Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in newsroom production has fundamentally altered the landscape of journalism worldwide. Yet the implications of AI-generated content for journalistic credibility remain inadequately explored in African contexts, where trust in media institutions is simultaneously high in aspiration and fragile in practice. This paper investigates the relationship between AI-generated news content and journalistic trust among audiences of Nigerian online news platforms. Drawing on framing theory, the technology acceptance model (TAM), and audience credibility studies, the paper situates the Nigerian case within broader global debates on automation, transparency, and accountability in digital journalism. Through a synthesis of existing empirical evidence, audience survey data, and media industry insights, this study identifies four key dimensions along which AI adoption shapes trust: disclosure and transparency, content accuracy and verification, institutional credibility, and audience digital literacy. Findings reveal that Nigerian audiences remain largely unaware of AI content integration in newsrooms, and that disclosure of AI authorship significantly, though not uniformly it reduces perceived credibility. The paper argues for a contextualised, Africa-sensitive framework for AI journalism governance and calls for collaborative policy development between newsrooms, regulators, and civil society. Implications for newsroom practice, media policy, and future research are discussed
Institution: University of Nigeria
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204994971