Some seasoned media experts on Tuesday discussed in details and highlighted possible ways of monetising journalism in the modern technological age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The discussion took place at a media roundtable organised by the Pan-African University (PAU) in partnership with Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
The roundtable, themed: “Beyond the Byline: Monetising Journalism in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” brought together journalists, academics and other media professionals to examine the changing media landscape and the growing influence of AI on journalism.
The keynote speaker, Temitayo Fagbule, Bureau Chief (West Africa) at CNBC Africa in his presentation urged journalists to shift attention from routine news production to original reporting, human interest stories, investigative and other forms of journalism not easily replicable by AI.
Fagbule explained that the traditional understanding of journalism as being largely centred on hard news and breaking headlines was no longer sufficient at a time when audiences could access information instantly through smartphones, social media and AI-powered platforms.
Using the traditional African bell (agogo) as analogy, the CNBC Bureau Chief said journalism like the bell apart from the primary aim of information dissemination also served other purposes, including entertainment, education, ceremonies and music.
According to him, the analogy demonstrates why journalism must evolve beyond simply delivering breaking news.
“Journalism is not about hard news stories and headlines. It’s a sophisticated cultural object,” Fagbule said.
He explained that the evolution of communication technology had progressively transformed how people consumed information, from town criers to newspapers, radio and television, and eventually smartphones and the internet.
Fagbule noted that while newspapers were portable, shareable and could be preserved for future reference, they were constrained by the time of publication, whereas smartphones had made information available almost instantly.
He said the emergence of AI had further changed the competitive environment for journalists, as machines could now perform several tasks traditionally handled by journalists, including transcription, summarisation, image generation and answering follow-up questions.
He, however, urged journalists not to compete with AI on tasks that machines could perform faster.
Instead, he advised media professionals to focus on areas requiring human experience, interaction, context and original observation.
“We have to go beyond what AI can replicate,” he said.
Fagbule identified interviews with real people, on-the-ground reporting, follow-up questions, explanatory journalism, data journalism and distinctive storytelling as areas where journalists could create greater value.
He also advised journalists to make their reports clearer and more digestible, noting that audiences were increasingly time-poor and preferred simpler language and concise formats.
He cited his experience at BusinessDay, where he said journalists were encouraged to avoid unnecessary jargon and use simpler language.
Fagbule also stressed the importance of trust, impartiality and original reporting as journalism competes with AI-generated content.
He said journalists had an advantage because they could physically meet sources, observe events and obtain information through human interactions that AI could not independently reproduce in the same way.
“Meeting people becomes more important. On-the-ground reporting becomes very important. Going out there is very important,” he said.
In their panel contributions, Rosemary Egabor-Afolahan, a founding member of News Central TV, urged media organisations to prioritise trust and consistency as part of their strategy for achieving commercial sustainability.
Egabor-Afolahan said media organisations needed to build audiences and establish credibility before expecting significant commercial returns.
Another panelist, Samson Folarin, Editor, Weekend Titles at PUNCH Newspapers, also urged journalists to focus on creating value rather than attempting to compete directly with AI.
“Forget about competing with AI. How do we create value? That is the question. What do we do that is different, that is exceptional, that the AI chatbot cannot replicate?” he asked.
He consequently advised journalists to move beyond press-release journalism and find creative ways to produce original stories within their respective beats.
“You cannot be a press release journalist in this time and era. Because whatever it is that you’re going to submit to the newsroom, AI will do it better and faster,” he said.
Folarin, however, said the growing use of AI also meant newsroom leaders needed to understand the technology and learn how to deploy it effectively.
“Every newsroom leader must have adequate knowledge about how to deploy AI. You must be AI literate,” he said.
Other panelists including Dr Desmond Moru, Acting Head of the Department of Computer Science, School of Science and Technology, Pan-Atlantic University, and Wale Olajubu, Executive Director of the Health Business Academy for Africa took time to explain why journalists, news rooms and media houses should flow with technological advancement applicable to the profession for profit, quality and continuous