News in the age of AI must be ‘human with the audience’ – veteran journalist

In today’s rapidly changing media landscape shaped by digital technology and artificial intelligence, veteran journalist and professor Gary Kebbel emphasized the importance of building a “brand of trust” in journalism where audience can truly rely on.

Speaking at Ateneo de Manila University’s public lecture titled “Navigating the News in an Evolving Information Age” on Tuesday, Kebbel highlighted the modern challenge of declining trust in media.

“General trust in media has fallen from its high. The high used to be in the 70s. Now it’s down into the 30s. Again, that Reuters report says it’s 38% for the Philippines, it’s 30% for the United States,” Kebbel said.

Drawing from his decades of experience at USA Today, The Washington Post, and AOL News, he stressed: “Make your brand a brand of trust. And I think you do that by being human with the audience."

“It’s not a perfect answer, but it’s a beginning, I hope,” Kebbel added. As the media continues to evolve in unprecedented ways, he urged journalists to adapt, “experiment and work on the process,” with the “mindset of a three-year-old” that pushes buttons without hesitation. He pointed out that A.I. can be the right tool, even used in newsrooms for researches.

Keeping an eye on the future

“We don’t necessarily need to look at it through the way we have been informing the community in the past. New technologies open up new possibilities, and new ways to reach people,” Kebbel said.

Recalling the transition of USA Today from print to digital, he described it as just a “baby step” toward adapting to new media. “If we stop there, we’ve made a big mistake,” he warned, stressing that understanding each medium’s unique strengths is crucial to maximizing information dissemination.

Kebbel explained that communication has shifted from the traditional one-to-many model (news outlet to audience) to a many-to-many model (audience to audience), where people can instantly share and discuss news online. However, he warned of the risk of misinformation, especially when discussions are not rooted in credible sources.

When it comes to educating the public against unreliable information, Kebbel cautioned against blunt corrections. “Psychologically, what we have found is that people dig in with that disbelief even stronger when they’re presented with a barrage of facts,” he explained. Instead, he suggested that a gentler approach to correction could be more effective.

Kebbel also emphasized the opportunities of the digital age: “New technologies offer new ways to reach people. And I hope, new ways to democratize communication and give more voices to more people.”

Finally, he underscored that journalists must sharpen their skills in inquisitiveness, research, verification, ethics, and clarity of writing, so that audiences can easily grasp factual and reliable information.