As Nigeria joined the global community to celebrate 2025 World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) launched an informative visual brief to highlight the urgent need for the responsible and ethical deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism, particularly within Nigeria’s media landscape.
The visual brief, developed under this year’s global theme, “Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media,” explores both the opportunities and dangers that AI poses to media freedom in Nigeria and worldwide.
In a statement released in Lagos by its Programme Officer, Mr. John Gbadamosi, MRA emphasized that AI is rapidly changing how news is produced and consumed.
He noted that AI offers powerful tools that can assist journalists in data analysis, translating stories into local languages, and extending the reach of vital information, especially to underserved areas with limited media infrastructure. AI can help ensure that essential news and information reach such communities.
However, Mr. Gbadamosi warned that the same technology is also being weaponized to undermine truth and press freedom.
He stated, “While AI can advance journalism, it can just as easily be exploited to spread disinformation, create deepfakes, and drown out independent voices with algorithmically generated propaganda.”
He further explained that, in Nigeria, journalists face threats beyond physical dangers, with digital, algorithmic, and systemic harms now posing significant risks. This highlights the need for media professionals to ensure that AI enhances, rather than undermines, media freedom, and that technology is used to promote truth, not distort it.
The visual brief breaks down key concepts like misinformation, disinformation, mal-information, and information overload, all of which are increasingly shaping Nigeria’s digital media landscape. It also raises concerns about AI-enabled surveillance, political manipulation, and the marginalization of community-based journalists.
Mr. Gbadamosi clarified that through this visual brief, MRA is calling for support for independent media outlets, transparent AI regulation that reflects Nigeria’s socio-political realities, widespread digital literacy to empower citizens to navigate the information space, and greater accountability from technology companies regarding the content and influence of their platforms.
He urged all stakeholders to advocate for responsible AI usage and a free, independent, professional, and vibrant media environment in Nigeria, stressing that “when media freedom thrives, democracy thrives.”
