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Neil Thurman

@neilthurman.bsky.social

1.9K followers 290 following 46 posts

Professor, Dept. of Media & Communication, LMU Munich's @ifkw.bsky.social; Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Journalism, @citystgeorges.bsky.social; and former Freigeist Fellow @VolkswagenStiftung.bsky.social.

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Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · 19d

Thanks to my co-authors from @ifkw.bsky.social ky.social: Sorsha Sabus and @sinatk.bsky.social. Thanks also to the @datajconf.com for the opportunity to present the paper.

openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/35...

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · 19d

Our new study finds journalists:
👉 with higher AI knowledge and/or
👉 who work at newsrooms where AI is more integrated

see AI in journalism as an opportunity to a significantly higher extent:

openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/35...

That said, AI is seen as more of a threat than an opportunity.

City Research Online - Is Fear Born of Ignorance? Associations Between Journalists’ AI Attitudes, Knowledge, and Use

openaccess.city.ac.uk

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · 20d

Important research from @suttontrust.bsky.social about privilege of 100 elite media editors/presenters. Our @reutersinstitute.bsky.social report looks wider—at ALL UK journalists. We found over 22% privately educated. Well above the 7% nationwide:

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/uk-journalis...

Carl Cullinane @carlcullinane.bsky.social · 20d

Pleased to write about working class access to the media industry in @theguardian.com today. Our Elitist Britain research out today shows that almost half of columnists, commentators and top podcast hosts went to private schools. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This news just in: we hoped the middle- and upper-class capture of the media would lessen. It’s got worse | Carl Cullinane

Since our last survey, we find more columnists, podcasters and executives are from privileged backgrounds. That’s too narrow a segment of society, says Carl Cullinane, director of research and policy ...

www.theguardian.com

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Sep 5

On 31 Dec, the @ajc.com will quit print & go online-only. What will happen to the audience attention it attracts? If the pattern's the same as @richardfletcher.bsky.social & I found for @the-independent.com, then none of the print reading mins will move online:

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

Watch this space for our forthcoming report on the survey's findings...

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

• Main employer's: media background, level of newsroom AI integration, use of AI for specific newsroom tasks, use of inhouse and/or 3rd-party AI tools, AI stance, plans for AI integration, provision of AI training & protocols, size, ownership, & membership of a larger media conglomerate.

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

• Perceptions of: the extent to which AI is a threat to journalism, the extent to which AI is an opportunity for journalism, and concern about seven possible ethical consequences of AI use in journalism.

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

• Working routines, specifically: beat worked on, media formats worked with (text, photographs etc.), frequency of journalistic use of AI in general, and frequency of use of AI for 31 specific journalistic tasks (e.g. translation, still image generation etc.).

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

• Employment: yrs work experience; employment contract; management responsibility; satisfaction with time spent on low level & complex and creative tasks; & perceptions of job security (Vander Elst et al, 2013), workplace stress (‘Workplace Stress Scale’ ), & level of editorial freedom.

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

The survey contains questions about journalists’:

• Personal characteristics, specifically: gender, age, openness (adapted from ‪‪@cjsotomatic.bsky.social‬‬ & John, 2017), and AI knowledge (adapted from ‪@maitesoto-sanfiel.bsky.social‬, ‪@angulobrunet.bsky.social‬ & ‪@lutzid.bsky.social‬, 2024).

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 30

We're happy to share the full questionnaire we used in our recent survey of UK journalists on artificial intelligence:

figshare.com/articles/onl...

@sinatk.bsky.social & I designed the questionnaire with the assistance of students from @lmumuenchen.bsky.social's @ifkw.bsky.social.

Quantitative survey questionnaire on artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism fielded to journalists

A survey fielded between 29th August and 4th November 2024 on UK journalists' use of artificial intelligence (AI). The survey contains questions about journalists’:Personal characteristics, specifical...

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 5

New @indexoncensorship.org piece on our @reutersinstitute.bsky.social UK Journalists report. Mark Stimpson highlights our findings on UK journalists' diversity; experience of safety threats; & thoughts on media freedom, objectivity, & their societal roles:

www.indexoncensorship.org/2025/06/uk-j...

UK journalists face growing personal threats and say media freedom is at risk - Index on Censorship

A new Reuters Institute report on the British media landscape found that nearly half of those surveyed think the truth is shaped by people in power

www.indexoncensorship.org

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 4

Re: how much difference Pornhub's decision will make to under 18s' exposure to online porn, our research shows the same proportions of 15–17-year-olds (31%) had seen porn via other porn sites as via 8 of the most popular porn sites in France (inc Pornhub): onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Policy & Internet | PSO Journal | Wiley Online Library

In 2020, the French Parliament passed an amendment that put the country at the forefront of attempts by democratic states to restrict young people's access to legal online pornography. This study exa...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Jun 4

Pornhub is to suspend their site in France in protest at a new age verification law:

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

In our research, we found that 41% of 15–17-year-olds in France had seen porn via such porn sites, on average within the last month:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Reach of—and recency of exposure to—pornography via each of eight media platforms among 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds in France (N = 999). Note: The size of the bubbles indicates the proportion who have had any exposure. The position of the bubbles indicates the mean and median days since last exposure.

