Although they represent one of the key pillars of the contemporary media system and the development of the journalistic profession, the importance of news agencies and agency journalism often remains invisible – a paradox highlighted by Dr Slobodan Penezić, Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, in his lecture “News Agencies and Agency Journalism: Importance, Specificities, and the Paradox of Ignorance.”
Penezić emphasized that, despite the central role agencies play in shaping global news flows and professional journalistic standards, this segment of the media industry remains largely outside the focus of both public and academic attention.
The lecture presented an overview of the historical development and typology of news agencies, as well as the key specificities of agency journalism as a model of news production. Penezić also referred to examples of leading global agencies, addressing the challenges of digital transformation, which increasingly redefine the balance between publishing speed and content reliability.
Special attention was devoted to the role of news agencies in the context of current technological changes and the emergence of artificial intelligence, which exerts a growing influence on journalistic practices and ethical standards. During the discussion that followed, participants also explored issues related to journalism education, the recognition of agency-produced content, and the preservation of journalistic credibility in the era of synthetic news.
In conclusion, it was underlined that, despite the dynamics of the digital age favoring short and instantaneous news formats, news agencies remain vital guardians of quality information and the public interest – values that lie at the very core of professional journalism.
The lecture was part of the Institute’s series introducing newly appointed researchers.