Case Study

How the Lausitzer Rundschau and Märkische Oderzeitung use AI to Support Better Listening in Journalism

Background

Local newspapers in Germany and worldwide face significant challenges in maintaining audience engagement in an ever-evolving media landscape. Chief editor Oliver Haustein-Teßmer proposed a solution rooted in both tradition and innovation: better listening. He emphasized that journalists should go where the citizens are, engage directly with them, and learn from their experiences. By doing so, stories can better reflect what people are talking about, thinking, and feeling, creating a stronger connection between the news and its audience.

Challenge

To empower journalists to focus on meaningful conversations without compromising the productivity of their reporting, we identified two key challenges:

  1. Providing user-friendly access to conversation transcripts: Journalists need tools that allow them to easily review and interact with transcripts without being overwhelmed by raw data.

  2. Identifying recurring topics in the recordings: Conversations often cover a wide range of themes. Extracting and categorizing these topics in an efficient and systematic manner is essential to transforming raw conversations into actionable insights and compelling stories.

Solution

To address these challenges, we implemented a cutting-edge AI-driven solution tailored to the needs of journalists:

  1. Automated Transcription and Speaker Recognition:
    Using advanced speech-to-text algorithms, we developed a system that automatically transcribes recordings into text. The tool organizes the transcripts into clean, searchable documents that are easy to navigate and interact with.

  2. Customizable Topic Categorization:
    We integrated AI-powered classification tools that allow journalists to define custom categories based on their editorial goals. The system analyzes each sentence in the transcript and assigns it to the relevant category, providing a clear overview of recurring themes and valuable quotes.

  3. Quote Extraction:
    The tool enables journalists to seamlessly extract and download quotes with just one click, making it effortless to embed them in online articles or incorporate them into podcast productions.

Results

The implementation of this solution has had a transformative impact:

  • Journalists can now focus entirely on active listening during conversations, knowing that the AI will handle transcription and categorization.
  • The categorization of topics has streamlined the process of crafting stories that resonate with readers, ensuring coverage of themes that matter most to the community.
  • With easier access to key quotes and themes, reporting has become more efficient and impactful, reinforcing the connection between newspapers and their audiences.

Lausitzer Runschau

https://www.lr-online.de/

Märkische Oderzeitung

https://www.moz.de/

 

Testimonial

What Our Partner Says about the Project

aureka's AI assistances makes our work easier.

We worked with the great team at aureka to further develop our innovative listening approach at Lausitzer Rundschau and Märkische Oderzeitung. We wanted an easy-to-use AI tool for our reporters. aureka designed this tool according to the needs of the editorial team. Now we can record our dialogues with local target groups as audio and quickly evaluate them with aureka AI tool to discover the relevant topics for our target groups. 

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Oliver Haustein-Teßmer
Chief Transformation Officer Neue Pressegesellschaft