Value-motivated use of generative AI among student journalists: Practices and risk management in college newsrooms

Bailey Vergara; Bingbing Zhang

doi:10.1177/14648849261478427

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Value-motivated use of generative AI among student journalists: Practices and risk management in college newsrooms

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Value-motivated use of generative AI among student journalists: Practices and risk management in college newsrooms

Bailey Vergara and Bingbing Zhang

Journalism (London, England)

08/17/2026

DOI: 10.1177/14648849261478427

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Abstract

Generative AI (GenAI) has rapidly entered journalistic practice, prompting growing scholarly attention to future journalists, particularly journalism students, and their attitudes and beliefs about its use. However, little research has examined how student journalists working in college newsrooms actually use GenAI in practice, or how they navigate its associated risks while upholding journalistic values. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with 20 student journalists working in college newsrooms. Our findings show that student journalists engage in value-motivated uses of GenAI, while also approaching the technology with caution. They actively navigate ethical concerns related to accuracy, transparency, accountability, and professional autonomy, and develop strategies to manage the risks that GenAI introduces into journalistic work. Our findings offer important theoretical contributions to understanding value-motivated uses of GenAI and perceptions of its associated risks. Our findings also provide practical implications for journalism education by informing how student journalists who represent the next generation of professionals can be better prepared to navigate an AI-mediated news environment.

generative artificial intelligence

student journalists

college newsroom

journalistic value

risk management

ethical concern

Details

Title: Subtitle: Value-motivated use of generative AI among student journalists: Practices and risk management in college newsrooms
Creators: Bailey Vergara - University of Iowa
Bingbing Zhang - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journalism (London, England)
DOI: 10.1177/14648849261478427
ISSN: 1464-8849
eISSN: 1741-3001
Publisher: Sage
Grant note: University of Iowa
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Dewey Stuit Fund for Undergraduate Research from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa and the Independent Creative Research by Undergraduates Fellowships at the University of Iowa.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 08/17/2026
Academic Unit: Center for Social Science Innovation; School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Record Identifier: 9985219316502771

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