Sharing insights: Eric Wishart, standards and ethics editor, and former editor-in-chief of AFP at the Roja Muthiah Research Library on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
âSafety is also a major ethical issue in journalism. Media organisations have a responsibility towards their staff, including freelance journalists,â Eric Wishart, standards and ethics editor, and former editor-in-chief of the international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), said at the Roja Muthiah Research Library here on Saturday.
Mr. Wishart, who is the author of Journalism Ethics: 21 Essentials from Wars to Artificial Intelligence, was in conversation with A.S. Panneerselvan, Fellow, Centre for Study in Public Sphere, Roja Muthiah Research Library.
The discussion focused on how trustworthy and fact-driven journalism was provided in todayâs multimedia environment. Mr. Wishart began the conversation by sharing insights into his journalism career with the AFP, before discussing ethics and safety in journalism.
Discussing the impact of Generative AI, fake news, and disinformation, he showed examples of AI-manipulated images across the world that went viral on social media. âA problem with AI-generated images is that the tools to detect them are still not easily available,â Mr. Wishart said. Members of the audience raised questions on journalists in Indian media using ChatGPT. Mr. Eric said it was largely a waste of time to input all the quotes and drafts into AI as it would still produce a story that one has to work on all over again.
He further said that it would not reflect oneâs original style of writing. âI embrace technology, but you should be selective about using it…Just because you can, it doesnât mean you should start using AI for stories.â he said.
Gender balance
Mr. Wishart also addressed the representation of women in news coverage, emphasising the need for significant efforts to improve gender balance and representation across all genders.
Published – November 03, 2024 12:46 am IST
