Web scraping has emerged as a crucial tool for journalists, allowing them to collect vast amounts of public data from the internet. This automated data collection method is vital in holding government agencies accountable, as it enables journalists to verify official claims and expose anomalies. Despite negative perceptions surrounding web scraping, notably in light of a Supreme Court case, organizations like The Markup defend its significance for democracy. Moreover, AI advances in web scraping enhance journalists' capabilities, particularly in combating disinformation and exploring criminal activities such as human trafficking.
Web scraping allows journalists to hold government agencies accountable by extracting public information, identifying anomalies, and revealing neglected data management practices.
Journalism relies on web scraping to track disinformation spread, especially as AI generates fake content, but AI tools can also help identify such fakes.
The Markup's amicus brief claims web scraping is essential for democracy, especially for checking the validity of public data against official narratives.
Web scraping enables both journalistic and forensic investigators to uncover stories within the criminal underground, like human trafficking investigations.
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