Prof. Farooq Kperogi, a journalism scholar, has urged Nigerian editors to prioritise rigorous verification and credibility over the growing volume of content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media.
Kperogi, Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media at Kennesaw State University, Georgia, USA, made the call on Saturday while delivering a keynote address at the All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) 2026 in Enugu.
The conference was organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
In his paper titled, “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation, During and After Election,” Kperogi described AI-generated disinformation as an unprecedented challenge to newsrooms.
He said AI had fundamentally changed the scale, speed and sophistication of information disorder globally, making falsehoods increasingly difficult to detect.
“Colourful journalism doesn’t last, but authentic and credible journalism lasts forever,” he said.
Kperogi urged editors to protect the profession from unverified digital content and information produced without adequate authentication.
He cited recent instances where AI was allegedly used to create fake front pages of established newspapers to circulate false political narratives involving President Bola Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
He said AI-generated misinformation was particularly difficult for fact-checkers because it could closely mimic familiar media sources, making falsehoods appear credible to unsuspecting audiences.
According to him, academic and analytical models, or schola analytica, could provide theoretical frameworks but might not offer standalone solutions to practical daily newsroom challenges.
He said unverified content circulating on social media was further eroding public trust in traditional journalism.
To protect the integrity of news organisations, particularly during elections, Kperogi called for stronger verification systems and newsroom interventions.
He urged media organisations to secure and regularly audit their visual identifiers, including mastheads, logos, digital archives and other security features, to prevent unauthorised AI replication.
He also advised editors and fact-checkers to regularly update their technical skills and deploy emerging verification tools to establish the origin of digital content.
Kperogi said fact-checking should go beyond issuing corrections, urging newsrooms to anticipate and expose emerging disinformation techniques before they gained widespread traction.
He also urged media organisations to explain to audiences how to distinguish verified information from fabricated content.
He called for stronger partnerships between news managers, independent fact-checking organisations and verification networks to strengthen the media’s response to digital disinformation.
On the need to balance speed with accuracy, Kperogi cautioned editors against prioritising breaking news over verification.
He said a single unverified report published in haste could cause lasting damage to the credibility of a news organisation.
“Meticulous election coverage and strict authentication programming are non-negotiable interventions required to insulate journalism from unwanted embarrassment and maintain its role as the bedrock of democracy,” he said. (NAN)
