A free press is under siege — and artificial intelligence may be its newest threat.
On World Press Freedom Day 2025, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, delivered a stark warning: AI is transforming the media, but not always for the better.
This year’s theme – “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media” – underscores the growing concern over how digital tools are reshaping journalism.
Media under attack worldwide
Türk opened with a sharp truth: “A free and independent media is the lifeblood of a resilient society.”
But that lifeblood is thinning.
So far this year, at least 20 journalists have been killed, and over 80% of such killings go unpunished. In conflict zones, reporters face blocked access, intimidation, and deadly force. States and political factions are harassing, surveilling, and even torturing media workers — all for doing their job.
How AI threatens press freedom
While artificial intelligence can assist journalists with research and productivity, it also poses serious risks.
“AI-based algorithms often dictate what we see, shaping our opinions and perceptions of reality,” Türk warned.
Governments are using AI for mass surveillance of journalists, chilling free expression. In authoritarian settings, journalists and their sources are being tracked and exposed.
What’s more, a tiny cluster of tech firms controls the AI tools that shape global narratives. This unchecked power can amplify propaganda, silence dissent, and stifle independent voices.
Women Journalists face extra risk
Türk highlighted how women journalists are disproportionately targeted in the AI-enabled harassment landscape. Online abuse, doxing, and deepfake attacks are escalating, with little accountability from platforms.
Time to act: UN and UNESCO step in
The High Commissioner stressed that States must urgently safeguard journalists — legally, physically, and digitally.
He called on governments to:
- Ensure press workers are protected from harassment and violence.
- Update media concentration laws for the AI era.
- Regulate tech with transparency and human rights assessments.
- On this occasion, the UN and UNESCO jointly launched new guidelines to help tech companies reduce harm to journalists and critical voices.
Hope through action
Türk ended with a message of hope — and a call to action:
“A free, independent, and diverse media can help to heal the divisions in our societies. We must do everything in our power to protect it and allow it to flourish.”
