The utilisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by journalists poses a significant threat to news organisations’ credibility and can further erode public trust in information, despite its tremendous potential to advance news gathering and dissemination efficiency.
The increasing sophistication of AI-generated content raises serious concerns about the potential for the mass production of fake media, which can be incredibly difficult to distinguish from authentic content.
Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said this at the World Press Freedom Day and Honours Night, held in Accra on Friday.
The event’s theme was: “Celebrating the Champions of Press Freedom and Ghana’s media growth; Building a Resilient Media in the AI Era,” underscoring the role of AI in journalism.
Distinguished journalists and media practitioners who have demonstrated journalistic prowess were honoured at the event.
They include Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., Ben Ephson, and Elizabeth Ohene.
The GJA President said AI presented both opportunities and challenges, stressing that it was a double-edged sword for journalism.
“On one hand, AI offers tremendous potential to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of news gathering, processing, and dissemination,” he said.
“AI-powered tools can assist with tasks such as transcribing interviews, analysing large datasets for investigative reporting, automating the creation of routine news reports, and personalising news delivery to individual audiences.”
On the other hand, AI also presented profound challenges that must be confronted proactively, he noted, to create the needed balance to maintain credibility.
Mr Dwumfour touched on Ghana’s position on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, expressing concern over the decline in the country’s rankings.
“Minister, ladies and gentlemen, some time ago, Reporters Without Borders released the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, with Ghana slipping down the ranks.”
“Out of 180 countries ranked annually, Ghana dropped from 50th position with a score of 67.13 per cent in 2024 to 52nd position with a score of 67.71 per cent in 2025,” he said.
Mr Dwumfour noted that the most concerning indicator in the press freedom index was security, with Ghana falling from 72nd position in 2024 to 86th in 2025 under the security index, although it recorded a reduction in score from 82.94 per cent in 2024 to 78.93 per cent in 2025.
“The details of Ghana’s performance in this year’s World Press Freedom Index clearly demonstrate the country’s poor performance,” he said.
The index also reinforced the need for stakeholders to intensify efforts aimed at promoting press freedom.
Dwumfour said for the first quarter of 2025 alone, 11 cases of assaults on journalists had been reported.
“All 11 of them occurred in February this year. The records are not good for us, especially on economic, security, and legislative indicators,” he added.
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