See that woman with colorful hair? She’s not real. The city behind her? It’s not real either. This image was created with artificial intelligence (AI). That can make pictures and videos that seem normal. 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, this job can be dangerous. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released a report about this on May 3. That is World Press Freedom Day. RSF warned about the dangers of tech. The group showed that with its World Press Freedom Index. It lists where journalists have the most — and least — freedom to work.
Norway was the top country again. Ireland moved to number two. Denmark slipped to third place. The United States fell three spots to 45th place. One reason is violence against journalists. If reporters are unsafe, they cannot do their jobs. Dangers to journalists caused Germany (21st) to fall too.
Three nations in Asia filled the bottom slots. Those are Vietnam (178th), China (179th), and North Korea (180th). The RSF said those nations put journalists in jail. It also said they create .
Christophe Deloire is a leader of the RSF. He said his group’s list shows big changes. One reason was from “growing toward journalists.” He also blamed “fake content.” Deloire explained that new tech makes it easier to share .
People are not only making fake articles and photos. They’re making entire fake websites. Those sites appear in many languages. Readers 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, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
