KUCHING: Journalists and editors from Sarawak Tribune are getting to grips with the artificial intelligence (AI) era through a two-day training programme focused on integrating AI into newsroom workflows while upholding credible journalism.
The ‘Application of AI Technology in Journalism’ programme, jointly organised by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) and Sarawak Tribune, began today at Theatre Hotel with 21 participants taking part.
Tribune Press Sdn Bhd’s Senior Manager, Dorge Rajah, said AI has become an unavoidable part of journalism and should be embraced as a tool to strengthen editorial work.
“The key is how we adopt AI into our practices and make ourselves better,” he said.
The programme is conducted by veteran journalist and media analyst, Munir Ana’am Zuljadan, whose journalism career spans more than 30 years, including serving as former Head of Digital and Multimedia at NSTP’s editorial division.
The first day covered prompt engineering, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), AI agents using ChatGPT and Claude, as well as research and chronology reporting with Perplexity, providing participants with practical exposure to AI-assisted reporting.
During one session, Munir posed a scenario about what could happen if readers relied on AI chatbots instead of visiting news websites.
In response, feature writer, Priscilla Tawie, volunteered that AI still depends on original reporting from credible news organisations.
“If people ask AI for the news, AI still learns from us. It will cite trusted sources such as Sarawak Tribune because somebody has to produce the original reporting,” she said.
Building on the discussion, Munir said losing readers was not an option for news organisations as it would directly affect digital revenue, making it essential for newsrooms to ensure their journalism remains visible and accessible in the AI era.
“Losing readers is not an option because you’re going to lose your revenue. You’ll lose your digital revenue. We cannot afford that. We need to ensure our journalism remains visible in the AI era. That’s what Sarawak Tribune has to do, and it’s the challenge newsrooms will face in the next three or four years,” he said.
Participants also completed practical exercises by producing newsroom ready stories based on a Merdeka Center survey report and a parliamentary Hansard on fuel subsidies before refining their work through editorial review sessions.
Concluding the session, Munir reminded participants that AI should be regarded as a tool to support journalism rather than replace it.
“AI does not think. It predicts. AI does not remember. It retrieves stored information. AI does not make judgements. It follows programmed rules. AI does not take action on its own. It executes code,” he said.
