Final Year Project Portfolio
Patricia Santos Dias
BA Media and Communications, University of Greenwich
Research and Application
Theory Meets Practice in a Changing Media Landscape
This project was driven by both academic theory and real-world media developments. The research wasn’t just background, it directly shaped how I structured my film, what questions I asked, and how I presented the timeline and exhibition.
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Project proposal here
Ethics form here
Project report here
Survey & Responses here
Survey questions here
Key Texts & Their Influence
1. Carlson, M. (2020) – Automating the News
“Algorithms are not neutral; they are decisions made visible.”
This book challenged my assumption that AI was just a tool for efficiency. It made me think about editorial authority, who decides what’s newsworthy when an algorithm is in charge? That’s one of the things that inspired my timeline.
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2. Lewis, S. C., Guzman, A. L., & Schmidt, T. R. (2019) – Beyond the Bots
This study explored how automation intersects with human journalism. It introduced the idea of “hybrid authorship”, AI supporting, but not replacing, human reporters. This shaped my framing of the 5-year prediction in the timeline and helped me visualise the collaborative future of AI + journalist workflows.
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3. Thurman et al. (2021) – My Friends, Editors, Algorithms, and Me
This article looked at how audiences perceive algorithmic news delivery. It made me consider trust and credibility, not just for journalists, but for readers. It directly influenced the tone and title of my video: The Future of Trust.
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4. Matilda (Interview, 2025) – Freelance Journalist
While not a text, this real-world voice was one of the most influential elements of the project. Her comment:
“AI can’t replicate human sensitivity. It’s a tool, not a writer.”
Her insights helped humanise the project and balance the academic material with authentic practitioner voices.
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Full Survey Responses here​
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Practice-Based Inspiration
AI Tools in Practice
Instead of only studying how AI works in journalism, I applied it directly:
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ChatGPT: Used for script development and ethical scenario testing
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Pictory.AI / Descript: Used for generating voiceover and video editing
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Canva: Designed visual materials (timeline, infographics)
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Reflection:
Working with AI, not just studying it, made me more critical of its blind spots. When the tools struggled with nuance or tone, I understood firsthand what’s at stake in letting AI write the news.
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Application to My Project
Research helped me:
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Refine my core question for my final video — from “What is AI doing in journalism?” to “Can it be trusted to tell the truth?”
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Design ethically — avoiding oversimplified narratives, focusing on transparency and complexity
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Speak visually — combining theory and storytelling in timelines and video formats that are accessible and credible
Report "The Evolution of AI in Journalism: Implications and Future prospects" by myself.
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This report, titled The Evolution of AI in Journalism: Implications and Future Prospects, forms the academic foundation of my final project. It explores how artificial intelligence is being integrated into journalism, comparing AI-generated and human-led reporting while examining the ethical challenges, editorial implications, and future trajectory of news media. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes literature review, case study analysis, AI experimentation, and journalist perception surveys, the report critically reflects on how AI tools are reshaping journalistic practice. It supports the creative outputs in my portfolio including the short documentary The Future of Trust and the timeline exhibition by providing the theoretical and ethical context behind the work.
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Full report here
Interview Insights: Journalism and AI
To understand how working journalists and content creators are engaging with AI in real-world practice, I conducted a series of interviews with four professionals at different stages of their careers. These conversations explored how AI tools are being used in journalistic workflows, what ethical concerns they raise, and how professionals envision the future of reporting in a landscape increasingly shaped by automation. Their answers directly informed my final video, The Future of Trust, and the themes of bias, responsibility, and authenticity that run through the timeline and exhibition materials.
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Selected Quotes
Matilda, Freelance Journalist
“AI can be a tool that is useful, and should remain simply useful. It hasn’t changed my role.”
Sam, Freelance Journalist
“AI’s great for structure and speed, but storytelling is still a deeply human craft.”
Alex, Freelance Copywriter
“It’s enhanced my creativity — I feel freer to experiment because AI helps me get unstuck.”
Jamie, Final-Year Journalism Student
“I’ve had to ask myself: What do I bring that AI can’t? I think it’s emotion, nuance, and connection.”
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Full interview here