I was under the impression almost anything that is trigger-based and has some data points is automated these days. Severe weather, sports statistics, poll results, finance numbers. All of that is fairly automate-able. They were talking about this 10 years ago. I'm not sure how to automate much of the rest since the good stories require some kind of context and talking to people on the field.

I just hope we don't lose too many reporters who go to city council meetings and court hearings. Such places need a human present to understand the context of what is happening and can spot corruption as it occurs. The dark side of automation is where people figure out ways to game the system.