By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) recently concluded a webinar on “AI, Press Freedom, and the Future of Journalism” AI in the newsroom, a threat?’’ to mark World Press Freedom Day 2025.
Held on April 30, 2025, the webinar explored the impact of Artificial Intelligence on journalism, highlighting both benefits and drawbacks.
Speakers at the webinar held on Zoom expressed concerns about AI’s influence on the profession. A Programme Manager for the Independent Journalism Programme at MFWA, Kwaku Krobea Asante, noted that AI is creating uncertainty in journalism, potentially leading to an “information apocalypse” where trust in information is compromised. He emphasized the need for transparency when using AI in reporting.
According to him, the use of Artificial Intelligence is creating fear in Journalists as they feel this era will be the end of evidence. He also mentioned that the concept of truth is becoming customized.
Executive Director at Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria, Edetaen Ojo, a speaker, also highlighted the risks AI poses to journalists, including infringement on human rights, freedom of expression, and privacy. He also mentioned censorship and discriminatory bias, particularly in facial recognition technology, which can perpetuate racial discrimination. Ojo stressed that AI can be used to silence opposition voices and suppress content under the guise of combating hate speech.
‘’Authoritarian governments employ these AI tools to silence opposition voices,’’ he said.
To mitigate these risks, Ojo suggested implementing appropriate legal safeguards. The webinar aimed to raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities AI presents in journalism, promoting responsible use and protection of press freedom.
Senior Lecturer, Durban University of Technology, South Africa, Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey also spoke on ethics and trust, highlighting that the line between human and AI-generated content is becoming blurry, raising questions about transparency, accountability, and bias in reporting.
She also mentioned that newsrooms are increasingly having to disclose when AI is used in content creation, citing an example where an Australian radio station used AI DJ for months before being discovered.
