Only lazy journalists should be scared of Artificial Intelligence — Ex-NEXT editor

Kadaria Ahmed, the founder of RadioNow, has described the fear over the advent of artificial intelligence as misplaced, stating that only lazy journalists risk losing their jobs to machines.

Ms Ahmed said this during a panel session on Wednesday at the public presentation of a book by the Vice Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of Leadership newspaper, Azu Ishiekwene, in Abuja.

The book, “Writing for Media and Monetising It,” was published by Premium Times Books and unveiled at the event attended by media experts, government officials, friends, and family.

The panel comprised Abiodun Adeniyi, a professor of Mass Communication at Baze University in Abuja; Ms Ahmed; Emeke Ishiekwene, CEO of Aigis and Blue; and the Group Chief Executive Officer of Media Trust Limited, Ahmed Shekarau.

Speaking on the general fear around AI, Ms Ahmed said the technology can only support journalists in optimising their work but cannot replace great work around accountability and holding the government accountable.

She said journalists will always be ahead in agenda-setting and bringing nuance into reportage.

She stressed that only journalists who fail to adapt are at risk of losing their jobs, while innovative media organisations will continue to thrive in the world of AI.

“There is a lot of fear around—people saying AI is coming to take our jobs. AI will not take your job unless you are a lazy journalist because, at the heart of journalism, accountability journalism is holding power accountable and ensuring that you set the agenda. No machine is going to do that.

“If you are the sort that is a press release, cut-and-paste journalist—where you take press releases and cut-and-paste them in your newspaper, radio, or TV—then yes, you should be afraid of AI.

“AI is going to be a tool that would enable you to do a lot of things. I am fascinated by the possibility of using blockchain technology to do a lot of things,” she said.

AI has become a subject of significant public discourse in the last few years, particularly in the media.

While journalists have been able to use tools like Claimbuster, Wordsmith, OpenAI’s GPT, and others to aid their craft, there are concerns over job displacement as AI takes over tasks traditionally performed by humans.

‘Learn from PREMIUM TIMES’

Speaking on the financial strain in the sector, Ms Ahmed, a former editor of the defunct NEXT newspaper, said media outlets must learn from PREMIUM TIMES how to generate content and monetise it to yield more funds.

She stated that contrary to the general notion of a decline in advertisement revenue; available information shows that more money is spent on advertising. Still, the funds are flowing to entertainment content.

Quoting a report from PwC, Ms Ahmed said Nigeria’s advertising industry recorded an estimated spending of N605 billion in 2023, projected to hit N893 billion by 2028.

“I think we need to make a distinction. Media is an all-encompassing term. There is a difference between entertainment media and news media, which is what all of us here do—journalism, holding people in power accountable—which is very distinct from creating content that seeks to entertain people.

“So there is a part of the digital media that is growing exponentially. The part of the media that is not growing in terms of monetisation is the hard part, the part that we need the most because in the world of misinformation, fake news, and disinformation, and in an age when governments are becoming authoritarian, as we see even in places like the United States and Europe, the work of holding power to account is really significant. The challenge is finding how to do that work while at the same time continuing to make money in a way that does not compromise you.

“Within the media space, PREMIUM TIMES is showing the way on how you can monetise while continuing to do the work of investigative and accountability journalism. They have a publishing arm,” she said.

She urged media houses to either scale or carve a niche to survive in the current market.

However, Mr Shekarau maintained that there has been a massive decline in the available funds for advertisement, forcing several media platforms to look for smart ways to cut costs to stay afloat.

Mr Shekarau announced that his organisation has put in place some cost-cutting measures to stay afloat in the face of declining revenue. One of the measures, he said, was the consolidation of the flagship Saturday and Sunday editions of Daily Trust into a single weekend edition.

“For instance, (Daily) Trust has decided that we are collapsing our Sunday and Saturday editions into one-weekend title. That is a creative way of managing the cost. We have also developed shared services as a media group. Sometimes, when we have events, we send one reporter with a TV cameraman to cover for two or three of our platforms instead of sending three people,” he said.

The CEO noted that media platforms must think of creative ways to earn income, while journalists must develop entrepreneurial skills.

“Media houses must think innovatively to come up with new revenue streams for media platforms. There is so much money that is moving away from mainstream media towards entertainment media.

“In our clime, there are organisations like Business Day that are actually turning the corner in terms of innovative ways of getting revenue. I had two encounters with the publishers of Business Day, during which they told me how Business Day is actually using events and conferences to increase its revenue stream by up to 25 per cent.

“PREMIUM TIMES has been using the PREMIUM TIMES publishing arm to also support revenues that they get from other streams.

“There is still a valid point of whether our colleagues are actually prepared to transition from just being journalists to being entrepreneurs,” he said.

Book Review

Book reviewer Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson and anchor at Arise TV, stated that the book is a classic that media schools in Nigeria must adopt.

He also talked extensively about the need for more linkage between journalism schools and the practice of journalism in Nigeria.

He added that the character of the newsroom has changed, and journalism must learn to stay in the game longer in the face of the threat posed by Artificial Intelligence.

“I must say that this book I have enjoyed very much. One of my worries is the disconnect between the universities and polytechnics and journalism practice, raising questions about the teaching of journalism in Nigeria, particularly the curriculum. In other jurisdictions, those who teach in journalism schools are mostly persons who have been experienced practitioners, leading award winners, and writers; this is not necessarily the case in Nigeria.

“I stand to be corrected. I dare say most people teaching journalism in Nigeria only have the degrees but have never been to a newsroom or had a microphone pinned to their chest. Many have never written a letter to the editor worthy of publication. And yet, they churn out students who are very smart in quoting a long list of dead theories but need help to write a successful paragraph. Their teachers do not know any better.

“Journalism should be taught by those who have been in the field, and perhaps this principle should be applied in other jurisdictions to establish,” Mr Abati said.

He also said the author should have created a chapter to discuss ethics to provide balance.

The book’s unveiling was attended by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga; and several others.