Starting from the ascertainment that yes, AI can fact-check, this essay reflects on what that (and the chilling fact that AIs can perform a lot of other journalistic tasks as good or better than journalism students), means for journalism education.
Combining institutional analysis (the signalling value of our diplomas is nearing zero) with philosophical reflections (AIs are “learning from language alone”), the essay proposes the Cloister and the Starship as a radical solution to save journalism education.
In the Cloister journalism students (re)learn to read and write without the assistance of AI or other digital tools. This part of their education should take at least half of their class attendance and studying time. In the Starship, students go full monty digital and AI. It’s where they learn to “think like a computer”, preferably in interdisciplinary courses and workshops with IT-students and teachers.
The essay builds on discussions in the EJTA Focus group on AI and Data Journalism and was written by its coordinator, Frederik Marain.
The booklet was officially presented at the EJTA Annual General Meeting in Bordeaux, in October 2026, and is available for download here.
