Today, May 7, at Bozar, Brussels, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will host plenaries on information as a public good in the AI era and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony.
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference. Since then, May 3, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.
May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Created in 1997, the yarly UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize honours a person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and, or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, and especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.
It is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, Colombia on December 17, 1986.
This year’s celebrations focused on the profound influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on journalism and media under the theme: Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.
The rapid growth and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing journalism, the media, and press freedom in big ways. While the principles of free, independent, and pluralistic media remain crucial, AI’s impact on information gathering, processing, and dissemination is profound, presenting both innovative opportunities and serious challenges.
AI is transforming journalism, providing tools that enhance investigative reporting, content creation, and fact-checking. It allows for greater efficiency, multilingual accessibility, and improved data analysis. However, these advancements also bring risks: AI-generated misinformation and disinformation, deepfake technology, biased content moderation, and surveillance threats to journalists. Additionally, AI’s role in the media business model raises concerns about fair remuneration for journalistic content and media viability.
In commemoration of this year’s event in Lagos, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall; Executive Director International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade and Executive Director Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Edetaen Ojo, stressed the need for responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
To Arogundade, “the Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub of the IPC Nigeria is calling on stakeholders to defend the right to truthful information.”
He stated, “AI surveillance, among other things is silencing journalists.
Governments and private entities increasingly deploy AI-powered monitoring tools to track journalists. A 2024 UNESCO report revealed that 47 per cent of Nigerian reporters have experienced AI-facilitated surveillance, including facial recognition tracking and predictive policing algorithms targeting critics.”
Saying AI must not become a tool for repressing Nigeria’s Press Freedom environment, which is already strained by cybercrime laws, internet shutdowns and attacks on reporters, among others, he added, “we demand immediate measures to ensure Artificial Intelligence (AI) serves democracy not undermining it. AI will not replace journalists, but without safeguards, it can replace truth with manipulation, accountability with control, and press freedom with algorithmic oppression. We therefore call on journalists, tech giants, lawmakers and citizens to defend the right to truthful information. The future of journalism must be brave, not automated.”
Speaking in a similar vein, Ojo disclosed MRA has launched an informative visual brief to highlight the urgent need for responsible and ethical deployment of AI in journalism, especially within Nigeria’s media landscape.
In a statement released in Lagos by its Programme Officer, John Gbadamosi, he noted that AI is quickly changing the way news is produced and consumed, adding that it offers powerful tools that can assist journalists in analysing data, translating stories into local languages, and extend the reach of vital information, especially to underserved areas with limited media infrastructure as AI can help to ensure that essential news and information are also disseminated to such communities.”
To him, “while AI can be used to advance journalism, it can just as easily be exploited to spread disinformation, create deepfakes, and drown out independent voices with algorithmically generated propaganda. In Nigeria, journalists face threats that go beyond just physical dangers; such threats now also encompass digital, algorithmic, and systemic harms and challenges, which requires media professionals to ensure that AI enhances, rather than undermines, media freedom and that technology is used to promote the truth, not distort it.”
