By Isabel Ziz
Kenyan newsrooms are undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Where journalists once relied heavily on manual processes such as hours spent transcribing interviews, developing story structures and editorials from scratch, sorting through piles of documents, and designing visuals from scratch, today’s media landscape demands speed, accuracy, creativity, and digital fluency. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concept but a fast becoming a critical tool for newsrooms to survive and thrive.
Across all media categories, from community media stations to large national newsrooms, AI is reshaping how stories are researched, produced, and shared with audiences. However, for this transformation to be ethical, inclusive, and impactful, journalists must be equipped with the right skills. This is where targeted capacity‑building becomes essential.
IAWRT‑Kenya, remains committed to supporting this shift through their ongoing training on the use of AI and digital tools, currently empowering over 40 female journalists across Kenya to confidently navigate and shape the future of journalism.
Recognizing this shift, the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT-Kenya) has been at the forefront of re-skilling media practitioners. Through a comprehensive seven-month national training program, supported by partners like Google and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and SIDA, IAWRT Kenya is ensuring that female journalists are not just passive consumers of technology but “empowered storytellers shaping its use responsibly.” Racheal Nakitare – 1st Chapter President aptly puts it at the beginning of our training sessions:
“The media space is changing faster than ever. Journalists have to adapt… Female journalists especially need digital confidence and the right tools to compete in this evolving industry.”
My own experience as a recipient of these trainings illustrates the shift from skepticism to advocacy. I have personally witnessed how Notebook LM can break down complex reports into easily understood insights and how tools like Google Pinpoint can “find the needle in the haystack” during investigative research of big data.
I have benefited big-time from these sessions, gaining the technical fluency to handle everything from image verification to ethical prompting. However, the most profound impact of this training is its ripple effect. As a lecturer in media studies, I am now uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the industry and the classroom.
Lessons in AI Engineering have helped me understand how to thoughtfully integrate Artificial Intelligence into newsrooms. I learned about the significance of using high-quality data to produce accurate reporting, the role of algorithms in content curation and verification.
It is no longer enough for journalism students to master the inverted pyramid; they must graduate with “digital fluency” to survive the modern newsroom. My goal is to integrate these IAWRT Kenya inspired modules into our curriculum so that by the time our students step out into the industry, they are perfectly aligned with global standards.
Bringing IAWRT’s lessons into the classroom helps future professionals become sharper, faster, and better prepared for the digital age. We teach them that while AI can enhance storytelling, the heart of the narrative should stay with the journalist. With this approach, we do more than teach students how to use tools we empower them to shape the future of African storytelling.
