Data journalism meets AI: An experiment on influence of technological disclosure on journalism creativity

This case study examines the impact of disclosing AI usage in data journalism on audiences’ perceptions of news creativity, focusing on The Paper (Pengpai News), a leading Chinese digital news platform. Through a mixed-method approach combining a survey and content analysis of the data journalism report How Has the Shanghai International Film Festival Evolved Over the Past Decade? , the study reveals that explicit AI disclosure significantly enhances users’ willingness to share content (24% increase) and their recognition of AI reliance in news production (37% increase). However, AI transparency showed no statistically significant effect on evaluations of content creativity, as measured by novelty and usefulness indexes. The findings highlight a "transparency effect" where disclosing AI use strengthens audience engagement without directly altering perceptions of content quality. The research contributes to media management and AI ethics debates by emphasizing the nuanced role of transparency in balancing trust-building and content value preservation. Practical implications suggest news organizations leverage AI disclosure to boost social sharing while maintaining focus on journalistic creativity.