AI Journalism Education Addressing Disinformation

This Special Collection results from the project "Integration of AI Competencies Addressing Disinformation in Journalism Training in Eastern Africa" implemented in 2026 by the Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) and the Catholic Media Council in Uganda and Kenya. It brings together the project's own training materials and output alongside relevant international resources on AI in journalism education, making them available to journalism educators, trainers, researchers, and media development practitioners in East Africa and beyond. The collection focuses especially on

Integrating AI compentencies into journalism curriclua and educator training;
Disinformation in journalism, with a particular focus on migration reporting;
AI-powered tools for verification and newsroom practice

This preliminary version is work in progress. The collection is curated by Hazrat Bahar.

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AI, journalism, and critical AI literacy: exploring journalists’ perspectives on AI and responsible reporting

Tomasz Hollanek, Dorian Peters, Eleanor Drage, Raphael Hernandes

AI & SOCIETY, volume 40 (2025), pp. 6393–6405

"This study explores the perspectives of media professionals on the concerns, needs, and responsibilities related to fostering AI literacy among journalists. We report on findings from two workshops with journalists (based in the USA, the UK, China, and India), as well as representatives of civil so ... more

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Mapping the information integrity landscape in West Africa: An annotated bibliography

Zara Schoeder, Liz Orembo, Marie Batista

Cape Town: Research ICT Africa (2025), 26 pp.

"This annotated bibliography is organised into four sections. Section 1 demonstrates how disinformation emerges as the most prominent topic in the literature on information integrity. Several different kinds of agents of disinformation operate within West Africaʼs information sphere. These range fr ... om political actors and interest groups to foreign entities and social media influencers. Each exploits social fault lines to sway public opinion, particularly in the lead-up to elections and during conflicts. An organised network of influence narratives – which can sometimes be complex and include both local and foreign disinformation-for-hire merchants complemented by a network of informed but polarised citizens – forms part of the machinery of political campaigns. This machinery transcends elections to become a way of governance as governments continue to rely on it to deflect accountability and manipulate public discourse. Section 2 describes the events around which information disorders are promoted. During periods of political instability, elections, or armed conflicts, information disorders often emerge as key drivers of mass action. In these contexts, disinformation and hate speech are weaponised to incite violence, manipulate public sentiment, and deepen ethnic and religious divisions. Ethnicity and religion frequently become fault lines that disinformation campaigns exploit to divide communities and trigger mass actions such as violent protests, or for widespread voter manipulation. In the case of elections, disinformation is used to sway voter opinions by distorting candidatesʼ positions or spreading fabricated narratives about political opponents. Likewise, in conflict situations, armed groups and militant organisations may use information disorders to recruit new members by promoting extremist ideologies, spreading fear, or creating a sense of urgency. Politicians and conflict groups alike have learned to manipulate these divisions for their agendas, making information integrity a critical issue for social cohesion, democratic stability, and peacebuilding in the region. Section 3 covers literature on fact-checking as one of the measures to mitigate information disorders. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can scale up fact-checking efforts by detecting and scaling up the distribution of correct information. However, even using AI for fact-checking experiences significant limitations. For example, local languages make it hard for AI to detect disinformation and hate speech in all instances. When misinformation is shared on instant messaging platforms like Telegram channels it is also difficult for an ordinary user to detect. Section 4 covers media literacy as an antidote to information disorders, especially disinformation. UNESCO has been at the forefront of addressing information integrity issues in West Africa through its research and media literacy programmes. Recognising the role of accurate and reliable information in fostering peace, democracy, and development, UNESCO has sought to promote the importance of information integrity by partnering with governments, civil society organisations, and media outlets to combat disinformation. Additionally, UNESCOʼs media literacy programmes aim to empower citizens with the skills to critically evaluate and engage with information, fostering a more informed and resilient public.8 These initiatives are particularly important in an era where digital media plays such a significant role in shaping opinions and driving political discourse." (Introduction, pages 3-4) more

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AI-Generated Disinformation in Europe and Africa: Use Cases, Solutions and Transnational Learning
Deep Insights

Karen Allen, Christopher Nehring

Johannesburg: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Media Programme Sub-Sahara Africa (2025), xii, 158 pp.

"While there are already several analyses and studies of AI disinformation in 2024 (particularly relating to elections), there are few transnational and transcontinental comparative studies of AI disinformation. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by providing a comparative analysis of AI disi ... more

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WhatsApp in the World: Disinformation, Encryption, and Extreme Speech
Deep Insights

Sahana Udupa, Herman Wasserman (eds.)

New York: New York University Press (2025), vii, 375 pp.

"Known by the popular nickname “ZapZap” in Brazil and synonymous with the Internet across Africa and South Asia, WhatsApp has emerged as a major means of communication for millions of people around the world. Unlike social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, WhatsApp offers a closed, e ... more

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Artificial Intelligence Curriculum for Primary and Secondary Schools

Corporate author: aidetem (AI for Children)

Online: AI for Children (2025)

"This open educational curriculum provides a structured framework for teaching artificial intelligence and developing digital competence from primary through secondary education. It combines conceptual AI knowledge with practical classroom activities, teacher training and media literacy. Particularl ... more

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Tackling Disinformation, Information Manipulation and Interference in Four African Elections
Deep Insights

Dani Madrid-Morales, Herman Wasserman, Nicola Davies-Laubscher, Fatoumata Sow

Mapping Electoral Disinformation inAfrica (MEDiA); Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CIIA); Stellenbosch University (2025), 58 pp.

