Juliet Njeri at the BBC Journalism Festival in Nairobi on July 9 /SCREENGRAB
Adaptation to artificial intelligence, misinformation and changing audience habits discussions took centre stage at the BBC’s Future of Journalism Festival in Nairobi yesterday.
Speakers discussed how AI is transforming newsrooms by assisting with research and content production.
They stressed the need for ethical standards, transparency and human oversight to maintain accuracy and the public trust.
"You're entering the profession at a moment of enormous transformation. News rooms are evolving, audience behaviour is changing and technology has written all the rules," BBC Africa Regional Director Juliet Njeri said.
She said along with artificial intelligence and growing social
media platforms, misinformation has become a big issue BBC intends to tackle.
Although these platforms have transformed the way people access news, they have also made it easier for unverified content to reach millions within minutes, Njeri added.
"In a world where anyone can publish anything, instantly. Disinformation can spread faster than the truth," she said.
University of Nairobi lecturer Fredrick Ogutu highlighted how changing audience habits are reshaping the media industry, with more people, particularly younger audiences, turning to social media, podcasts and short-form video platforms for news instead of traditional outlets.
He urged news organisations to adapt by producing engaging, accessible and trustworthy content across multiple digital platforms while maintaining the accuracy and editorial standards that reinforce quality journalism.
"The future will be defined by the response to the audience needs,” Ogutu said.
Other panelists at the forum included Wahiga Mwaura, Host on BBC Focus On Africa and Jon Bithrey, Editor at BBC People Fixing The World.
Nairobi was chosen to host this event because it is a major media and technology hub in Africa and has a growing digital media landscape.
The two-day will highlight Africa's increasing influence in
shaping global journalism and end on Friday.
