As part of activities to mark World Press Freedom Day 2025, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) will host a webinar to explore the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on journalism and press freedom in West Africa and beyond. It will convene journalists, technologists, press freedom advocates, academics, lawyers, and civil society actors to examine how AI is shaping the media landscape, both positively and negatively.
Scheduled for April 30, 2025, the webinar is themed AI, Press Freedom and the Future of Journalism. The webinar will take place on Zoom from 9:30am to 11:00am GMT and will feature brief presentations from each speaker followed by a moderated Q&A session and closing remarks.
The event aligns with the global theme for this year’s World Press Freedom Day—Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media. Discussions will focus on how AI is reshaping newsrooms, influencing media consumption, and its role in both enabling and constraining press freedom.
Speakers at the event include Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey (PhD), Senior Lecturer at Durban University of Technology; Kwaku Krobea Asante, Programme Manager for Independent Journalism at MFWA, Ghana; and Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda in Nigeria.
The 90-minute session will unpack topics such as:
- The opportunities and threats AI poses to journalism practice and media sustainability
- How AI influences what news reaches the public
- The ethical implications of using AI in journalism
- The dangers of deepfakes and disinformation, and their effect on trust in the media
- Surveillance and censorship risks associated with AI
- Policy recommendations to safeguard press freedom in the AI era
Through this engagement, the MFWA aims to foster dialogue on how to protect civic space and journalistic integrity in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Register to join the webinar via this link. You will receive your personal webinar link in the inbox of the email you used to register.
