THE Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Mr. Lanre Arogundade has urged journalists to navigate the new media landscape with caution and courage.
Arogundade made this call, yesterday, at the public lecture heldas part of the 60th birthday celebration of Professor of Journalism, Tunde Akanni and Dr Omolade Sanni of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at the Lagos State University.
In March, the Governing Council of the Lagos State University approved the elevation of Akanni to the position of full professor of Journalism and Development Communication, while Sanni is a senior lecturer in the faculty.
On his paper presentation, Arogundade, who was recently removed from the Department of State Services’ watchlist after about 40 years, argued that Artificial Intelligence has disrupted the media landscape and presented journalists with new challenges.
He said, “AI comes with the good, the bad and the ugly. Know this and use it wisely. Whatever you do, never forget the tenets of journalism. This year’s World Press Freedom Day focuses on Reporting in the Brave New World. You have to be brave to report in our new world today. “Our own recommendation from the International Press Centre is that perhaps we now need a national AI that expressly provides for the protection of journalists and press freedom. AI is here to stay, and my concluding words are ‘shine your eyes.’”
He asserted, “We have seen situations where AI is being weaponised against the media, which means that AI can be the tool that disables press freedom. You would agree with me that it’s hard to conceptualise journalism today in the context of AI without doing so in relation to its own pervasive difference, or let’s say, seeming pervasive difference.
“Like I said, for some, this difference is positively disruptive, and for others, it could be negative. Part of the argument, really, is that the Internet technologies and the social media components are already disruptive enough.
“Both, particularly in this age, which is being increasingly defined by information disorder; we’re all talking about misinformation, disinformation, and so on.
“And people, citizens, even ordinary citizens, are now getting used to the idea that there’s something like AI.
“So we should not think that the knowledge of AI is an exclusive enclave of those of us in academia or the media. This is a problem that you may get to a stage where, when you come on the news, citizens may begin to wonder whether they should believe what they have seen or not.”
