Media professionals have spoken on state of industry after 26 years of uninterrupted democracy, calling for free press, even as they canvassed digital literacy to address information disorder in the online space.

The professionals, who spoke include, Senior lecturer Journalism Department, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Lagos State University Ganiyat Tijani-Adenle; Dean School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, Dr. Ikechukwu Obiaya and Lecturer, Elizade University, Ondo State, Michael Ogbemudia.

Saying there is need to stop playing lip service to press freedom, Tijani-Adenle suggested, ‘I think we should start by ensuring that there are consequences for abusers of journalists’ and news organisations’ rights. There is no press freedom without accountability.”

Concerning digital literacy, she noted, “we can’t censor people. But we can provide adequate media literacy education, so that media audiences are able to assess the information that they are exposed to. Mainstream news media organisations also have to be more determined, more than ever before, to ensure that they do not publish misinformation, disinformation and misinformation. Hopefully, when media audiences can trust the mainstream media, and have adequate skills to assess the information that they are exposed to, the challenge of information disorder will be moderate.”

She added Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay, adding it can enrich media practise in the country by aiding news gathering and publishing/presentation.

The don, thereafter, urged members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and Nigerian Association of Women Journalist NAWOJ and other media organisations to promote best practices of AI use in journalism practise.

Commenting on growth and development of media landscape since 1999; she recalled, “we now have news organisations publishing in print and online. We have radio stations by both the federal and state governments, as well as private individuals or corporations, universities as well as communities. We have been awed by special interest radio stations, focusing on unique themes and broadcasting broadly around these themes like Women Radio, Traffic Radio, Human Rights Radio, and many others. We also have integrated communication with news organisations leveraging technology to widen their reach. Newspapers now publish videos and audios on their websites, radio stations now broadcast live on the Internet and social media, as well as on satellite television, while we have welcomed AI news presenters on our television stations. These are all commendable and inspiring, and the goal should be to leverage these innovations to enrich journalism practice, provide media audiences with enriching information and promote democracy and good governance in the country.”

Speaking in a similar vein, Ikechukwu noted government could safeguard press freedom by first acknowledging and respecting it. Saying many of the attacks on press freedom are state-backed, he argued, “we can hardly expect the government to safeguard press freedom if at the same time it is guilty of violating that freedom. It is important for state actors to see the press as partners in trying to move the society forward. A greater appreciation of the role of the press will help in guaranteeing journalists their freedom to do their work.”

With regards to digital literacy, he observed, “we now live in a media space without gatekeepers. Thanks to the digital revolution and technological advancement, we have all become producers of news and other content. Inevitably, this leads to fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

To deal with this, some people have called for greater repression. But I do not see this as a solution because repression has never served to eradicate anything; it merely succeeds in driving the reality underground. Rather than repression, I would suggest that more attention should be paid to making people media literate. Fake news and such like lose their power to cause harm when people are immediately able to recognise them as such. So, what should be done is to give people the right tools for combating the spread of fake news.”

Describing growth of media landscape in the last 26 years as tremendous, he added the press has done a lot to establish itself as the Fourth Estate of the realm.

To him, “we have witnessed some exceptional work in this sector. However, the sector appears to have taken steps backwards as media practitioners today face serious challenges that undermine their effectiveness. The changing realities of today’s world have meant that previous business models are no longer adequate, and this has led to increased financial difficulties for media houses. There is also the challenge of poorly prepared practitioners as well as a prevalence of unethical journalism practices. But a greater threat lies in the threats and violence that persons of the media face from both state and non-state actors. Hence, Reporters Without Borders has described Nigeria as one of the most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists in West Africa.’

Speaking on AI, he described it as a tool that would either make or break “us depending on the approach that we take towards it. It would be a mistake not to engage with it because those that will excel tomorrow are those that master it and know how to put it to use. However, those that engage with it but do so in a lazy sort of way, suspending the use of their human judgment and critical faculties and delegating everything to AI, will also do poorly in tomorrow’s world. If all you are giving me is AI derived, then why do I need you? AI can be a game changer, but our use of it must be intelligent.”

Insisting there must be constitutional guarantee for media to perform its duties, Ogbemudia, on his part, insisted there has never been any society that develops except the media plays its role ideally.

To him, “freedom of the press, speech and information are critical indicators of a progressive society. So far, Nigeria has witnessed various threats and potential attacks on practice of the media. The threat can be in form of deliberate deskilling of media practitioners, like government deliberately withholding subventions that could have helped Nigeria have her free space. Many African countries are migrating to full digitisation in broadcast sectors. Nigeria is still backward. The press must be free to set agenda. The government must desist from attacking the press.”

Saying the nation is currently in an era of information disorder or disorderliness, the don noted digital literacy will encourage self regulation. To him, “we must also deploy digital fact checking that can quickly flag disinformation.”

He added AI can help bridge the gaps, ‘like fine tuning stories, voices, post news, fact checking. AI can give all round benefits if you understand its powers and reach. We have AI that can help fact check pictures, headlines, sources, rewrite stories, and find news’ directions. It can also help generate traction. AI can only threaten repetitive work, not creative work. Journalism is more creative than repetitive.