Latest Story
Exploited Labour, Invisible Voices: The Hidden Cost of AI in African Newsrooms
By Clarice Tchatat
Introduction: The Reality Behind Africa's AI Hype
Across newsrooms from Dakar to Nairobi, artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract promise framed by Silicon Valley. It has arrived on reporters' desks as an immediate, messy reality. While global tech executives market commercial language models as democratic equalisers, journalists on the ground face a starker truth.
AI does not land in a vacuum. It enters a continent where media operations fight tight budgets, unreliable digital infrastructure, and historical information dependencies. In one light, these algorithmic tools offer real muscle: helping small teams sift through massive document leaks or reach rural communities in native dialects. In another, they threaten to reinforce linguistic exclusion, fuel election-season manipulation, and turn African media professionals into cheap labour for Western technology firms.
For the Media Diversity Institute and newsrooms committed to public-inte...Read more
Other news
The youth protests in the age of new media: The Indian Chapter
August 11, 2026
A roadmap for improving media diversity in Latin America
August 7, 2026
New report accuses Spectator of anti-Muslim bias
July 20, 2026
Current Projects
Engaging new generations on innovative, joint, and multidimensional actions addressing the Global Challenges The YOU(th) CARE project aims to empower and mobilize the next generation of Global Caretakers for a shared, sustainable Euro-Mediterranean future. Recognizing... Read more
Protecting At-Risk Activists from Threats and Attacks (PARATA) Project
The Protecting At-Risk Activists from Threats and Attacks (PARATA) project aims to strengthen the resilience of CSOs and HRDs in Europe to threats, attacks, and other politically motivated attempts to curb the freedoms of assembly,... Read more
Award recognition
Winner of the 2026 National Alliance Of Women’s Organisations award for outstanding contribution in the area of Women in Media
Who we are
Media Diversity Institute (MDI) works internationally to encourage accurate and nuanced reporting on race, religion, ethnic, class, age, disability, gender and sexual identity issues in media landscapes around the world.
While our work is grounded in the principles of freedom of expression and values of diversity and inclusion, our day-to-day work focuses on cultivating practical skills to combat negative stereotypes and disinformation, improve media and information literacy, and influence the conversation on diversity and the media.
Read more about us
Where We Stand: Gender, Language and the Politics of Hate 23 February 2026 | BELvue Museum, Brussels
A one-day symposium bringing together researchers, journalists, civil society organisations and policy experts to examine how gendered hate spreads through language, media and political discourse — and how communities resist it.
Keynote speaker Shada Islam, acclaimed journalist and MDIG board member, led a programme of six panels exploring hate speech, online radicalisation, platform responsibility and European regulation. The event was organised as the closing event of the EU-funded CHASE project, with support from the King Baudouin Foundation.
guidelines, studies AND resources
Media Diversity Institute gathers the latest guidelines, studies and other resources to help journalists, academics and civil society activists integrate a diversity perspective into their work.
Condemned to loneliness? A Diversity Index to prevent media isolation ...
Media Diversity Institute will hold a Masterclass at the Gabo Festival in Bogota, Colombia, fostering a discussion on media inclusion in Latin …
The Truth Frontline: Reporting War Crimes in the Age of Disinformation
Journalists and fact-checkers are invited to participate in an online training course “Learning to Counter Disinformation”, offered by The Reckoning …
Local News Matters: New Pathways for Sustainability and Community-Powe...
4 MAY 2026, BELvue Museum, Brussels Register Join Us for a One‑Day Conference Shaping the Future of Local Media in …
MDI Podcast
Diversity Matters is a podcast exploring why diversity matters—especially in media—at a time when it’s under attack globally. Informative and provocative, it dives into representation, inclusion, and media policies, bringing together diverse voices for critical discussions. A Media Diversity Institute production, the monthly podcast promotes accurate, nuanced reporting on race, religion, ethnicity, class, age, disability, gender, and identity in global media.
podcast page
What We Are Working On Now
Media Diversity Institute is working on a number of projects on the cutting edge of media and diversity issues. Check out what we are working on now.
Read moreSign up for our newsletter
Every month we send out a newsletter with our latest articles, opportunities and news in the field. Sign up to stay up to date with our latest news.
