mediadev library

AI in the media: Kenya and South Africa

Karen Allen, Herman Wasserman, Nande Mbekela

Bonn; Stellenbosch (ZA): Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA) (2026), 27 pp.

"This study shows that AI remains largely an underexplored, and often misunderstood, topic for journalism in South Africa and Kenya. Stories can be framed in overly positive terms, such as the potential AI holds for development and social change, or negative terms, by highlighting the extractive nat ... ure of big tech firms or the potential of AI to foster disinformation. Either way, these reports frequently lack a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of AI in African contexts. Fear of the impact of AI on the media workforce may also explain why reporters say they often face resistance by editors when seeking to get AI and tech stories commissioned. AI articles tend to be siloed and reactive, framed as business, security or technology stories. Seldom is AI presented in terms of its multidimensional, layered impact on society. Furthermore, the geopolitical aspect of AI rarely gets interrogated in mainstream media. Journalists interviewed for the study admitted that many of their stories were reactive, and identified areas where synergies could be harnessed from other parts of the world. On issues of AI and social media regulation, for example, where precedents have been set by countries such as Australia, South African and Kenyan media could use such precedents to develop locally focused stories. AI reporting often adopts a framing promoted by technology vendors who derive interest from presenting a one-dimensional, optimistic view of AI. The unintended consequences often go unreported unless supported by an investigation, such as the CCTV camera surveillance reportage by Swart referenced above. Furthermore, the topic is often presented through a Global North lens, with little contextualisation or interrogation of these issues from an African point of view amid resource and access constraints. This occurs against a background of under-developed policy frameworks for AI on the continent generally, and in newsrooms in particular. Consequently the playing field can be tilted in favour of AI and tech vendors who fill the vacuum with hyperbole and hype about what the technology is capable of delivering. At the same time, more nuanced and specialised reporting on AI is constrained by the familiar obstacles of journalism, such as lack of resources, over-stretched newsrooms and story competition. To enhance coverage of AI in Africa, a multifaceted strategy is needed. While training and AI literacy programmes can deepen the knowledge needed by African journalists to investigate the topic more comprehensively, increased investment in newsrooms can provide the structural support to provide more context-specific coverage of AI on the continent. Crucially, training and education of African journalists should be done from within the African context, as solutions cannot be imposed from newsroom contexts in the Global North." (Conclusions, page 21) more

Download (62)

Künstliche Intelligenz im medialen Diskurs: Wird soziale Gerechtigkeit ausgeblendet?

Elke Grittmann, Lina Brink, Peter Kann

Frankfurt am Main: Otto Brenner Stiftung (2025), 84 pp.

[.] Auf Basis von über 2.000 Artikeln aus neun reichweitenstarken Print- und Onlinemedien untersuchen die Autor*innen, welche Themen in der Berichterstattung über KI gesetzt, wie Bezüge zu Fragen sozialer Gerechtigkeit hergestellt werden, welche narrativen Muster sich zeigen und welche Akteur*inn ... more

Download (50)

AI Literacy & Communication

Center for News, Technology & Innovation (CNTI), AI and Journalism Working Group (2025), 25 pp.

"This briefing focuses broadly on journalistic communication about AI. We first summarize research and frameworks that address the following questions about societal AI literacy: What does the public currently know about AI, and what does the public need to know about AI? We then move on to a synthe ... more

External Link (154)

Google Scholar (178)

WorldCat (175)

Global Journalism in Comparative Perspective: Case Studies

Dhiman Chattopadhyay (ed.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xvii, 251 pp.

"This book explores how journalism is practiced around the world and how there are multiple factors at the structural and contextual level shaping journalism practice. Drawing on case studies of how conflicts, pandemics, political developments, or human rights violations are covered in an online-fir ... more