue o he con ibu ion o bo s o adi ional
spo s co e age. The classic model o con en ional co e age is cos ly in e ms o human esou ces and ime in es men ,
so he au oma ed gene a ion o con en may imply he abili y o each an unlimi ed numbe o e en s and mino spo s,
o hose no conside ed o be o gene al in e es .
Suppo ed by AI, he media would ha e he abili y o inc ease exponen ially he ac ual con en and p o ide li e co e age
o a my iad o spo s and ypes o compe i ions, as indica ed by se e al o he expe s consul ed.
4 Some people belie e ha bo s ha e a mo e di ec impac in he ansmission o con en . Howe e , he w i ing is de e mined o a g ea e ex en by
algo i hms, which a e he ones ha eplace he wo k o in o ma ion p o essionals.
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5.4. Technology, A i icial In elligence and he Jou nalis ic P o ession
Some o he expe s who pa icipa ed on he panel ha e exp essed a common conce n abou he possible indisc imina e
use o bo s, algo i hms and o he p ocedu es ela ed o A i icial In elligence by media o ganisa ions. Media companies,
agencies, and o he con en p oduce s need o unde s and ha he use o AI o au oma ically gene a e con en migh
somehow elimina e wo ke s om he business s uc u e and educe he numbe o jou nalis s and media p o essionals,
and his is a eal possibili y in a sec o accus omed o being in pe manen c isis.
A e analysing he con ibu ions made by he panel o expe s, we a e able o ou line a discou se on how A i icial
In elligence should be in eg a ed om a s a egic pe spec i e in o ganisa ions, using all o i s po en ial o gene a e a
cul u e o maximised syne gy be ween he use o AI and he wo k o p o essional jou nalis s. On one hand, he use o
au oma ed con en gene a ion will make i possible o o e mo e co e age in quan i a i e e ms, while on he o he
hand, he libe a ion o jou nalis s om ime cons ain s could help hem de o e mo e hou s in he day o wo king on eal
si ua ions, issues and o ma s ha equi e as much a en ion and human capaci y as possible.
A i icial In elligence will a emp o imi a e, o in o he wo ds y o seem eal, while jou nalis s will ha e o di e en ia e
hei wo k, some hing ha was gene ally ag eed upon by he expe s consul ed. The human ac o is essen ial in he
p oduc ion o con en , and will con inue as such, ye he edi o ialisa ion o AI p ocesses (such as p og amming algo i hms)
will equi e he use o people as well. Jou nalis s mus ha e an impo an ole in he o ganisa ion o asks, supe ision and
p ocess planning.
6. Conclusions
The con en analysis o he spo s epo s, as well as he in e iews wi h jou nalis s and ques ionnai es sen o expe s,
show ha he use o a i icial in elligence o he au oma ic w i ing o in o ma i e ex s o e s mo e bene i han ha m o
his ype o jou nalism. As can be seen om he esul s ob ained in his pape , he use o he AnaFu bo o oo ball ma ch
epo s has mean as e p oduc ion, a wide opic ange, and g ea e di e si ica ion o El Con idencial’s co e age o spo s
compe i ions, and a he same ime has libe a ed jou nalis s om au oma ed and ou ine asks.
Acco ding o i s p omo e s, he pu pose o au oma ion is no o eplace jou nalis s wi h algo i hms, bu o allow
p o essionals o de o e mo e ime o epo ing, sea ching o s o ies, and in es iga ing, so ha he in o ma ion p oduc
gains as a whole in quali y and di e en ia ion. In his ega d, i emains o be seen how his quali y migh be enhanced in
yea s o come by gene a ing mo e na u al language ha is inc easingly being a ained and en iched om he poin o iew
o lexical a ie y and he in oduc ion o mo e s a is ical da a, he pu pose o which is o make he language less epe i i e,
mo e agile, mo e analy ical, and in sho , mo e in o ma i e.
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