*Group photo of participants
Veteran Journalists have harped on the essence of verifiable accurate data and adaptation to positive use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in daily operations, noting that use of false data will not only mislead the public who rely immensely on published data for daily business decisions, but is also prone to demeaning credibility of the medium and erode public trust.
Further, the veteran Journalists who were resource persons at the just concluded capacity-building event, convened by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council in partnership with Chevron, agreed that AI has come to stay and therefore critical for all practicing Journalists to adapt to its positive use to enhance their efficiency.
The theme of the training is: “Strengthening Energy Journalism Through Knowledge, Data Accuracy and Artificial Intelligence”.
The resource persons who spoke include the NUJ FCT Council Chairman, Grace Ike; Serial awards winner, Kingsley Jeremiah; and Former NUJ FCT Council Chairman and veteran Journalist, Amos Duniya.
Duniya explained that any practicing journalist who shies away from positive use of Artificial Intelligence in day to day function has lost the track, stressing that the world had since moved on with AI technology.
According to him, “AI has come to stay, you either move with the tide or get left behind.
“I don’t know why the organisers of this training workshop chose the topic. However, I must say, and rightly so, that it is deep and evolving, thus qualified to be conceptualise and analysed.
“With the challenge posed to the mainstream media by the social media, the use of AI has become more germane than ever before
owing to the fact that journalism practice keeps evolving and any practitioner that refuses or fails to follow the trend, may have to be dropped on the way and unable to get to the desired destination.
“AI is increasingly used in journalism, media, research, and content creation. It improves speed, efficiency, translation, data analysis, and fact gathering. However, it is important and critical for us to understand and appreciate that AI is but a tool and not a replacement for human judgment.”
On his part, the serial awards winning Journalist, Kingsley Jeremiah, noted that the energy sector is driven by numbers which policy makers rely upon for decision making when published.
He argued that any any wrong data or miscalculated data could lead to massive public misinformation and loss of credibility as well public trust.
He advised Journalists to build a library of sources, triangulate in course of fact-checking instead of relying on a single source and get mastery of spreadsheets.
Earlier in an opening remarks, the NUJ FCT Chairman, Grace Ike expound on the essence of the training, noting that energy powers development.
According to her, “The stories we tell about it shape policy decisions, public trust, investment flows, and community outcomes. As journalists, we are not simply chroniclers of events, we are interpreters of complex systems, guardians of accountability, and bridges between technical experts and ordinary citizens.
“That responsibility has never been heavier, nor the opportunity greater. Knowledge is our foundation. The energy sector is technical, rapidly evolving, and global in reach. To report it well, we must deepen our understanding of markets, infrastructure, financing, and regulation.
“That means continuous learning: mastering concepts from grid operations to gas monetization, reading policy texts, and cultivating relationships with credible experts. This training is an investment in accuracy, context and credibility. It will enable us to move beyond headlines and to explain implications for jobs, for prices, for communities, and for our shared climate future.”
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