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

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.