"In recent years, electoral disinformation has followed several recurring patterns globally, many of which were observed in the case studies analysed in this report. One prominent tactic is attacks on electoral integrity, where political actors spread false claims about voter registration, election ... rigging, or external interference to delegitimise outcomes. As we show in this report, in the DRC, for example, rumours circulated that biometric voter registration was designed to expose individuals’ HIV status, discouraging participation. In South Africa, disinformation networks falsely claimed that the Electoral Commission (IEC) was manipulating results to favour the ruling party, fueling distrust in the electoral process. Another trend is the weaponisation of ethnic and gendered disinformation. In Kenya, misleading narratives framed certain candidates as “foreign-sponsored outsiders” to undermine their legitimacy, while in Senegal, false claims about morality were used to discredit opposition figures. Meanwhile, gendered disinformation—targeting women candidates with sexist tropes and false accusations—was a recurring feature in all four countries, reflecting a broader global pattern in which women in politics are disproportionately subjected to online abuse and misinformation. Social media platforms have been central to the spread of electoral disinformation. Across Africa, as in much of the world, platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) have served as primary vehicles for the rapid dissemination of falsehoods, often facilitated by coordinated inauthentic behaviour. Data that we present in the report shows that, in South Africa, paid “nano-influencers”—individuals with small but loyal online followings—were mobilised to amplify misleading narratives in favour of specific political actors, demonstrating how disinformation strategies are evolving in response to changing digital landscapes. [...] In response to these findings, the report makes several key recommendations. First, it calls for greater cross-platform coordination among CSOs, fact-checking groups, and election monitors to ensure realtime responses to emerging disinformation threats. Second, it highlights the importance of media and digital literacy programmes among all age groups, including young voters, some of whom are often the most active on social media but may lack the skills to critically assess the credibility of information they encounter. Third, it urges greater transparency and accountability from technology platforms, which remain the primary distribution channels for electoral disinformation but have done little to curb its spread in African electoral contexts. Ultimately, electoral disinformation is not simply a digital challenge—it is a fundamental governance issue that shapes public perceptions of legitimacy and democratic participation. Evidence from the four elections in Africa that we examine in this report demonstrates that countering disinformation requires a multi-stakeholder approach that includes journalists, civil society actors, election commissions, and policymakers working collaboratively to strengthen information integrity and electoral transparency. The findings in this report offer both a diagnosis of the current disinformation landscape and a framework for more effective, evidence-based responses that can help safeguard future elections from manipulation." (Pages 9-10) more

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Adoption by Journalists in Zambia: Survey Report

Teldah Mawarire, Meck Phiri (eds.)

USAID; FHI 360; Internews (2024), 12 pp.

"The survey report of 70 Zambian media professionals found that 60% of journalists use AI tools, with chatbots, image and video analysis, and automated content generation being the most utilized tools. Although AI tools might have improve efficiency, some respondents found the integration process to ... more

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The Electoral Misinformation Nexus: How News Consumption, Platform Use, and Trust in News Influence Belief in Electoral Misinformation

Camila Mont’Alverne, Amy Ross Arguedas, Sayan Banerjee, Benjamin Toff, Richard Fletcher, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

Public Opinion Quarterly, volume 88, issue SI (Supplement) (2024), pp. 681–707

“Electoral misinformation, where citizens believe false or misleading claims about the electoral process and electoral institutions—sometimes actively and strategically spread by political actors—is a challenge to public confidence in elections specifically and democracy more broadly. In this ... more

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Friends or Foes? Exploring the Framing of Artificial Intelligence Innovations in Africa-Focused Journalism

Abdullateef Mohammed, Adeola Abdulateef Elega, Murtada Busair Ahmad, Felix Oloyede

Journalism and Media, volume 5, issue 4 (2024), pp. 1749–1770

"The rise and widespread use of generative AI technologies, including ChatGPT, Claude, Synthesia, DALL-E, Gemini, Meta AI, and others, have raised fresh concerns in journalism practice. While the development represents a source of hope and optimism for some practitioners, including journalists and e ... more

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The criteria for excellence in journalism education in Africa

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 7 pp.

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Disinformation and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa: Security Implications of AI-Altered Information Environments

Eduardo Albrecht, Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Rebecca Brubaker

New York, Geneva: United Nations University (UNU) (2024), 39 pp.

