Course description

Who is a journalist today, and what is journalism for in the age of AI, platforms, and influencers?

Traditional understandings of who qualifies as a journalist, what journalism is for, and how it should be protected and sustained are increasingly contested. This CMPF Summer School, in its 14th edition, invites journalists and media practitioners to critically examine these shifts and to reflect on what remains essential about journalism in an age dominated by digital platforms, generative AI, and new forms of political and news influence.

At the heart of the programme lies a fundamental question: who is a journalist today, why does this definition matter, and which core elements of journalism must be protected as essential to democracy? The Summer School approaches this question through legal, political, economic, ethical, and practical perspectives, situating journalism within a complex and rapidly evolving information ecosystem.

The programme explores the changing relationships between key actors shaping today’s information environment: journalists and media organisations; big tech platforms and generative AI models; and news and political influencers. Participants will examine whether current transformations represent a process of creative disruption, where new actors and formats improve or complement journalism’s social and democratic role; or creative destruction, with potentially grave consequences for informed citizenship and democratic accountability.

Big tech platforms and AI models increasingly act as architects of information infrastructures that are not compatible with democratic needs as they fragment public discourse, prioritise engagement over accuracy, drive isolated opinion formation, and often fuel harmful content and behaviour. In this context, journalism and other valuable voices face mounting challenges to both its visibility and its economic viability.

The programme will thus also address questions of sustainability and governance: who should pay for journalism, and under what conditions? How effective are current regulatory responses such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the Copyright Directive and the AI Act? How geopolitical tensions, particularly between the EU and the US, shape the regulation of platforms, AI, and media?

By combining critical analysis and academic expertise with practical reflections, the CMPF Summer School aims to equip journalists and media practitioners with the tools to better understand ongoing transformations, reiving the essence of the societal and democratic role of journalism in the age of digital platforms and AI.