“The Transformation of Media in the Face of Digital Technology” was the theme chosen by the regional coordination of the Convention of Young Reporters of Ziguinchor during the Ndogou debate organized yesterday, during this period of Ramadan and Lent. This initiative was designed to create a forum for exchange between veteran and young media professionals in the southern capital.

Fruitful discussions, punctuated by the sharing of experiences, emerged from this meeting. Ibrahima Gassama, one of the elders of the local press, a criminal lawyer on this occasion, praised this approach. He described it as an approach that allows for the sharing of limited experiences within the profession and what has been lived through, in his words.

Returning to the central theme, "the transformation of media in the face of digital technology", he says he is aware of the rapid evolution in the sector with also the arrival of artificial intelligence, however the fundamentals of journalism remain unchanged according to him.

“The world has evolved a lot from the Nagra era to today, to artificial intelligence. Many things have changed in journalistic practice, which remains what it is because the fundamentals of journalism do not change. They will improve, and these new tools, like artificial intelligence, like these new technologies that have arrived, will allow journalists to refine their work, enabling quality but also wider dissemination,” he explained.

The director of Number One FM radio added that digital channels have democratized information, and traditional channels like radio, television, and print media are no longer sufficient. "Today, I think it's all interconnected. We can't distinguish one media outlet from another because information has been democratized. But at the same time, this should prompt reflection," the journalist stated.

Ibrahima Gassama teaches the younger generation of media professionals that artificial intelligence cannot replace human journalism, even if it can improve the work.

“The tool cannot replace man. Man is above, and it is up to man to seek out this data because that is really all it is about. Artificial intelligence gives us data when we need to delve deeper into certain things in the investigation, into certain sources that we want to verify. So it can make our task easier, but nothing can replace journalists like yourselves,” the panelist told the young reporters.

Ibrahima Gassama encouraged young media professionals to pursue further training. “Training never ends; it’s a lifelong process, from cradle to grave. So, by adapting to these new tools, journalism won’t disappear, but it must adapt, must reinvent itself. This applies both to journalistic practice, returning to the fundamentals, and also, as a media company, reinventing itself and developing a business model that is primarily based on this new digital age. Everything is digitized today, but everyone must actively seek out new information and not become complacent, because that will also breed laziness in newsrooms,” advised this veteran of the local press.

Advocacy in the face of precariousness in the media

Fatou Dieng, coordinator of the Convention of Young Reporters of Senegal, Ziguinchor section, justifying the choice of this theme, stated that it is to make the younger generation understand that these changes did not start today, and that the interest is to assert oneself, to work and above all to deal with them.

For her, the new generation must resist and avoid falling into disinformation or misinformation, with this digitalization and the arrival of AI, but remain professional and above all do the job according to the rules of the art.

This meeting was an opportunity for these young reporters to once again raise the issue of precariousness in the media sector, especially at the local level, directly challenging the bosses.

“Today, we no longer talk about media outlets, we talk about media companies. And each company has a leader, a CEO, someone who is at the head of the company. We talk about job insecurity, but I think the best way to solve this problem, the problem of job insecurity, is to improve the conditions of young reporters in media companies and for media owners to make a little effort. We are simply asking them to make a little effort, to try to help young people. Because today, it's true that they are there, they have their media companies. I often say, we talk about job insecurity, but the owners don't feel the insecurity,” Fatou Dieng stated, making a plea to media owners.

The coordinator of the Convention of Young Reporters of Senegal, Ziguinchor section, invites press bosses to consider regularizing the status of young reporters.

“The best way is to sign a contract for this young man. By signing this contract, it will ensure his safety. Today, we are constantly facing difficulties. We are on the ground. A young man without a contract, without security, if he gets sick, who will provide insurance, who will take care of him? He is left at everyone's mercy. So I think that today, the work needs to start from the top down, and media owners need to try to regularize the situation of many young people who are there,” the young reporter declared.