"[...] this report aims to further explore the way in which AI technologies as they currently stand impact peace and conflict, and what methods might be used to mitigate their adverse effects - through the development of better tools and the inclusion of peace and conflict considerations in AI gover ... nance frameworks. The report presents the following findings: 1. AI is a driver of disinformation which adversely impacts peacebuilding efforts. 2. There are several ways to mitigate AI-powered disinformation. 3. AI can also be used to promote peacebuilding, although these mechanisms are still in their early stages. In relation to these findings, the report proposes the following recommendations: 1. More funding and support should be provided to civil society organizations’ efforts to expand media literacy and fact-checking initiatives using AI tools to enhance capabilities. 2. Governments need to work with civil society to develop and implement comprehensive, transparent legal frameworks combating disinformation. These legislative measures need to support digital and media literacy campaigns and fact-checking organizations. 3. Social media companies need to expand investment and research into understanding local information environments, so they can better identify and respond to instances of disinformation in all contexts in which they operate and enhance transparency. 4. Peacebuilding organizations need to carefully consider local media ecosystems and information environments when conducting conflict analyses, and factor these dynamics into their projects’ frameworks. Currently, disinformation exacerbates existing grievances and polarization, can act as a trigger for violence, leads individuals to make decisions based on false information, and creates or intensifies mistrust of institutions and international peacebuilding efforts. The efforts of journalists and civil society organizations to combat these effects, primarily through media literacy initiatives and factchecking, cannot keep up with the scope and scale of ‘fake news.’ Generative AI will increase the rate at which false content is produced and disseminated, and the quality or ‘believability’ of such content. Governments, civil society, and social media companies must work in tandem to combat the spread of disinformation and the impact it can have on peacebuilding efforts and security in sub-Saharan Africa." (Executive summary) more

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Control Beyond Code: Ownership and Financial Insights of AI Used in Journalism

Sydney Martin

Santiago de Compostela: Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) (2024), 17 pp.

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Egyptian Journalists’ Perceptions of Digital Journalism Training Effectiveness

Nagwa Fahmy, Maha Abdulmajeed Attia

Sage Open, issue January-March (2024), 20 pp.

"This study examines the perceptions of Egyptian journalists of the effectiveness of professional training in digital journalism and determines the training-needs of journalists to adapt to innovative journalism practices. The study applies mixed descriptive methods based on The Motivation–Hygiene ... more

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AI Adoption in Bangladeshi Newsrooms 2024

Maliha Tabassum

Dhaka: Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI); Asia Foundation (2024), 40 pp.

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Artificial Intelligence in Newsrooms: Ethical Challenges Facing Journalists

Omar Al-Zoubi, Normahfuzah Ahmad, Norsiah Abdul Hamid

Studies in Media and Communication, volume 12, issue 1 (2024), pp. 401–409

"Artificial intelligence has started to expand in journalism, especially in advanced news organisations. It is evident that journalists are beginning to realise the importance of AI and that it will be a partner to human journalists in their work inside newsrooms. Despite the numerous benefits that ... more

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AI Adoption in South African Newsrooms: Exploring Journalists’ Perceptions

Musawenkosi W. Ndlovu Soligah Solomons

Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, volume 50, issue 2 (2024), pp. 22-143

"This article explores South African journalists’ perceptions of the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) systems and algorithms in the newsroom. It specifically investigates (a) journalists’ impressions of AI adoption itself and (b) their current AI usage. It also investigates journalist ... more

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Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda

Tony Roberts, George Hamandishe Karekwaivanane (ed.)

London: Zed Books (2024), xiv, 242 pp.

"In an era when hashtag campaigns like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter capture global attention for victims of injustice, politicians and corporations are now spending billions employing Cambridge Analytica-type consultancies to manufacture disinformation - employing trolls, cyborgs and bots to disrupt ... more

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The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Contemporary Journalism Practice in Two African Countries

Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, Tigere Muringa, Samuel Danso, Siphumelele. Zondi

Journalism and Media, volume 5, issue 3 (2024), pp. 846–860

"Contemporary discussions about the application of artificial intelligence in newsrooms are commonplace because of the unique opportunities it presents for news media. This study investigated the intricate relationship between journalism and AI with the broad research question: How are journalists a ... more

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Unravelling Socio-Technological Barriers to AI Integration: A Qualitative Study of Southern African Newsrooms

Allen Munoriyarwa

Emerging Media, volume 2, issue 3 (2024), pp. 474-498

"This study explores the socio-technological barriers to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions in three countries of the global south – South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Through 20 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, it examines the distributio ... more

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Mapping a Surge of Disinformation in Africa

Africa Center for Strategic Studies (corporate author)

Online: Africa Center for Strategic Studies (2024), 8 pp.

"This publication maps documented disinformation campaigns across Africa, grouping them by region and sponsor and describing their political and security consequences. It highlights foreign state-sponsored operations, domestic political actors, militant groups and military actors, with examples invo ... more

AI-Generated Disinformation in Europe and Africa: Use Cases, Solutions and Transnational Learning Deep Insights

WhatsApp in the World: Disinformation, Encryption, and Extreme Speech Deep Insights

Tackling Disinformation, Information Manipulation and Interference in Four African Elections Deep Insights

AI-Generated Disinformation in Europe and Africa: Use Cases, Solutions and Transnational Learning
Deep Insights

WhatsApp in the World: Disinformation, Encryption, and Extreme Speech
Deep Insights

Tackling Disinformation, Information Manipulation and Interference in Four African Elections
Deep Insights