The advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet has actually redefined and shaped human existence generally. It has ushered us into the era of social media and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., as well as digital communication technologies such as computers, iPads, digital and high definition cameras etc. that can help individuals to create, post and share content in real time and regardless of frontiers.
This development has altered and revolutionized the way information is produced and consumed, that is why concepts like “prosumers”, “citizen journalism”, and digital or data driven journalism are being used to describe how individuals actively participate in the production, consumption and dissemination of information through user generated contents (UGC).
There is no gainsaying that, the nature of journalism and its ethical consideration are being profoundly and consistently altered by today’s media revolution courtesy of the development in ICT and the Internet. Hitherto, only “traditional” journalists who must have had requisite knowledge of journalism and understand the nuances of professional code of ethics of journalists as well as mastered the art and science of news reporting; can be said to be responsible for news production and dissemination.
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However, that narrative is fast changing as private individuals now create, post or share content instantaneously using their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram handles which helps to de-institutionalised some of the bottlenecks of the traditional media (radio, television and newspapers/magazines) and brought about participatory kinds of journalism.
Undoubtedly, while revolutions like this open up new opportunities especially in the field of journalism, it has as well come up with varying challenges for ethical journalism such as the closure of “traditional newsrooms”, economic and identity or reputational crises. The fact that the new media is instantaneous, accessible, interactive, and “always on” poses another challenge for ethical journalism.
However, these worries also inspire media innovations such as in-depth analysis and investigative reporting which are very important journalistic ingredients especially in a country like Nigeria where endemic corruptions and different political scandals thrive.
Interestingly, recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, camera drones and the use of algorithms to generate and create news stories raise another serious ethical concern. Be that as it may, according to optimistic “machine liberates man” frame, the ability to automate routine tasks may offer opportunities to improve journalistic quality. The argument is that, automation frees up journalists from routine tasks and allows them to spend more time on providing in-depth analysis, commentary and investigative work which are in turn skills that will become more important in the field of journalism. Associated Press (AP), New York Times and Los Angeles Times for instance are some of the media organisations around the globe that have adopted the use of automated news.
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On the other hand, automated journalism competes with human journalism, according to the “machine versus man” framing. In other words, automated journalism is promoted as a means of “cost-cutting and software-replacing” journalists who just handle regular and routine media tasks. The natural outcome is that journalists who used to cover such information would need to either offer a better product or focus on activities and abilities where humans beat algorithms. This is true if a growing percentage of news is eventually automated.
Similarly, with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) commonly known as camera drones, journalists can access and report places that are dangerous and prone to crises. For example, drones can be deployed to areas of environmental hazards such as tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes etc. as well as crises ridden areas which may be difficult for journalists to access thereby ensuring their wellbeing and safety. Aside from having eye-witnessing effect, drones have also given investigative reporting a new dimension as information are being relayed with immediacy, fidelity and superior reliability. However, the type of government in power has a significant impact on how freely journalists should be able to utilize drones in the course of their work. Liberal democracies, as opposed to developing democracies or authoritarian systems of governance, will, of course, tend to have less regulation or law on drones. For instance, it is more common to utilize drones for news gathering and reporting, particularly in Nordic nations like Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, etc., which are frequently scored high in Reporters without Borders’ Press Freedom Index.
Unexpectedly, some industrialized nations, like the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. as well as some developing countries such as Kenya and South Africa have over the years raised concerns over the use of drones in news gathering especially as it relates to issue bothering on people’s safety and privacy.
Be that as it may, while the advent of social media has actually decentralized how information are accessed and distributed especially as a result of its unique features – interactivity, accessibility, speed or immediacy, “multimediality” and “hypertexuality”; it has as well created the issue of misinformation, disinformation and fake news thereby raising ethical concern about source or message credibility while heating up the polity.
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There is no doubt that, the impact of fake news can be quite disastrous especially in a country like Nigeria where its cyberspace is porous and its people are divided along ethnic, religious and political inclinations. How information about the results of 2023 general elections were posted and reacted to on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is a good case in point.
Finally, since the only thing that is constant in life is change, and since the development in ICT and the Internet are not bad in themselves but on how individuals use these technological advancements, it has therefore become onus on journalists to strive to protect their professional integrity at all cost while adopting the “man-machine marriage” where journalists, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will integrate and work very closely thereby forming relationship in such a way that, algorithms will analyse data, find interesting stories and provide a first draft; which journalists will then enrich with more flesh and in-depth analyses by interviewing key people.
Dr Gabriel T. Nyitse is a senior lecturer in Mass Communication with Bingham University, Abuja
Jesse Ishaku is currently a PhD candidate, Mass Communication Department, Bingham University, Abuja
