Navigating the AI Frontier as Journalism grapples with the ethical issues

ON 27 June 2025, we headed down to London for a thought-provoking workshop hosted by our press regulator, IMPRESS.  The venue couldn’t have been more fitting: Microsoft’s London offices in Paddington, a hub of cutting-edge technology, set the perfect scene for a deep dive into the world of artificial intelligence.

The burgeoning role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism and the broader creative industries is sparking intense debate, with practitioners grappling with its profound potential and inherent risks. This critical discussion took centre stage today at a groundbreaking:- "Ethical AI and Journalism" course, the 1st of its kind within the industry, in the UK, aiming to chart a responsible path forward.

The inaugural course was attended by a diverse group of attendees from various media organizations, all members of staff from IMPRESS regulated publications.

The goal? To help evaluating the pilot program, which is being developed collaboratively by IMPRESS, the University of Huddersfield, UKRI Innovate UK, and representatives from leading journalistic bodies including the African Institute for Investigative Journalism and the Arena for Journalism in Europe, alongside Microsoft.

Discussions at the workshop quickly delved into the myriad issues confronting the industry, as AI becomes more prevalent. A primary concern raised was the potential threat AI poses to grassroots journalism. Local, on the ground, eye-witness reporting often holds communities together, and provides a major defence against fake news. AI definitely has the potential, if used wrongly, to undermine all this, with devastating consequences for local communities.  Participants at the workshop however also heard compelling arguments that, if harnessed correctly, AI offers significant benefits. All this underscores the vital importance of ongoing ethical training initiatives for the future of the profession.

This unfolding conversation about AI's impact on content creation comes amidst growing anxieties within the creative sector regarding copyright. There is a strong undercurrent of concern that the UK Government aims to weaken existing copyright protections, potentially allowing AI models to freely scrape and utilize material from the web without adequate remuneration or even consent from original creators. This proposed:- "opt-out" model, where creators would have to actively object to their work being used, has sparked considerable backlash from:- artists, authors, and musicians, who argue it tilts the balance too far in favour of AI developers and could undermine the commercial rights and control creators have over their intellectual property. The debate highlights a fundamental tension between fostering AI innovation and safeguarding the livelihoods and rights of human creators.

As AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace, courses like this one held in London are becoming increasingly crucial, providing a much needed forum for industry professionals to understand, navigate, and shape the ethical landscape of AI within journalism. The coming months are likely to see continued fierce debate on how to balance technological advancement with the preservation of creative rights and journalistic integrity.

One thing that has been really debated at the workshop was the question surrounded the new guidance from IMPRESS about how publications should use AI to use? To read the full Guidance and Best Practice Notes published by IMPRESS for its members, like ourselves, to follow, please click on here.

Before this learning session, Andrea Wills, Chair of the Impress Code Committee had already publicly said:- "Stories about AI yo-yo, in and out of the news most day... But it's the unethical uses of generative AI models that concern us most.  The Impress Code Committee had already incorporated clauses into the revised Standards Code, to ensure human editorial review of all AI-generated content and the transparent use of AI tools. But in such a complex area, we wanted to do more and this best practice note is the result. It's about giving our publishers the confidence to adopt and use AI tools in ethical and responsible way."

What are your thoughts? We are interested to know what you think we should or shouldn't cover in a code of practice? Should we even look at producing on? Email our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter and let us know your thoughts....

Funding crunch forces a 3rd of UK SMEs to pause expansion amid bleak outlook

30% of UK small and medium sized enterprises (SME) have had to stop or pause an area of their business because of a lack of finance over the last 2 years. This comes amid ongoing economic uncertainty driven by geopolitical tensions and global tariffs and is according to the 3th annual SME research1 survey commissioned by Manx Financial Group PLC (AIM:MFX), the financial services group which includes, amongst other operating subsidiaries:- Conister Bank Limited, Payment Assist Limited, Blue Star Business Solutions Limited and the Business Lending Exchange Limited.

The most common activities that SMEs have been forced to pause or stop because of a lack of financing were:- hiring personnel, R&D, launching new products, marketing and expanding into new markets.

Manx Financial Group's research showed the number of businesses that have paused an area of their activity continues to be sizeable 31% in 2024, while 9% SMEs that looked to secure external finance and / or capital were unable to access it.

The most popular external finance options for SMEs were secured loans and invoice financing.

The survey also highlighted that the biggest barriers faced by SMEs in sourcing external finance and / or capital were that it was too expensive (33%), that there was a lack of flexibility with repayment terms (28%) and the process took too long (28%). SMEs also cited other barriers such as the fact that the lender did not understand their business (16%).

More businesses are anticipating stagnant growth over the next 12 months:- 38%, compared to:- 25% in 2024, and 27% in 2023. However, with appropriate external finance, most SMEs believe they could grow their business by up to:- 13% in the next 12 months.

Douglas Grant, Group CEO at Manx Financial Group PLC, commented:- "Our research highlights a persistent challenge for UK SMEs: accessing finance remains difficult, and this funding gap threatens not only their survival, but also the broader UK economy. With SMEs generating around 50% of all private sector turnover, limited access to credit is a serious drag on national growth, especially during such volatile and uncertain times. High borrowing costs, inflationary pressures, and a tightening labour market are compounding the strain. While some firms have shielded themselves with fixed rate debt, many others are now facing rising costs without a financial safety net. As the SME lending landscape evolves, the Labour Government must prioritise targeted measures to unlock credit, boost lender collaboration, and accelerate growth. Despite strong rhetoric, there's still a gap between:- ambition and action, leaving both traditional and alternative lenders key to supporting SMEs through economic turbulence and rising fiscal pressures."

What are your thoughts on this news topic? Email our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter. Please do let us know as we love to hear your views....