RSF and 16 partners unveil Paris Charter on AI and Journalism

On November 10th, 2023, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 16 partner organisations published the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism, on the occasion of Paris Peace Forum. Work on the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism was launched in July 2023 in partnership with civil society organisations, experts in artificial intelligence, media representatives and journalists.

The charter was written by a commission that was brought together by RSF and was chaired by Maria Ressa, a journalist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. The commission comprised 32 prominent persons from 20 different countries who are specialists in journalism or AI. The goal was clear – to determine a set of fundamental ethical principles to protect the integrity of news and information in the AI age, when these technologies are poised to transform the media industry.

Many organisations came together in an unprecedented manner to support the efforts of the commission and RSF. They included leading organisations that defend journalism and the media (Committee to Protect Journalists, Canadian Journalism Foundation, DW Akademie, European Journalism Centre, Ethical Journalism Network, Free Press Unlimited, Global Forum for Media Development, International Press Institute, Pulitzer Centre, Thomson Foundation), a federation of journalists (European Federation of Journalists), an organization that represents public service media (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union), an ICT research center (Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa) and investigative journalism consortia (Global Investigative Journalism Network, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project).

In response to the turmoil that AI has created in the news and information arena, the Charter defines ten key principles for safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving journalism’s social role. Inter alia, the core principles state:

• Ethics must govern technological choices within the media;
• Human agency must remain central in editorial decisions;
• The media must help society to distinguish between authentic and synthetic content with confidence;
• The media must participate in global AI governance and defend the viability of journalism when negotiating with tech companies.

"AI exacerbates what is already an existential moment for journalism. While it promises new opportunities, it also brings significant threats to the integrity of information. Technological innovation doesn’t inherently lead to progress: it must be steered by ethics to truly benefit humanity. To safeguard the right to information, journalists and news organisations must join forces to ensure ethics guide the governance and use of the most transformative technology of our time. The Paris Charter on AI and Journalism is a significant step towards this goal.

Maria Ressa

Rappler founder and CEO, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 

“Artificial intelligence could provide remarkable services to humanity but it clearly has the potential to amplify the manipulation of minds to proportions unprecedented in history. The Paris Charter is the first international ethical benchmark for AI and journalism. Factual evidence, a clear distinction between authentic and synthetic content, editorial independence and human responsibility will be the primary guarantees for the right to reliable news and information in the AI era. More than ever, journalism requires a sound and widely recognised ethical foundation. Together with our partners, we call on reporters, editors and news organisations around the world to take ownership of these principles, to proclaim them, and to implement them in what they do.”

Christophe Deloire

RSF secretary-general

Technologies based on artificial intelligence offer unprecedented new perspectives but also pose unprecedented challenges for journalism.

At a time when deepfakes could amplify disinformation and shatter public trust in all audio-visual content, and when language models are liable to increase productivity at the expense of the integrity of news and information, media affirm by endorsing this Charter that they will not allow new technology to divert them from their mission of serving the public interest. The Charter promotes an approach in which human judgment and journalistic ethics constitute the pillars of journalism’s social function as a trusted third party.

 

Committee Members :



Maria Ressa (Chair), 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, journalist and founder of Rappler media (Philippines)

Charlie Beckett, Professor at the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics (United Kingdom)

Emily Bell, Professor at the Columbia School of Journalism and Director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism (United States)

Veysel Binbay, Director of Technology at the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) (Malaysia)

Lars Boering, director of the European Journalism Centre (EJC) (Netherlands)

Lisa Campbell, Director of Corporate Communications at Independent Television Network (ITN) (United Kingdom)

Phil Chetwynd, Global News Director at Agence France-Presse (AFP), (United Kingdom)

Nighat Dad, Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation (Pakistan)

Renée Diresta, Research Manager at Stanford Internet Observatory (United States)

Emilia Díaz-Struck, Executive Director at Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) (Venezuela)

Kathy English, Chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation (Canada)

Camille François, Lecturer in International and Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (France)

Jodie Ginsberg, President of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) (United States)

Ruth Kronenburg, Executive Director of Free Press Unlimited (Netherlands)

Justyna Kurczabinska, Head of News Strategy and Transformation, European Broadcasting Union (EBU) (Poland)

Jan Lublinski, director of Policy and Learning, DW Akademie, Deutsche Welle (Germany)

Gary Marcus, Founder and CEO, Center for the Advancement of Trustworthy AI; Professor Emeritus, New York University (Canada)

Frane Maroevic, Executive Director of the International Press Institute (IPI) (Austria)

Mira Milosevic, Executive Director of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (Serbia)

Hanna Möllers, General Counsel of the German Federation of Journalists (DJV) (Germany)

Tabani Moyo, Convenor of International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Regional Director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) (Zimbabwe)

Bruno Patino, President of the Franco-German channel Arte (France)

Paul Radu, Co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) (Romania)

Martha C. Ramos Sosa, President of the World Editors Forum at the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) (Mexico)

Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley and founder of the Center for Human-compatible AI (CHAI) (United States)

Gerard Ryle, Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) (Ireland)

Eric Scherer, Chair, News Committee at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Director of the News MediaLab and International Affairs at France Télévisions (France)

Anya Schiffrin, Senior Lecturer in Discipline of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (United States)

Wairagala Wakabi, Executive Director of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) (Uganda)

Marina Walker Guevara, executive director of the Pulitzer Center (United States)

Aidan White, founder of the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) and former Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (United Kingdom)

Antonio Zappulla, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation (Italy)



Commission Rapporteur: Arthur Grimonpont, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) (France)

List of partner organisations:

  

Initiator:

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

  

Partners:

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)

Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF)

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

DW Akademie

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

European Journalism Centre (EJC)

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN)

Free Press Unlimited (FPU)

Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)

International Press Institute (IPI)

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)

Pulitzer Centre

Thomson Foundation