In the good old days, those who reported for news agencies were considered the fastest. From the typewriter generation itself, belting out sports news stories at a fast pace was a challenge. Yet, the methods employed to write or type were natural. Given a massive subscriber base from newspapers and even Government agencies, wire reporting was accurate and reliable.
In an era where speed minus accuracy has become shockingly acceptable, even wire or agency reporters are passe. The reason is that reporting from the ground has reduced drastically and reliance on press releases has increased. Of course, not all wire services are trash, but newsrooms by and large prefer in-house content generation.
Where digital sports news platforms have become unethical is by relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI). One look at the copy published, and an old-school journalist who has gone through it would realise the writer has not used their own intelligence, but AI. Artificial Intelligence has its uses in many walks of life, including the medical field. But, even there, the human doctor is still most trusted.
The use of AI has ensured the destruction of flair in writing. Yes, it has helped to generate a higher volume of stories on digital sports platforms, where accuracy and fact-checks are compromised. There is software that can churn out a news report within three minutes of a tennis match ending at a Grand Slam. Those who consume such stories are only bothered by how fast it was posted, not about how it reads or if all the facts are correct.
Reliance on AI is dangerous as it throws out paragraphs which are structured in a synthetic manner. It will be repetitive and, worse, mistakes will be there. For those websites which use these AI tools, the human element is as good as dead. “Writers” are under so much pressure to generate stories in bulk that the AI tool will even produce paragraphs which are pure fiction.
For example, in July 2023, one tennis report from Wimbledon on a digital platform spoke of Rafael Nadal playing an opponent. But Nadal did not even play at SW19 last year. That such a report was published showed just how dangerous AI can be.
There are other cases where plagiarism and zero originality are also easily noticed. When there is no structure in place to check facts or edit, this is bound to happen. These platforms which publish such stories are killing journalism. And there is no point blaming the person writing, since he or she has never studied journalism or been inside a newsroom.
Working from remote locations, nobody knows who is writing and who is checking the copy. Even if you look at recent news pieces on Neeraj Chopra, who was at a function in Haryana recently, reports written in ‘real time’ used AI. The real news was what Neeraj said at the event, including detailing his 2025 plans. What appeared on many digital sites was a rehash of his silver medal effort at the Paris Olympics. The way such stories get pushed with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and hashtags, they may rank high on a Google search. But the real question remains – is this even journalism?
If you look at certain platforms which write on US sports – NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR and college football – the content is downright dubious. Half these sports are covered by ‘writers’ from India, some of whom cannot afford to buy passes to watch NBA or NHL matches online. But as long as the they steal content, recycle it and use clickbait headlines, they get ‘views’. The worst part is that these stories are consumed by a US audience that do not have to pay to access these low-quality websites.
No platform works as a charity, and there has to be business model. Yet, if all you get to read are plagiarised stories and other written using AI, the death knell for sportswriting isn’t far off. Last, but least, videos being transformed into written stories using AI tools is even more scary as there are no checks and balances. In an age where social-media gossip posted on X and Insta becomes sports ‘news’ used as stories, AI is one more step into a dark alley.
A paragraph at the top may be new, while the rest regurgitates old stuff. No sport is spared, and from cricket to Olympic disciplines, the use of AI and plagiarism is now in vogue. As several LinkedIn users said in a reply to a post from this writer on the perils facing writing and journalism: “Who cares?”
Also Read: Perils of sports journalism on digital platforms, volume over quality