See that photo of a woman with colorful hair? She’s not real. And the city behind her? That’s not real either. This image was created using artificial intelligence (AI). The technology lets people make pictures and videos that seem normal. But this fake content is a real threat to journalism.
Journalists have very important jobs. Every day, they have to tell people what is happening around the world. In some places, it can be difficult — and even dangerous — to do that. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released a report about this on May 3. That date is World Press Freedom Day. RSF warned about the dangers of tech on press freedom. The group showed that with its annual World Press Freedom Index. It lists where journalists have the most — and least — freedom to work.
Norway was the top country for the seventh straight year. Ireland moved to number two in the list. Denmark slipped one spot to third place. The United States fell three spots to 45th place. One reason is recent violence against journalists. If reporters are unsafe, they are not free to do their jobs. Dangers to journalists caused Germany (21st) and Cameroon (138th) to fall on the list.
Three nations in Asia filled the bottom slots in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index. Those are Vietnam (178th), China (179th), and North Korea (180th). The RSF said those nations have “very serious” situations because they put journalists in jail and create .
“The World Press Freedom Index shows enormous ,” said RSF leader Christophe Deloire. He said one reason was from “growing toward journalists.” He also blamed “the growth in the fake content industry.” Deloire explained that new tech tools make it easier than ever to share .
People are not only using tech to create fake articles and photos. They’re making entire fake websites. Those sites appear in many languages. Readers who want to learn the news are getting confused.
“The difference is being blurred between true and false,” said the RSF. The report said this puts the “right to information” at risk.
Updated May 3, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
