Opening The Black-Box Of News Recommendation Algorithm:Gate-keeping And Its Ethics Concerns

Algorithm is the decision-making and calculation procedure,using calculating machine to replace manual execution,which aims to work out practical problems.News recommendation algorithms have replaced gatekeepers in the traditional news distribution,which has inspired the fundamental reform of media praxis.However,the ethical controversies over algorithms suggest that algorithms,"experienced credibility"is difficult to be established and the"presumed credibility"is reduced.Besides,without opening up the"black-boxes"of algorithms,most researches on algorithmic ethics are speculative and lack empirical bases.What value elements are invoked in news recommendation algorithms' gatekeeping?What value orientations does their function imply?Yet questions on algorithms',gatekeeping have not been explored and the relevant ethical issues have not been systematically discussed.In this paper,we used content analysis to analyze 110 patents of news recommendation algorithms,which were from the"United States Patent and Trademark Office"and"Espacenet Patent Search",aiming to explore gatekeepers and their roles,algorithmic values and the possible ethical disputes involved in the cooperation of sevengatekeepers.We find that media professionals,experts,users,the third-party platforms,news providers and designers can also be gatekeepers and their will are embedded in the gatekeeping of news recommendation algorithms.Algorithmic values involved in news recommendation algorithms' gatekeeping include recommended news elements,characteristics and behaviors elements of users,data from the third-party platforms,functional elements of recommendation systems,elements of experts as well as elements of news providers which can also be fell into 27 subcategories.Finally,gatekeepers' cooperation may lead to ethical disputes,such as unrealized "unbiased principle" "accuracy principle" and "personal Information Self-determination" as well as the neglected "truth principle" while users,superficial individual autonomy can be realized in some way.This paper aims to provide empirical bases for the ethical researches of algorithms.