Journalists urged to harness AI to combat election misinformation
As next year’s elections approach, journalists have been cautioned against falling prey to misinformation which is rampant during the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Media Council of Kenya (MCK) Chairman Maina Muiruri says the media must maintain public trust at the height of misinformation, disinformation, manipulated images and misleading narratives that often compromise the truth […] The…
As the upcoming elections draw near, journalists have been warned about the prevalence of misinformation that AI technology fuels. Maina Muiruri, the chairman of the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), emphasized the importance of maintaining public trust during this critical period. At a training session for digital media practitioners in Ruiru, Kiambu County, Muiruri suggested that journalists should leverage AI to detect manipulated content, analyze data, and enhance fact-checking.
He revealed that a report by MCK indicates that 60% of the journalists who will be covering the election are doing so for the first time, hence the necessity for training and awareness. The workshop, organized by the Digital Journalists of Kenya (DJK) association, focused on utilizing AI to ensure content authenticity and credibility during an election season.
DJK Chairman Andy Kagwa stated that the media must also tackle hate speech and toxic political statements as newsrooms and organizations like MCK, Kenya Editors Guild (KEG), and Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) work together to bolster election monitoring and misinformation tracking systems. Christine Muchira, DJK Secretary, highlighted the association's goal of training, equipping, and building capacity for digital journalists while sensitizing them to follow the updated media code of conduct.
Written by urgent.news from KBC's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
