Wired: Can an Algorithm Write a Better News Story Than a Human Reporter?

I can think of three interns in the last five years who would have written that phrase and thought it great prose

 

Heh heh.

 

Shouldn't journalists be embracing technology like this? Quality prose provides marginal value-added on a little-league gamer or high school volleyball round-up. Wouldn't letting computers do this work to please parents that just like seeing their kids' names in print free reporters up to do more important things? Yes, yes, I know publishers are just big poopyheads who will just fire the entire newsroom in favor of robots if it can save them a penny, but it actually seems like traditional journalists hurt their arguments for relevancy when they resist technology like this. Not using cliches in meaningless gamers is among the least valuable services journalists provide.

 

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/74185/

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/58715/

 

If that doesn't work, they'll try this:

 

I wouldn't mind using a staff of robots covering Sports, but I be they soon will start getting full of themselves and writing 30-inch gems to fill a 10-inch hole, viewing porn when they are supposed to be working and fudging their time sheets.

 

That's how Skynet became self-aware in the Terminator movies.

 

I use the Gamechanger app for prep softball and baseball. Works like a champ and posts to your Twitter feed with in-game updates. But as for the game stories it outputs at the end, I know my job isn't in any danger. Now for a capsule, it's not a bad idea.