Who decides what becomes news today? Principally, journalists and editors play the central role in deciding which events and issues deserve public attention. But the process is changing now. The news we see, read and engage with is being increasingly shaped by forces beyond the newsroom. This shift raises a question: Who, or what, is now influencing the news production process and overall news agenda?
Algorithms at present influence every stage of news production, distribution and consumption. For example, many newsrooms globally use AI and algorithms to identify potential news stories even before journalists start collecting information. A number of newsrooms use tools like Slack-based newsbots to help journalists identify trending signals and social media mentions at an immense scale. It is interesting to note that with technological advancement, the traditional priority of ‘newsworthiness’ is being ruthlessly outpaced by a data-driven logic of ‘share-worthiness’.
Algorithms do not necessarily prioritise democracy, pluralism or social welfare for news stories; instead, they ask which content will generate the most clicks, shares and watch time. There are also some cases where the news media have started practicing automated journalism. For instance, The Washington Post uses an AI ‘robot reporter’, called Heliograf. Twana Nasih Ahmed and colleagues describe these phenomena as the ‘Click, Code, and Consequences’ framework, where the ‘Click’ economy pressures reporting and the ‘Code’ of AI-driven automation create new ethical dilemmas.
As algorithms gain influence, the role of the editor has also evolved. Their responsibilities extend beyond traditional editorial judgment to include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), data-driven content decisions and headline optimisation. Hagar and Diakopoulos , in their 2019 article Optimizing Content with A/B Headline Testing: Changing Newsroom Practices, note that many news organisations use A/B headline testing to compare multiple headline versions and identify which performs best with algorithms and audiences.
Likewise, the distribution of news has transitioned from a centralised broadcasting model to a decentralised ‘datacasting’ paradigm. In this environment, the flow of content is determined entirely by algorithmic suggestions and data patterns rather than a broadcaster’s editorial control. This shift has created profound platform dependency. A 2024 Reuters Institute report found that the majority of people across 47 global markets get their news primarily via social media and search engines, with only one-fifth starting their journey on a news website or app.
The algorithmic era has also radically transformed the news consumption pattern. We have moved towards ‘distributed discovery’, where news is not something people intentionally seek out but something they encounter incidentally while browsing their feeds. By repeatedly surfacing content that aligns with a user’s historical data and pre-existing beliefs, these systems can reduce exposure to diverse perspectives and contribute to ideological polarisation. This environment has also contributed to a global rise in ‘news avoidance’, as audiences feel overwhelmed by toxic or emotionally draining content surfaced by engagement-driven metrics.
In this context, the flow of content is organised based on data that the platform collects from users’ interactions. Although it were the editors and the newsroom that decided what and when to show, present and offer, the order of content in the audience’s end, consumed through social media feeds, is now determined by algorithms.
McCombs and Shaw in the Agenda Setting Theory (1972) argue that throughout the history of journalism, it has been up to the editors and newspapers to decide what their audience sees, reads, hears and consequently forms opinions. However, with the advent of digital technology, algorithms influence editorial decisions and control news visibility. Once news gets into social media and other platforms, algorithms dictate what is going to be seen, placed first, recommended, or hidden based on the preferences and interests of each user, not just the news organisations’ criteria.
Algorithms have given rise to what scholars call ‘traffic media’, a business model that aims to maximise and control user attention through algorithmic technologies and corporate policies. At the same time, traditional business models