Reposted by Neil Thurman

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 30

@mitalilive.bsky.social @robynvinter.bsky.social @glendacooper.bsky.social @neilthurman.bsky.social
and Kira Richards discussed our recent #UKJournalists report @cityjournalism.bsky.social

Here's a summary of the panel by @marinaadami.bsky.social
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-cha...

How to change UK journalism: what we learnt at the launch of our report on the profession today

A panel moderated by our Director, Mitali Mukherjee, discussed tech disruption, a lack of diversity and the uncertain future of young journalists.

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk

Reposted by Neil Thurman

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 28

Tonight we'll present our new report on UK journalists in the 2020s at this event at @cityjournalism.bsky.social. Speakers include
@robynvinter.bsky.social @mitalilive.bsky.social @glendacooper.bsky.social @neilthurman.bsky.social and Kira Richards

Register to join in person now
buff.ly/9cAqOU9

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Apr 28

Come along to our London launch event at 6pm today to discuss the report's implications and get your free print copy. Leading the discussion will be @robynvinter.bsky.social, @mitalilive.bsky.social & Kira Richards. More information & registration here:

www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

UK Journalists in the 2020s: Launch Event at City St George's, University of London | City St George's, University of London

New study examines who contemporary UK journalists are, how they work and what they think

www.citystgeorges.ac.uk

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Apr 28

We authored the report along with @cityjournalism.bsky.social's Rana Arafat, @lindseyblumell.bsky.social, @glendacooper.bsky.social,
@leahellmueller.bsky.social, @panievsky.bsky.social & @janebsinger.bsky.social; @francoisnel.bsky.social; Craig T Robertson; & Jingrong Tong.

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Apr 28

It's the follow up to our 2015 survey, the results of which I published with Alessio Cornia & @jessicakunert.bsky.social:

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research...

I edited this new report with @imkehenkel.bsky.social, @sinatk.bsky.social & @richardfletcher.bsky.social.

Journalists in the UK

DOI: 10.60625/risj-83nm-gr64 How diverse is journalism? Are journalists less religious than the general population of the UK? How is digital journalism impacting specialist beats? And how ethical are ...

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Apr 28

Who are UK journalists? How do they work? What do they think? And how has all this changed in the last decade? Our new @reutersinstitute.bsky.social report answers these questions. It's based on our representative survey of 1130 UK journalists:

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/uk-journalis...

Reposted by Neil Thurman

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 25

On Monday we'll present our new report on UK journalists in the 2020s at this event at @cityjournalism.bsky.social. Speakers include
@robynvinter.bsky.social @mitalilive.bsky.social @glendacooper.bsky.social @neilthurman.bsky.social and Kira Richards

Register to join in person now
buff.ly/9cAqOU9

Reposted by Neil Thurman

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 24

On Monday we'll present our new report on UK journalists in the 2020s at this event at @cityjournalism.bsky.social. Speakers include
@robynvinter.bsky.social @mitalilive.bsky.social @glendacooper.bsky.social @neilthurman.bsky.social and Kira Richards

Register to join in person now
buff.ly/cMA9XSB

Reposted by Neil Thurman

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 23

Today we launched a report on UK journalists: who they are, how they work and what they think. Edited by @neilthurman.bsky.social @imkehenkel.bsky.social Sina Thäsler-Kordonouri & @richardfletcher.bsky.social, it's based on a 2023 representative survey

📱Read it
buff.ly/gIBRL1f
🧵Findings in thread

Reposted by Neil Thurman

Imke Henkel @imkehenkel.bsky.social · Apr 8

Interested in the state of journalism in the UK? Especially keen to hear about local UK journalism?

Save the date - 1st May 6pm - when @leedsunimedia.bsky.social will host the regional launch for our new @reutersinstitute.bsky.social report.

Registration open here: ahc.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

UK Journalists in the 2020s: Regional launch of major new report on the state of journalism in the UK

Join the School’s researchers and a panel of local journalists and experts to hear about the main findings from the report and for a discussion on the implications for the future of local journalism

ahc.leeds.ac.uk

Neil Thurman @neilthurman.bsky.social · Mar 20

Authors include @francoisnel.bsky.social
@leahellmueller.bsky.social @glendacooper.bsky.social @richardfletcher.bsky.social @imkehenkel.bsky.social
@sinatk.bsky.social @janebsinger.bsky.social @lindseyblumell.bsky.social @janebsinger.bsky.social @panievsky.bsky.social @francoisnel.bsky.social