News
AI in the Newsroom: Tool, Not Talent
By: BABS DARAMOLA
I watched in disbelief today as one of Nigeria’s top national TV stations used AI to voice a news report. Let me be clear: AI has its place in journalism. It can help gather data, fact-check, and streamline production. But reading the news? Delivering it to the public? That’s a strp too far. Presentation must remain human work.
Broadcast journalism is more than a recitation of facts; it is a craft built on experience, judgment, and empathy. Great stations pride themselves on the caliber of their reporters; their pedigree, their training, and their ability to probe beyond the script. These are professionals who have spent years in the field, enduring challenges, asking the hard questions, and ensuring that the public receives information that is accurate, contextualized, and ethically presented. AI can never replicate this.
The danger of using AI to replace human reporters is not hypothetical; it is immediate and tangible. Machines lack intuition, moral judgment, and the ability to read between the lines. They cannot adjust tone to convey urgency, nuance, or empathy. They cannot interview sources in ways that build trust, challenge authority, or uncover truths hidden beneath layers of bureaucracy. They cannot, in short, report with the credibility and humanity that audiences deserve.
Globally, respected outlets -BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Reuters- have integrated AI as a supporting tool, never as a replacement for journalists. These organizations recognize that technology can enhance reporting but cannot supplant it. Audiences respond to human storytellers because humans bring context, understanding, and accountability. Replacing journalists with algorithms risks turning news into sterile, impersonal content, and diminishes public trust at a time when credible information is most needed.
There is also a deeper concern for the next generation of journalists. Broadcast journalism curricula are carefully designed to teach ethics, storytelling, and professional judgment. By sidelining practitioners in favor of AI, media organizations risk creating a generation of journalists for whom the craft is theoretical rather than practical; a generation unprepared to navigate the moral and practical complexities of reporting.
Beyond education, this trend threatens the very ethos of journalism. Reporting is not merely about speed or efficiency; it is about truth, accountability, and service to the public. Lazy shortcuts erode these principles. The allure of AI must not blind us to the foundational role that human reporters play in democracy and civil society.
Using AI responsibly is innovation. Using it to replace reporters is laziness disguised as progress. The stations involved in this cheap practice must ask itself: are we committed to serving the public with integrity, or are we willing to cheapen our journalism for convenience?
Reporting is human. Let us ensure it remains so.
Babs Daramola is a Lagos-based broadcast journalist with over 35 years of experience on radio and TV.
News
President Tinubu Cheers US, Nigerian troops elimination of ISIS top leaders, Lauds Trump (Video)
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation.
President Bola Tinubu, strengthened by the US military Command vows more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation.
President Tinubu was reacting to Saturday’s overnight successful joint counterterrorism operation carried out by Nigerian and United States forces against an Islamic State hideout in the Lake Chad Basin which resulted in the elimination of a wanted Islamic State senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, alongside several of his lieutenants.
In a State House statement issued on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s aide, Tinubu said “Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State.
The president stated that early assessments confirmed that the strike targeted the terrorist leader’s compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
Tinubu however expressed appreciation to the United States for supporting Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts and advancing shared security objectives.
The president also thanked Donald Trump for what he described as leadership and unwavering support in the operation, saying, “I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.”
He further commended military personnel from both countries for their professionalism and courage during the operation.
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation.
Watch Video below:
News
Many Trapped in Abuja Collapsed Building , 3 Dead (Video)
Eyewitnesses said that about 70 workers were on site at the time of the incident at the building located around Gaduwa Estate in the Gudu area.
Tragedy struck in the Durumi 3 area near Gudu Market, Abuja, after a three-storey building under construction collapsed on Saturday moring leaving at least three persons dead.
Eyewitnesses said that about 70 workers were on site at the time of the incident at the building located around Gaduwa Estate in the Gudu area.
Three bodies had been evacuated as of the time of filing this report, while rescue efforts were still ongoing to save other victims trapped beneath the rubble.
Officials and emergency responders were seen at the scene carrying out search-and-rescue operations as anxious residents gathered around the area.
The cause of the collapse is yet to be officially confirmed at the time of this report.
Watch video below:
News
President Tinubu returns to Lagos ahead of APC primaries tomorrow (Video)
Tinubu’s aircraft touched down at about 7:12 p.m. at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
• President Tinubu chats with African business leaders during the African CEO Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday arrived in Lagos after a three-nation visit to France, Kenya and Rwanda.
Tinubu’s aircraft touched down at about 7:12 p.m. at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
A statement issued by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that the president was received by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; and other government officials.
President Tinubu, while in France, met with global investors, emphasising transparency and fiscal discipline and explaining the rationale for the swift implementation of the bold economic reforms his administration has instituted.
Watch Video below:
President Tinubu Cheers US, Nigerian troops elimination of ISIS top leaders, Lauds Trump (Video)
Many Trapped in Abuja Collapsed Building , 3 Dead (Video)
President Tinubu returns to Lagos ahead of APC primaries tomorrow (Video)
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