On World Press Freedom Day:
Don't make artificial intelligence another tool to produce fake news
Metro Center, May 3rd, 2025: Metro Center for Journalists' Rights and advocacy celebrates World Press Freedom Day, which falls annually on May 3rd. On this occasion, it warns of the dangers of using artificial intelligence (AI) as another tool to produce false news and gamed information, or violate the fundamental rights of citizens and called for improving the working environment for journalists and the release of imprisoned journalists.
On May 3rd, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is celebrating World Press Freedom Day under the slogan "Coverage in the New Brave World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Press and Media.
The selection of AI effects is related to the changes brought about by artificial intelligence. This technology gives journalists the tools to strengthen investigative reporting, create media content, accuracy in presenting facts, provide language access services and improve data analysis. In addition, the technology carries risks for the dissemination of misleading information, falsification of sound and color, and threats to monitor journalists.
Despite the professional risks, artificial intelligence (AI) presents a new media business model, which has sparked much debate and concern about the impact on the newsroom, the profession of journalists and their salaries and rewards as it can do some of their work.
Metro Center on this, "Artificial intelligence plays an important role in quickly providing private information to those who use it, but it should not be used as another tool to produce fake news and gamed information or violate the fundamental rights of citizens and journalists.
Metro Center considers this day and occasion as an opportunity to say: Kurdistan Region needs democratic dialogue more than ever to overcome its accumulated crises, which requires genuine pluralism of the media and freedom of work and free dissemination of information and different opinions.
Free from pressure and violations and by providing a favorable working environment for journalists.
On this occasion, Metro Center calls on the Kurdistan Regional Government to pave the way for the media to play its role and remove obstacles to their work, violators and criminals against journalists to face the court and do something to prevent them from escaping punishment. Let the Freedom of the Press Day be an opportunity to review the judicial sentences against journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Qareman Shukri and drop the charges against Omed Paroshki and release them.
Metro also emphasizes the important role of the media in disseminating information and communicating it in a professional manner, with the aim of raising awareness for individuals, confronting misleading news, rejecting hate speech, ending disclosure of personal privacy, protecting privacy and separating public and private dimensions.
Proud of the martyrs of Kurdistan journalists and freedom for the convicted and detained.