By Enock Sithole
The Zimbabwe Journalism Educators Network (ZIJEN), an affiliate of the African Journalism Education Network (AJEN), is set to hold a conference to discuss “Journalism Practice and Journalism Education in Zimbabwe in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.
The conference will be held in the city of Masvingo on 26 – 28 March 2025.
ZIJEN has called for papers for the conference, noting that AI tools were increasingly being used in Zimbabwean newsrooms in news production, content distribution, and audience engagement. News organisations such as the Centre for Innovation and Technology are using algorithmic-powered reporters called Alice and Vusi.
“Given these digital disruptions in journalism, there is a need for educators and practitioners to reflect on the influence of AI in journalism practice and journalism education,” says the call for papers.
The call laments that while “there is existing literature on how AI tools are transforming African newsrooms, the scholarship that contextualises these digital disruptions within Zimbabwean journalistic practice and education has remained scant”.
The conference seeks to offer a platform for journalism practitioners, journalism educators, and other stakeholders to discuss and unpack the dynamics and complexities surrounding the utilisation of AI tools in Zimbabwean newsrooms and classrooms. Participants should be able to engage on how AI can be ethically integrated into journalism practice and journalism curriculum in Zimbabwe, reads the document.
The conference will be held under the main theme: Journalism Practice and Journalism Education in Zimbabwe in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Papers are invited on the main theme and the following sub-themes:
- The integration of AI tools into newsrooms (news production, content distribution, and audience engagement)
- AI-driven tools for fact-checking
- Media literacy and public trust
- Data journalism, automation, and content personalisation
- Transparency and accountability
- The integration of AI tools into the journalism curriculum
- Shifting journalism practices, roles, and cultures
- Teaching strategies in AI-driven environments
- AI as liberators or tools for disempowerment
- AI-powered investigative journalism
- AI and competence-based training
- Economic disparities within educational institutions
- Imparting technical/practical skills and critical thinking in the age of AI
- Teaching methodologies
- Algorithmic bias in journalism
- Ethical challenges in AI-driven journalism practice and journalism education
- Security issues and safety of journalists
- Partnerships among educators, practitioners, and various stakeholders
- AI policy and regulation
- AI and the implications on the workforce, employment, and labour relations
- AI and the reconfiguration of the journalism curriculum
- AI and the implications on teaching and learning
- AI and a sustainable future for journalism
Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted by 10 January 2025, although one of the conference organisers, Golden Maunganidze, told Ajenda that deadline extensions could be accommodated.
Submissions should be made to zijen.edu@hotmail.com. Enquiries can be directed to Mphathisi Ndlovu at mphathisindlovu@gmail.com or Last Alfandika at lalfandika@gzu.ac.zw.