Spatial Restructuring of News Production in the Intelligent Media Era: A Socio-Temporal Perspective on the Newsroom

Abstract

The advent of the intelligent media era has fundamentally transformed the traditional newsroom, evolving it from a localized physical entity into a decentralized, fluid network. This research investigates the spatial restructuring of news production through the analytical lens of socio-temporal sociology, exploring how technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithmic logic redefine the conceptual and physical "place" of journalism. By synthesizing Henri Lefebvre's "production of space" with Anthony Giddens' "time-space distanciation" and David Harvey's "time-space compression," this study argues that the modern newsroom has transitioned from a static "space of places" to a dynamic "space of flows." The analysis reveals that intelligent mediation facilitates a radical "de-territorialization" of editorial work, where the rigid boundaries between the field and the office dissolve entirely. Simultaneously, the algorithmic pursuit of "real-time" production imposes a new temporal tyranny, accelerating the news cycle to the point of instantaneousness and fundamentally reshaping the professional identity and daily routines of journalists. Ultimately, this thesis highlights that the reconstruction of the newsroom is not merely a technical shift but a profound reorganization of social relations, labor structures, and power dynamics within the media industry. While significantly enhancing operational efficiency and global reach, this restructuring poses significant challenges to the traditional "sense of place" and collective ritualism that have long anchored the journalistic profession, necessitating a critical reevaluation of modern editorial practices.