DPG Media and Utrecht University’s Data School develop tool to support ethical use of data and AI in the media sector
DPG Media and the Utrecht University Data School are jointly developing a ‘Data Ethics Decision Aid for Media (DEDA for Media)’. Starting in 2026, this analogue model will help media companies in recognizing and addressing ethical issues concerning digitalisation, data and AI projects. Development will be completed by the end of this year, after which DEDA for Media will be made accessible to the entire media sector.
When using DEDA, editors, data specialists, developers, legal experts and other stakeholders gather around a large, table-sized poster. Together, they work through an interconnected series of questions designed to prompt reflection on the ethical dimensions of their project. At the end of the session, the group assesses whether the previously defined values are sufficiently safeguarded. Based on this evaluation, they may decide not to proceed with a project, or to make adjustments – such as introducing more human oversight, or increasing transparency towards users on how a system operates and is applied.
With this collaboration, DPG Media underscores the importance of the responsible use of data and AI in a sector undergoing rapid technological transformation. “We are making major advances with AI and data, but in doing so, we encounter many ethical challenges, both in journalism and in our business operations,” says Philippe Remarque, Director of Journalism at DPG Media. “It is our societal responsibility as a publisher, and part of our ESG policy, to approach these with care. We need to ensure, together with all teams involved, that relevant questions are identified and addressed as part of the development process – not afterwards. That requires a professional framework, and this model provides exactly that.”
Researcher Karin van Es, associate professor and project lead for the Data School at UU, is excited about this valuable exchange between academic knowledge and practical experience: “DEDA is already widely used by Dutch and international government organisations. This new collaboration will enable the development of a version specifically tailored to the media industry and its particular use of data and AI.” According to Van Es, explainability and due diligence are essential in working with data and AI: “DEDA helps make the inherent complexity of these technologies more manageable. By documenting the decision-making process, the tool also provides a framework for accountability towards various stake-holders, both inside and outside of an organisation.
DPG Media will not only contribute financially to the development of DEDA for Media, but will also provide expertise and real-world cases to thoroughly test the tool. To this end, stakeholders will be asked to actively contribute to the model’s development by sharing relevant questions, datasets, and use cases.. Once development is completed at the end of this year, DEDA for Media will be made available to the entire media sector.
This article was originally published here at DPG Media (in Dutch).