The State Of Democracy In The World-Adriaan Basson

Letter from the editor: Truth, trust and Trump in a time of AI   ADRIAAN BASSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dear Subscriber, I write this letter from London where I am attending the Thomson Reuters Foundation's annual conference on trust. The conference gives a glimpse into the state of democracy and freedom of speech globally, and the latest developments in technology affecting public trust. This year's conference had a specific focus on the explosion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – generative AI in particular – and its impact on society. It is clear to me that we are at the beginning of an historic era of change in how society works and interacts, not unlike the beginning years of the internet. It is wise not to make too many hard predictions or bets on how AI will (or won't) change the world, suffice to say it is happening every day, on every connected device and will only intensify for the rest of our lives. AI isn't good or bad – it is both – and I listened to many forces for good talking about the incredible opportunities AI will create to improve the world for millions of people. We all need to stay on top of the developments of AI in our industries and how it will impact the future of work, health, finance and communication. AI will fundamentally shape and influence our relationship with facts and the truth – and this is where journalism and News24 comes in. I leave London with the distinct belief that quality journalism – digging through the garbage (a word used aplenty in relation to the poor use of AI) in search of the magical truth – has an even bigger role and purpose in this brave new world. "AI is having a profound impact on society and democracy. AI is clearly the new battleground for trust," said the foundation's impressive CEO, Antonio Zappulla. What does this mean for the average South African citizen who wants to stay on top of the latest developments in news, business, sport and entertainment? It means that you simply cannot depend on social media platforms like Facebook, Google, X, WhatsApp or TikTok for credible, trusted content. Viral messages forwarded on your community WhatsApp group are likely false. We saw shocking examples of how these platforms are used by agents of disinformation to spread lies, fears and influence agendas. Which brings me to the US presidential election on 5 November. There was a tangible tension in the conference hall that the re-election of former US president Donald Trump could intensify attacks on the truth, democracy and freedom of speech. These fears aren't unfounded. During his first term, Trump illustrated his disdain for the facts when they don't suit his agenda and labelled credible sources of news, critical of his presidency, as "fake". This had a chilling impact globally, also in South Africa. It has become commonplace for South African consumers on social platforms to glibly call articles or publications they don't agree with "fake news". This poses an immediate and immense challenge for those of us who pride ourselves on factual, fair reporting as journalists. Firstly, we have to up our game and ensure that our journalism is top notch. This counts for every single journalist working for News24. Yes, we will make mistakes, but we need to limit this to the absolute minimum, acknowledge when we have erred and uphold the best standards of quality reporting as outlined by the Press Code. Secondly, we have to admit that we cannot compete with the big platforms like Facebook, X and WhatsApp on their terms. They are not interested in the truth; they are owned by a handful of dollar billionaires in Silicon Valley who have little interest in the public good or creating better societies. They will increasingly use AI to feed algorithms for the highest bidder. This means we have to be better, smarter and more innovative on our own platforms. Lastly, when and where we experiment with AI tools in disseminating the journalism we gather, we need to be upfront with you, our readers, that AI was involved and always ensure that a human editor signs off on any piece of content AI has touched. The opportunities for using AI to distribute and enrich our quality journalism are immense and we should not shy away from embracing technology for the good. My promise to you is that we will do this in a way that is ethical and transparent. It remains an enormous pleasure and privilege to work as a journalist in a democratic country that enshrines freedom of speech in its Constitution. As we were congregating in London, 320 journalists globally remain imprisoned while more than 100 have already been killed this year, largely in the Middle East. We cannot do this alone. Your subscription to News24 enables us to stand firm in the face of misinformation and those who abuse technology to divide and destroy democracy. Adriaan