AI in the Newsroom & Digital Journalism Practice

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Principled caution: How AI is used in public-interest media in Asia

James Gomez

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2026), 52 pp.

"In conclusion, this research has provided a systematic understanding of AI adoption within public-interest media across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. By identifying concrete areas for strategic intervention, this research seeks to strengthen ... journalistic quality and prepare the sector for an AI-integrated future. The findings reveal that the AI adoption is currently taking place within public-interest media, but it is one of “principled caution” where adoption is careful, selective and highly varied. This evolution unfolds within a structurally precarious media environment where AI regulation is often absent or actively restrictive. While adoption remains cautious to protect journalistic credibility from risks such as hallucinations and biases, newsrooms are increasingly embracing AI as a powerful toolset to alleviate severe capacity and resource constraints. Currently, organizations primarily utilize AI for assistive, routine tasks such as translation, transcription, summarization, and early-stage content ideation and the final language editing stage rather than for broader organizational transformation. The research highlights deep capacity deficits in the governance framework, institutional training, and leadership. These gaps often prevent individual AI literacy from translating into consistent, organization-wide policy formulation and enforcement. This challenge is further exacerbated by the funding instability and resource constraints that characterize the region’s independent media, restricting the long-term investment necessary for ethical and responsible AI adoption. Despite these legal, political, technical, capacity, and operational constraints, localized and innovative AI workflows are emerging. While AI has not yet generated entirely new, revenue-generating business models, strategic investments in customized AI infrastructures, such as in-house dashboards and media monitoring systems, present a critical pathway toward long-term operational resilience. To support this trajectory, the report recommends coordinated action among media organizations, governments, technology companies, donors and media development funders to invest in long-term AI capacity, governance frameworks, and secure technological infrastructure." (Conclusion, page 39) more

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Navigating risks and rewards: How South African journalists use AI in the newsroom

Karen Allen, Herman Wasserman, Nande Mbekela

Johannesburg; Stellenbosch: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Media Programme Sub-Saharan Africa; Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA) (2026), 33 pp.

"This study demonstrates impressively how widely AI is already used in South African newsrooms – often, however, without systematic training, without editorial guidelines, and without tools adapted to African languages and contexts. The interviews make it clear that journalists stand between curio ... more

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Critiquing Generative AI in Africa's Media Ecosystems

Lungile A. Tshuma, Trust Matsilele

London; New York: Routledge (2026), 215 pp.

"The book argues that as technology is a social construct reflecting existing power dynamics, those in the Global South, and in Africa in particular, are bound to be marginalised and have their knowledge, systems overlooked as the Global North dominates technological developments. The birth of AI ha ... more

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SpinozAI: Augmenting Journalism with Innovation and Ethics

Paris: Reporters Without Borders (2025), 15 pp.

"The Spinoza project aims to develop an open-source AI tool that ensures the integrity, traceability, and ownership of its data. It is co-designed with journalists and publishers and its first prototype focuses on climate change issues. The initial concept was launched by Reporters Without Borders ( ... more

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Digital Journalism

Bruce Mutsvairo, Kristin Skare Orgeret (eds.)

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2025), xxi, 444 pp.

"This book responds to mounting calls to broaden the theorization of digital journalism, addressing critical questions about an emerging yet rapidly expanding area of study, and presenting multiple entry points and approaches that help us understand digital journalism better. Seeking to establish it ... more

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Generative AI in African News Media: Opportunities and Challenges

Trust Matsilele, Lungile A. Tshuma

Routledge (2025), xix, 190 pp.

"Featuring diverse case studies from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Eswatini, the collection explores how African newsrooms are adopting generative AI. Contributors analyse the use of AI presenters, audience perceptions of AI-generated content, gamification strategies in newsroo ... more

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Generative AI & Journalism: Content, Journalistic Perceptions, and Audience Experiences

T. J. Thomson, Ryan J. Thomas, Michelle Riedlinger, Phoebe Matich

Melbourne: RMIT University (2025), 39 pp.

"This report brings together six discrete research and engagement activities over a three-year period (2022-24), drawing on fieldwork in seven countries (Australia, Germany, USA, UK, Norway, Switzerland, and France), and focuses on AI in journalism within three broad domains: AI-generated content in ... 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 (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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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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AI and automated decision-making in news and media: Key technologies and emerging challenges

Melbourne: ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society; RMIT University (2023), 37 pp.

"Automated systems and processes are a common feature of the news and media environment. This report introduces four key examples: search, recommendation, automated content moderation and curation, and advertising technology (AdTech). We provide a basic explanation of how these systems work at the t ... more