RADIOJOR - Sound journalistic production in reconfiguration: techniques, platforms and formats – SESSION 4

This coordinated session aims to bring together research dedicated to analysing the technical transformations in audio journalism, taking into account the changes affecting the production, distribution and consumption of journalistic content on radio stations, podcasts and other digital audio platforms. The starting point is the understanding that audio journalism is undergoing a process of restructuring marked by the convergence of languages, the platformisation of distribution, the automation of production routines, the expansion of on-demand formats and the incorporation of digital technologies into the ways in which information is gathered, edited, recorded, archived and circulated. The session will welcome papers that investigate, amongst other topics, changes in the production routines of radio stations; innovation in narrative formats; podcast journalism; radio journalism in multi-platform environments; the use of artificial intelligence, automation and voice synthesis; distribution strategies on digital platforms; audience and listening metrics; transformations in the relationship with audiences; new models of production, sustainability and editorial management; sound experiments in journalistic coverage; the preservation of credibility and professional mediation in contexts of technological acceleration; as well as ethical challenges related to transparency, authorship, verification and the quality of information. The aim is thus to foster a critical debate on how technical changes not only alter tools and processes, but also reconfigure professional epistemologies, narrative forms, listening regimes and modes of legitimisation of Audio Journalism within the contemporary media ecosystem. It welcomes research on production, circulation, technology, language and professional practices. It also welcomes studies on the impact of adopting AI tools in journalistic production, focusing on issues such as the reconfiguration of professional practices, risks of worker replacement, ethical dilemmas, and accountability for misinformation arising from the feeding of generative AI with unreliable sources. We also welcome research exploring the influence of platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, WhatsApp and podcast aggregators on the circulation of audio journalism, as well as the impacts of algorithms on the discovery of and engagement with news content. Articles should consider the context of precarious working conditions in radio newsrooms and present critical analyses of the flexibilisation of journalistic work, the accumulation of roles and work overload, and organisational constraints that reduce professional autonomy.