Between Clicks and Conscience: Editorial Sense-Making in Local Digital Newsrooms

Abstract

Digital journalism has transformed how editorial decisions are made, increasingly shifting authority from human judgment to algorithmic systems. Within this evolving landscape, local online news editors in Indonesia face mounting pressure to balance journalistic integrity with platform-driven performance metrics. While prior research has examined institutional and structural responses to algorithmic influence, there remains limited understanding of how editors themselves experience and interpret these pressures in their daily routines. This study asks: how do local Indonesian online editors make sense of their editorial judgment under the influence of algorithms and audience metrics?

Employing an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), this research investigates the lived experiences of eight local news editors (four women and four men) from a diverse range of Indonesian digital media outlets, including both independent and corporate-owned organizations operating in urban and regional contexts. Data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically to uncover shared patterns of meaning.

Three dominant experiential themes emerged: (1) the persistent tension between editorial ideals and audience-driven metrics; (2) the shifting definition of newsworthiness shaped by algorithmic visibility and platform logic; and (3) the emergence of internal ethical dilemmas and professional identity fragmentation. These findings highlight not only operational challenges but also the emotional and moral negotiations embedded in digital editorial practices.

By illuminating these dynamics, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of editorial subjectivity in the context of algorithmic governance. It also provides practical implications for newsroom leadership and journalism educators to develop strategies that support editorial autonomy and well-being amid digital pressures. This research lays the groundwork for further phenomenological inquiries into the affective dimensions of digital media labor.