Tolstoy, the famous Russian philosopher, said, “Newspapers are the beacon of peace, the voice of the nation, the cutting sword of truth, the shelter of the oppressed, and the snare of the oppressor. They shake the thrones of the tsars and demolish the landmarks of the oppressors.”
In Tolstoy’s time, the power of the press was measured by its ability to expose injustice and raise its voice loudly in defense of the truth. Today, with the rise of artificial intelligence that can generate news at dizzying speeds, this task seems more complex than ever.
The speed and huge amount of digital content may drown out the truth, distort credibility, and make adherence to journalistic ethical standards a major challenge.
Here the importance of the individual responsibility of each journalist becomes clear, as it is not enough to rely on technology alone, but must be combined with adherence to codes of ethics, the exercise of critical judgment, and the use of technical tools in a way that ensures transparency and integrity.
Journalism values in the face of the flood of algorithms
Journalism ethics are the first line of defense for service integrity and public trust. They are not just rigid regulations, but living values that protect credibility and guide professional behavior in every word published.
Although adherence to these values is a voluntary matter linked to freedom of will, editors place their trust in the awareness of journalists to provide authentic, accurate, and responsible content.
But in the age of artificial intelligence, as information becomes more accessible, new challenges have emerged, from plagiarism to the erosion of accuracy, that re-ask the ethical question: “Can values still guide the profession amid the encroachment of the machine?”
The answer, it seems, lies in 3 basic axes that represent a possible way to protect ethical standards without hindering innovation.
1- Conscience first…the individual’s responsibility before the institution
Individual moral responsibility is the basic foundation of practicing fair journalism, as no law can replace professional conscience. The philosophy of deontological ethics emerges here, as an intellectual framework that supports this concept within the media industry.
Supporters of this philosophy believe that adherence to moral rules is an absolute duty, and does not depend on results or consequences.
Gordon (A.David 2011. Controveersies in Media Ethics Routledge.) refers to Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, which assumes that moral rules should be treated as universal laws.
Accordingly, the journalist has a firm ethical responsibility to act with integrity, avoid plagiarism, and adhere to the profession’s code, even in the absence of direct oversight.
This philosophy shows that a true journalist does the right thing because it is right, not because he is being watched. Hence the importance of instilling this ethical awareness in the hearts of journalists, especially in a digital environment where human supervision is scarce and technical temptations are increasing.
Gordon adds that this approach attracts many media professionals, because they believe in the principle of telling the truth and standing firm without fear of consequences. Therefore, reminding journalists of these principles is not a moral luxury, but rather a professional necessity to protect the essence of the profession in the age of artificial intelligence.
2- Virtue as a guide to journalistic conscience
Virtue ethics is an integrated philosophical framework that supports the idea of individual moral responsibility, as it focuses on intentions and inner conscience rather than adherence to strict rules.
Jetili Tilak, a professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth University in India, points out in her research paper titled “The Study and Importance of Media Ethics” that she published in 2020 in the International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity that this theory closely aligns with the basic principles of journalism, such as honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, truth and restraint.
As we move into the age of artificial intelligence, the role of virtue becomes more apparent. These journalists are committed to the ethical use of technical tools even in the absence of laws regulating artificial intelligence within newsrooms.
From this standpoint, supporters of Aristotle’s concept of the golden mean emphasize the necessity of a balance between excess and excess.
While some of them refuse to use artificial intelligence completely, and others immerse themselves in its uncontrolled exploitation, the virtuous journalist seeks to verify and carefully review the information generated by artificial intelligence before publishing it.
3- Pragmatism in confronting artificial intelligence in journalism
Strengthening journalism codes of ethics from a practical perspective is essential, especially in light of the challenges of artificial intelligence, as the pragmatic approach focuses on finding solutions that make journalism more functional, sustainable and ethical.
Despite the benefits, artificial intelligence has sometimes been exploited unethically. Amy Ortiz, a New York Times journalist, pointed out in a report last year that a Wyoming journalist used fake quotes generated by artificial intelligence without conducting real interviews, which damaged the newspaper’s reputation.
From a pragmatic perspective, these violations can be reduced through the use of artificial intelligence in accordance with clear ethical rules.
For example, the Schibsted newspapers Aftonbladet and VG have policies requiring all AI-generated material to be reviewed by humans and clearly labeled, which reinforces the principle of transparency at the core of journalism.
4- Technology as a moral shield
Using technical tools capable of tracking and detecting AI-generated content in newsrooms is an effective way to maintain journalistic integrity.
From a utilitarianism perspective, adopting such tools is ethical when they contribute to increasing public trust and reducing the harm resulting from fake news.
For example, Mark Drosdowski, lead writer and analyst at BestColleges, points out that the new Turnitin tool is able to detect content generated by artificial intelligence with up to 98% accuracy, making it a reliable model in journalism for detecting plagiarism and ensuring the originality of published materials.
