Press Release: RNW Media and 15 Organizations Sign the Haarlem Declaration on the Ethical Use of AI in Digital Media

Haarlem, Netherlands – As the world grapples with the rapid evolution of AI in digital media, RNW Media and 15 media, civil society, and academic organizations have signed the Haarlem Declaration: Championing AI for Advancing Inclusive, Safe, and Reliable Digital Media Spaces. 

This declaration comes at a pivotal moment, as AI-powered tools—particularly China’s new generative AI model, DeepSeek—gain global traction. The rapid rise of generated AI models and autonomous AI agents is reshaping how digital information is created, curated, moderated, and distributed. Recent research by RNW Media, conducted with its global community The Vine, found that 84% of independent and public interest media already use AI in their work, ranging from occasional use for specific tasks to frequent or constant application. 

While AI presents new opportunities, its unchecked power also raises urgent concerns—especially for independent and public-interest media in the Global South. AI-generated misinformation, including cheap fakes and deepfakes, eroding trust in digital content. The unregulated data scraping is undermining copyrights and the sustainability of media organizations. The algorithmic biases that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. The concentration of AI power in the hands of a few, limiting diverse and independent media voices.

In response, the Haarlem Declaration, initiated by RNW Media, seeks to address these issues head-on. Named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands—known for its digital innovation and home to RNW Media—the declaration is a direct outcome of the Digital Media Impact Summit 2024. Co-created through consultations with 88 public interest media, civil society groups, and media experts from 34 countries, it outlines a collective commitment to ethical AI in digital media. 

The signatories of the Haarlem Declaration pledge to deploy and utilize AI responsibly in digital media in accordance with the following six ethical values and principles: 

• Ensuring transparency and explainability
• Promoting ethical data practices
• Safeguarding information integrity and content authenticity
• Minimizing bias, harm, and discrimination in AI use
• Centering people over technology
• Balancing the environmental impact of AI

The Declaration goes beyond theoretical commitments—it sets out six tangible actions for signatories to implement: 

• Co-create and implement an Ethical AI Checklist integrated into editorial operations.
• Facilitate open and accessible dialogues, learning circles, and experience-sharing platforms.
• Co-document AI user experiences and foster collective reflection on different implementation paths.
• Leverage digital media to amplify diverse, marginalized, and counter-narratives about AI.
• Produce evidence-based research on both the benefits and risks of AI in media.
• Advocate collectively for minimizing harm and promoting ethical AI use in the sector.

“The Haarlem Declaration provides a clear blueprint—not only for how AI should be applied ethically, but also for why it matters,” said Surabhi Srivastava, Media Innovation Lead at RNW Media. “With AI technology evolving at an unprecedented pace, and public trust in media and democratic institutions rapidly declining, media makers must lead by example. This declaration is not just a self-regulatory framework for media—it is a critical step towards restoring public trust in journalism and media in the AI era.” 

Fer Gonzalez Morales, Learning Design Lead at RNW Media and the declaration’s lead author, emphasized the responsibility that comes with AI ethics: “Ethics is about taking a stand and being accountable. Co-developing this declaration was a challenging but necessary process—filled with difficult conversations, disagreements, and moments of reflection. Learning is daunting, but it is also an act of presence—of embodying our values in the here and now. We are proud that a significant number of signatories represent Global South organizations—because their voices must not be overlooked.” 

About RNW Media & Its Commitment to Ethical AI 

RNW Media is an international media development organization based in the Netherlands, operating in 40+ countries with a 75+ year legacy in advancing media viability and information integrity.

As a member of the Inclusive AI Lab (founded by Utrecht University and Adobe), RNW Media has adopted an ‘AI-supported strategy’ since 2024, aimed at helping global and local independent media to build AI awareness and literacy, utilize AI ethically in content creation, curation, recommendation, moderation, distribution, and audience analytics, ensuring that AI serves human-centered goals.

To this end, RNW Media has developed a series of AI training and masterclasses, including AI 101, Effective Prompting, Ethical AI Journalism, AI for Investigative Journalism, and AI for NGO Communications. These trainings equip organizations and media professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to amplify their impact responsibly in the AI era. 

📄 Download the full declaration here 

📊 Access the summary report of the Digital Media Impact Summit here

Press Contact: 

Tora Sinaga, Marketing Manager, RNW Media, 📧 tora.sinaga@rnw.org 

 Signatories of the Haarlem Declaration 

• Habari RDC (Congo)

• Benbere (Mali)

• Manasati30 (Yemen)

• The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) (Canada & UK)

• Hikaya Center for Civil Society Development (Jordan)

• NairoBits Trust (Kenya)

• Radio Ergo (Kenya)

• Talk Africa (Kenya)

• AkhbarMeter Media Observatory (Egypt & Germany)

• Write to Left Media BV (Netherlands)

• University of Utrecht, Inclusive AI Lab (Netherlands)

• University of Lagos Unilag Radio (Nigeria)

• Yayasan Mata Pelajar (Indonesia)

• Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (Bangladesh)

• Biozid Climate Institute (Bangladesh)