Understanding AI in Nigerian Journalism: Ethnographic Study of Adoption, Transparency, and Accountability

Abstract

This doctoral research investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence adoption, professional accountability, and transparency norms in Nigerian journalism, a context largely absent from existing CSCW and AI ethics literature. Drawing on three interconnected studies, the research examines how Nigerian journalists adopt AI tools, negotiate (and often resist) transparency in everyday newsroom practice, and how disclosure norms can be co-designed with both journalists and news consumers. A central empirical contribution is the Transparency Paradox: the finding, surfaced through interviews and ethnographic observation, that journalists simultaneously believe in AI disclosure but do not consistently practise it, due to audience trust concerns, reputational risks, and the absence of institutional guidance. An estimated 89% of journalists willing to disclose AI use do not do so in practice. The research has already produced three peer-reviewed publications, including a full paper accepted at CSCW 2026. Anticipated contributions include a theoretical framework for studying transparency as contested professional practice, empirical insight into AI ethics in a Global South context, and co-designed disclosure guidelines grounded in the lived realities of both journalists and news consumers.