Know you algorithm: what media organizations need to explain to their users about news personalization

Key Points: - If the right to an explanation is expected to effectively safeguard users’ rights, it must be interpreted in a manner that takes the contextual risks algorithms pose to those rights into account. - This article provides a framework of transparency instruments in the context of the news personalization algorithms employed by both traditional media organizations and social media companies. - Explaining the impact on a user’s news diet and the role of editorial values in the algorithm is especially important in this context. - Conversely, explanations of individual decisions and counterfactual explanations face specific practical and normative barriers that limit their utility.