The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) recently concluded a webinar titled “AI, Press Freedom, and the Future of Journalism: Is AI in the Newsroom a Threat?” in celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2025.
Held on April 30, 2025, the webinar examined the effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on journalism, discussing both its advantages and challenges.
During the event, speakers raised concerns about AI’s impact on the profession. Kwaku Krobea Asante, Programme Manager for the Independent Journalism Programme at MFWA, highlighted the uncertainty AI brings to journalism, warning of a potential “information apocalypse” that could undermine trust in information. He stressed the importance of transparency in AI usage for reporting.
Asante noted that the rise of AI is instilling fear among journalists, suggesting that this era could signal the end of evidence-based reporting and that the concept of truth is becoming increasingly personalized.
Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director at Media Rights Agenda in Nigeria, also addressed the risks AI poses to journalism, including threats to human rights, freedom of expression, and privacy. He pointed out the dangers of censorship and discriminatory bias, particularly with facial recognition technology, which can perpetuate racial discrimination. Ojo cautioned that authoritarian governments may use AI tools to silence dissenting voices under the pretext of combating hate speech.
“To mitigate these risks, appropriate legal safeguards must be implemented,” he suggested, emphasizing the need for responsible AI use to protect press freedom.
Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, a Senior Lecturer at Durban University of Technology in South Africa, discussed ethics and trust, noting that the distinction between human and AI-generated content is becoming increasingly blurred. This raises critical questions about transparency, accountability, and bias in reporting. She highlighted the necessity for newsrooms to disclose AI usage in content creation, referencing an incident where an Australian radio station used an AI DJ for months before it was revealed.
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