The Impact of AI on Press Freedom and the Media

Every year, the 3rd May is set aside by the United Nations as World Press Freedom Day, to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to assess the state of press freedom around the world.  This year’s theme is:

“Reporting in the Brave New World:  the impact of Artificial Intelligence on press freedom and the media.”

Today, as we mark World Press Freedom Day, we reaffirm our commitment to defending truth and standing in solidarity with journalists worldwide – especially Blessed Mhlanga, whose detention in Zimbabwe is a chilling reminder of the escalating threats against press freedom in this country and beyond.

Significance of the Date

On the 3rd May, the world pauses to remind governments of their duty to uphold press freedom and honour their commitment to safeguarding independent journalism.  It is a moment for media professionals to reflect on the challenges facing them and the ethical responsibilities that guide their work.  Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day serves to mark our solidarity with media outlets that face censorship, suppression or threats to their existence.  It is also a solemn day of remembrance, honouring journalists who have lost their lives in the pursuit of truth.

Across the globe, democracy is retreating and authoritarianism is on the rise.  Press freedom is under sustained attack.  According to Reporters Without Borders, the global press freedom index declined by 7.6 points this year, a stark indicator that governments are failing in their duty to protect journalists.  Instead of safeguarding freedom of expression, governments are complicit in eroding it.

Journalists are frontline defenders of democracy, but today they navigate a deadly landscape – from war zones in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to courtrooms and police cells where they are detained for simply doing their jobs.  Their imprisonment weakens societies by depriving people of their right to learn the truth.  Societies in which people cannot ascertain the truth about their governments, cannot be regarded as democratic and free.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence

A new force is shaping the media landscape in the modern world:  Artificial Intelligence, or AI.  AI holds the potential to amplify truth, but in the wrong hands it can distort reality, spread misinformation, and silence independent voices.  Free Press Unlimited observed a sharp surge in disinformation last year, fuelled by autocratic forces manipulating AI-driven technologies to spread lies, suppress dissent and control narratives.

What we are witnessing is not just censorship:  it is the calculated erasure of truth, now accelerated by AI-driven disinformation.

Journalism in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, journalism has become a perilous profession.  Those who dare to speak truth to power are harassed, detained and silenced.  Blessed Mhlanga’s wrongful detention is not an isolated event;  it is part of a broader effort to suppress dissent and intimidate those who expose corruption, injustice, and abuses of power.

The detention of Blessed Mhlanga signals a grave moment in our nation’s press freedom crisis.  It is a warning to every truth-seeker, whistleblower, and storyteller – that no one is safe if truth itself becomes criminalised.

Call To Action

This World Press Freedom Day, Veritas calls on the government to release Blessed Mhlanga immediately and uphold the right of journalists to report truthfully without fear.  We urge civil society, activists and citizens to stand firm in defence of journalism, democracy, and truth, especially as AI reshapes the media landscape.

  • Without a free press, there is no democracy.  Without democracy, there is no justice.  
  • Without action, silence will become the only story left to tell.
  • Defend journalism. Defend democracy. Defend Blessed Mhlanga.

#WorldPressFreedomDay #FreeBlessedMhlanga #DefendTheTruth