IMS: Exploring global perspectives on journalism and AI
When the seminar "Journalism in Different Contexts – What Is Happening in Asia, Africa and the Americas" began in the Winter Semester 2025-2026, neither the students from DW Akademie’s International Media Studies (IMS) nor those from Jade University’s (JU) Project media practice (MDM) in Wilhelmshaven knew how deeply they would dive into different perspectives. What began as a hybrid cooperation soon evolved into a global research journey that spanned Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nepal and Switzerland – countries that the students had selected themselves.
Despite the geographical distance between IMS and JU participants, this first joint full journalism seminar held at DW in Bonn and led by Mira Keßler (IMS) and Beate Illg (JU) quickly gained momentum. Students met during five official hybrid sessions as well outside the seminar in voluntary group calls, team chats and shared online workspaces. They were driven by a common goal: to understand how journalists work and perceive their profession across diverse media systems – and how artificial intelligence is reshaping their environments.
Working together across countries, disciplines and cultures
"The idea behind this cooperation was simple yet powerful," says Mira Keßler, the Journalism Research lecturer at IMS. "Students learn best from one another when they bring their different strengths to a shared research process." JU students contributed a strong foundation in empirical research practices rooted in German media studies, and that ranged from interview design to data analysis. IMS students for their part drew from their lived experiences and professional international backgrounds, offering contextual, research and practical knowledge.
Throughout the course the students learned from each other’s skills, research habits and ways of thinking – skills they may need as future and globally connected media practitioners. They learned how to identify a compelling story, design field research, contact interview partners abroad and translate their findings into journalistic narratives. They also trained in recognizing blind spots – especially regarding AI, big data and the question of who gets left behind when technologies and big-tech companies evolve faster than societies can regulate them.
Two research lenses, one shared objective
Although they worked in joint teams, they followed two complementary research tracks. While JU students explored journalists’ motivations and self-awareness – why they enter the field, how they view their societal roles, and which pressures shape their everyday decisions, IMS students investigated how AI is changing journalism in each of the five countries, identifying benefits, risks and structural challenges.
Together, these perspectives formed a multilayered picture. The interviews revealed several and partly contrasting aspects. In Ethiopia, for example, journalists are less worried about AI replacing them than about verifying AI-generated disinformation that evolves faster than journalists can verify it. In terms of political journalism, the challenges of AI currently outweigh its benefits.
In Nepal, journalists described their profession as driven by public responsibility but held back by economic precarity, safety concerns and low levels of public trust. They said AI will widen gaps between strong and weak newsrooms unless structural support is created.
In Brazil, newsrooms of the future are caught between structural inequality, political polarization and a growing dependence on Big Tech platforms for reach and revenue. Journalists here also pointed to the digital gap, where smaller newsrooms lack access to advanced tech tools.
In Egypt, the adoption of AI across generations reveals both a rising efficiency and increasing scepticism. While younger journalists focus on efficiency and production, senior journalists emphasize ethics, strategy and long-term impact.
In Switzerland, AI is welcomed as a supportive “copilot,” but fears of linguistic homogenization threaten the country’s multilingual identity. Adoption of AI tools here is influenced by age, professional role and responsibilities. However, all five countries have in common the fact that most of the learning about and with AI tools is done individually, without uniform guidelines or national frameworks.
Learning through collaboration – and through challenges
For many participants, the heart of the project was not just the research itself, but the process of working across cultures and academic traditions. Although some groups initially struggled with the digital workflow, these challenges also became learning opportunities. Students reported that they had developed a set of intercultural skills: patience, flexibility, active listening and the confidence to openly communicate when misunderstandings arose. Interviewing journalists in multiple world regions, frequently meeting offline in addition to official hybrid sessions, also expanded their networks beyond the seminar room. And working collaboratively strengthened their ability to deal with bias – not only in AI systems and media structures, but in their own assumptions of being different.
Although the final joint session was originally planned as an in-person event, a snowstorm pushed it online. However, the spirit of collaboration remains strong, and we hope there’ll soon be an opportunity to meet face-to-face and continue the conversation.
Looking ahead
The cooperation between DW Akademie’s IMS and the Jade University shows how students can learn from one another’s perspectives if they are open, curious and have a sense of shared responsibility. As AI, global inequalities and shifting political landscapes continue to shape journalism, these students will be applying the skills they have learned – critical thinking, intercultural communication and the ability to look collaboratively at the benefits and challenges of AI.