Real-life examples… Are moral values sufficient?
In mid-May 2023, The Irish Times published an article accusing women who use fake tans of mocking those with naturally dark skin.
The article was initially attributed to a woman named Adriana Acosta-Cortez, but it was later revealed that this person did not exist. Four days later, the newspaper published an editorial explaining that “the article and accompanying image may have been created, at least in part, using generative artificial intelligence techniques.”
Two months later, the website Hold the FrontPage revealed that artificial intelligence had been used to launch a fake newspaper called The Bournemouth Observer. “It was clear that the content was written by artificial intelligence because the writing was so poor, but since then artificial intelligence has become much better at writing stories, and I suspect that soon it will be difficult to distinguish between what was written by a human and what was produced by artificial intelligence,” said Paul Linford, the site’s editor-in-chief.
Even the magazine Index on Censorship was fooled by a fake character named Margot Blanchard, which published articles about journalism in Guatemala, and major magazines such as Wired and Business Insider were victims of the same content as well.
These facts show that journalistic ethics are not only tested on paper, but in reality, and that journalists need to combine individual conscience, digital virtue, and a pragmatic approach to confront the challenges of artificial intelligence.
The future impact of artificial intelligence on journalism
American writer and researcher, Tobias Rose-Stockwell, believes that real journalism will not disappear, but will be greatly disrupted by the production of content in real time, increasing viral lies and information chaos.
In his book Outrage Machine (2023), Stockwell explains how the rise of social media in the mid-2000s was the result of algorithms organizing information according to commercial interests.
Previously, posts were displayed in chronological order, but later companies such as Facebook,
“These algorithms are better than any human at curating content,” says Rose Stockwell. “They can even create a newspaper or TV channel for each individual.”
For his part, Tomas Holanke, a specialist in technology ethics at the University of Cambridge, believes that “artificial intelligence is rapidly changing journalism, and as it develops to make the content it produces appear more authentic, it will become more difficult to detect fake material.”
He adds that organizations such as the Associated Press allow journalists to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, but prohibit the publication of machine-generated texts directly.
He says, “The most important thing about these rules is that they recognize artificial intelligence as a new tool, but they remind that journalism already has accountability mechanisms.”
Hollank also criticized the sensationalist tone with which journalists address the topic of artificial intelligence, considering that it creates a distorted public understanding and negatively affects political discussions.
Between accountability and human critical investigation
Canadian legal researcher and anthropologist Petra Molnar confirms that artificial intelligence is no longer just a technical tool, but rather directs our daily lives and deeply affects what we see and think.
Molnar calls for public awareness campaigns that make his role in news and politics visible and traceable, noting that major companies such as Meta, X, Amazon, and OpenAI have become “global gatekeepers of information,” with the ability to amplify some voices and silence others, thus reinforcing existing inequalities.
In her book The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2024), Molnar reveals how digital technologies are being used to monitor refugees, activists and political opponents.
She asserts that artificial intelligence threatens to accelerate the collapse of journalism by favoring speed and interaction at the expense of accuracy and depth, and may produce content that resembles journalism but lacks accountability and critical investigation.
Other experts, such as Sam Taylor and Laura Davison from the British National Union of Journalists, stress that artificial intelligence should only be used as an auxiliary tool under human supervision, as it allows the automation of routine tasks and analysis of huge data, but it is unable to verify facts accurately and sometimes suffers from the phenomenon of “information hallucinations.”
Molnar concludes that the future of journalism depends on human journalists capable of rigorous investigation and scrutiny, that is, on critical and ethical human judgment supported by technology, not instead of it.
The journalist and the machine…the battle of truth
Many people today may ask, “Does artificial intelligence pose a real threat to the future of journalism and journalists?” It is undeniable that machines may change the way content is produced, increase the speed of spread, and perhaps reduce the need for the human element in some tasks, but the essence of journalism – the search for truth and confronting falsification and biases – cannot be replaced by technology.
An honest journalist remains the first line of defense for the truth, and the price of adhering to it may be the most precious thing he has: his life. Since the Al-Aqsa flood, the world has witnessed the assassination of 254 Palestinian journalists in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli occupation, all of whom refused to stop reporting the truth despite the risks facing them.
Among them is Al Jazeera correspondent, journalist Anas Al-Sharif, who left his will, stressing, “I did not hesitate to convey the truth and I will die standing firm on principle. If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. God knows that I have exerted all my strength and effort to be a support and a voice for my people.”
It is a reminder to everyone that journalism is not just about transmitting information, but rather a moral and existential duty that protects society from tyranny and lies.
Even with the development of artificial intelligence, only moral values, individual conscience, professional virtue, and human oversight can ensure that journalism remains the voice and cutting sword of truth.
The future of journalism is not only a competition with the machine, but rather adherence to the principles that make journalism a moral authority that liberates society, and ensures the continuation of the mission of confronting authority by searching for the truth, whatever the cost.
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