In a concerted effort to address artificial intelligence’s impact on the global media and information ecosystem, media experts and journalists who attended a stakeholders’ roundtable urged policymakers to strengthen press freedom and ensure that technological advancement supports rather than threatens democratic values.

The one-day Media Stakeholders’ Roundtable, themed “Artificial Intelligence, The Media, and Press Freedom: Issues and Perspectives”, was organised by the International Press Centre (IPC), in partnership with the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), and supported by IFEX—a global network of over 100 organisations committed to advancing freedom of expression to commemorate World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2025.

At the event, journalists, editors, scholars, civil society members, and legal and policy experts came together with a common goal, and the speakers explained how AI is changing the media industry and what steps can be taken to create useful recommendations that support rights, guide advocacy, shape policy, and help media professionals adapt to an AI-driven future.

The event also addressed the trends of the attacks and harassment of journalists whose rights were trampled by both state and non-state actors, giving its implications on press freedom, the havoc of journalism practice in Nigeria and how to further mitigate the forces against freedom of expression in the country.

In her report presentation on the state of press freedom in Nigeria, Melody Akinjiyan, the press freedom officer of the IPC Safety of Journalists and Press Freedom, said the organisation tracked 45 cases of attacks on journalists in 2024, in which 70 people were affected by the various events of attacks, such as physical assaults, threats, detention, destruction of properties, and prevention from coverage, among others.

She also highlighted the cases of attacks on journalists based on their media platforms, indicating that 10 journalists were attacked from print media, 18 from broadcast media, and 25 from online media. In contrast, 17 of the journalists attacked did not have specific media platforms.

While decrying the recurrent repression of press freedom in Nigeria, she called for an end to the development, asking stakeholders to promote and protect the safety of journalists and enhance the environment of press freedom in Nigeria through “inter-agency collaboration between media professional bodies to regularly review and update the situation on journalists’ safety and press freedom;

“Regular training and retraining of journalists on safety and press freedom-related issues “The capacity needs include journalism ethics, media laws and codes of conduct, conflict-sensitive journalism, risk analysis, secured communications using AI tools, and other related topics,” she said.

While discussing artificial intelligence, media, and press freedom, Dr. Monday Ashibogwu, the managing editor of Quick News Africa, stated that AI’s application in media is essential for content creation and enhancement, audience and sentiment analysis, content moderation, and curation.

He added that AI has also been built to understand human nuances and read human attitudes through machine learning to make jobs easier and better for journalism and achieve free practice for the journalist, as content translations are becoming more common, expanding the boundaries of media production in the activities of journalism.

Speaking about the opportunities AI has presented for journalists in modern times, he emphasised how the technology enhances newsroom productivity and improves content for targeted audiences. He also maintained that, well used, AI can improve data journalism and investigative support and real-time analytics and trend prediction.

However, Dr Ashibogwu noted that “Artificial Intelligence (AI) exerts a multifaceted impact on press freedom and media integrity, presenting both promising innovations and serious challenges. While AI enhances fact-checking, journalist safety, and newsroom efficiency, it also facilitates surveillance, automated censorship, and the spread of disinformation, he said.

He further explained that the risks of AI can foster self-censorship, economic instability, and homogenised content, particularly under authoritarian regimes. To harness AI’s benefits while mitigating its threats, human oversight, transparency in AI usage, and robust editorial and regulatory safeguards are essential to uphold journalistic standards and protect democratic discourse.”

He also addressed the global perspective on how AI is viewed regarding press freedom, stating that the technology is used for surveillance and censorship in China, while Nigeria and other African countries have yet to establish the necessary legalities and regulations, as AI also poses certain threats.

Looking at the metrics to follow in controlling the excesses of artificial intelligence, he called for a move from generative AI to agent AI. He also advocated for the responsible use of tools to fulfil the ethical rigours they entail. He also asked about humanising the operation of the AI, noting that this could be achieved through the government’s policies and regulations, which would now extend to how organisations control their AI laws in their respective ways.

Addressing how journalists’ safety can be improved amid AI operations, Dr Ganiyat Tijani Adenle, of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, focused on media practitioners’ vulnerabilities that could jeopardise their safety while performing their duties.

She encouraged media practitioners to be aware of their personal safety, information sources, family members, and associates during their engagements, as these could be used to attack them.

To solve this, the academia urged journalists to “invest in continuous media and information literacy training; invest in continuous digital safety training, e.g., recognising deepfakes and phishing; provide protective technology; establish response protocols; and advocate for policy reforms and life insurance and other similar policies,” she said.

She also advocated for the updating of curricula in the higher institutions of learning, which would provide more knowledge to journalists about their digital safety. She also urged academia to prioritise more research to enhance media literacy regarding technology and improve competence when using AI utilisation tools. More so, she called for a partnership with the technology and media sectors to better equip journalists.

Addressing the participants, the chairman of the event, Mr Gbemiga Ogunleye, the former Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, insisted that beyond the attacks on journalists by the security agencies, media owners who default in the remuneration of journalists are also guilty of endangering the lives of journalists.

He also advocated for media houses to develop a rapid response mechanism to combat the suppression of media freedom, aiming to protect journalists from undue exposure to attacks and harassment that continue to threaten their safety.

He also called for the ethical regulation of artificial intelligence in the modern practice of journalism, as Nigeria is still catching up with the use of the tools.

Speaking on behalf of the President of the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), Professor Rotimi Olatunji, Dr Solomon Oyeleye, the association’s General Secretary, discussed the future of journalism, stating that AI has arrived, and journalists must be prepared to work with the new development.

Academia urged journalists to embrace data and investigative journalism to ease fears about AI potentially making them jobless. He maintained that because investigative journalism is human-centred, AI would only enhance the practice rather than replace it.

Finally, participants expressed relief at learning about AI as a tool to enhance their jobs. They also urged the government and journalism organisations to accelerate the policies that guide the ethical use of artificial intelligence.