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The Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, has urged journalists to navigate the new media landscape with caution and courage.
Arogundade made this call on Monday at the public lecture held in honour 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.”
In his opening remarks, the Dean of the faculty, Professor Jide Jimoh, paid tribute to Akanni and Sanni and their impact on the faculty.
The dean said, “I’m very happy for him (Akanni). I’m happy that he is still in this faculty. I’m happy he’s now a professor. Because he came in as an assistant lecturer, a mister and now a professor, so it’s a great day to celebrate him.
“Dr Sanni, always smiling. She’s at peace with everybody. She will do her job diligently and, most importantly, quietly with compassion. The students love her because whenever you need something from her, whenever you need her to solve a problem, she will always oblige you.”
Commenting on the paper delivered by Arogundade, a former dean of the faculty, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, echoed similar sentiments and called for caution in the use of AI by journalists.
He warned journalists about the ability of AI to hallucinate, which could lead to misinformation if not checked.
