Elizabeth Vincent, Yenagoa
As the global community commemorates World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2025, the Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub of the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos – Nigeria, is calling on all stakeholders to actively defend the right to access truthful information.
The IPC-SPJ Hub acknowledges that the media faces one of the most defining challenges of the era: the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its significant implications for journalism, democracy, and the free flow of information.
This year’s WPFD theme, “Reporting in the Brave World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media,” urges critical reflection on how AI is reshaping truth, trust, and transparency in the media, while underscoring the urgent need to safeguard press freedom both in Nigeria and globally.
This call is contained in a statement issued by the IPC-SPJ Hub to announce its planned activities for WPFD 2025, which includes a commemorative event taking place in Lagos on Wednesday, May 7.
According to the statement, the IPC will host an in-person event themed “Artificial Intelligence, the Media & Press Freedom: Issues & Perspectives,” aimed at critically examining the impact of AI on press freedom and exploring the media’s evolving role in a digital-first world.
At the event, IPC will also present its latest report on the state of attacks on journalists in Nigeria. The discussion will focus on developing practical strategies to improve journalists’ safety and protect fundamental freedoms in an AI-influenced media environment. The gathering will bring together key stakeholders to propose tangible measures for advancing press freedom in Nigeria.
World Press Freedom Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993, is observed annually on May 3 to remind governments of their obligation to uphold press freedom and ensure a safe and enabling environment for journalism and media practice.
Commenting on the 2025 theme, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, executive director of IPC, stated Artificial Intelligence (AI) has introduced remarkable efficiencies in newsrooms, from automated fact-checking to data-driven investigative journalism. In Nigeria, media outlets are using AI to track corruption and spotlight underreported stories, showcasing its potential as a tool for accountability.”
However, he warned of the growing dangers,the risks associated with AI are rising at an alarming rate,AI-generated disinformation is now outpacing traditional journalism. A 2024 report by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) revealed that fake news driven by AI spreads faster than human-generated falsehoods, with Nigeria ranked among the top 10 African nations targeted by AI-fueled disinformation campaigns.
Mr. Arogundade also noted that AI surveillance is contributing to the suppression of journalists,governments and private actors are increasingly using AI-powered tools to monitor journalists. A 2024 UNESCO report found that 47% of Nigerian journalists have experienced AI-based surveillance, including facial recognition and predictive policing algorithms aimed at critics.
On the occasion of WPFD 2025, IPC-SPJ emphasizes that AI must not become a tool for deepening the repression of press freedom in Nigeria, which is already under pressure from cybercrime laws, internet shutdowns, and physical attacks on journalists.
“We call for urgent measures to ensure that AI supports democracy rather than undermines it, AI should not replace journalists and without strong safeguards, it risks replacing truth with manipulation, accountability with control, and press freedom with algorithmic oppression.
We urge journalists, tech companies, lawmakers, and citizens to unite in defending the right to truthful information. The future of journalism must be bold, not merely automated,” the statement concluded.
