The Summit brought together journalists, artists and fact-checkers from across the country and beyond. The intended outcomes for the AJMS were to explore emerging trends and innovations in journalism on the continent, with a focus on AI, data journalism, business models, and platform power. The participants shared best practices and challenges to achieving press freedom, journalism training in schools, and critical issues such as disinformation and misinformation. They identified opportunities for collaboration between media journalists, media organisations, and policymakers to support the growth and development of journalism in Africa.
Key discussions were had about the state of investigative journalism on the continent. Joel Konopo, the Director of INK Centre for Investigative Journalism in Gaborone, Botswana, shared some critical open-source AI tools that African investigative journalists can engage to simplify and speed up their work. Journalistic ethics when producing stories using AI was discussed at length as the ever-evolving nature of AI requires an extra care of duty and transparency with audiences.
The AJMS provided a much-needed platform for networking, information-sharing and skills development via the masterclasses held in breakaway sessions over the course of the Summit. Ideas for collaboration, even across borders were shared. Suggestions for ways to enhance press freedom in Zimbabwe and beyond via research and policy restructuring were proffered.
