Fact-Checking With Machines: Journalism Students’ Perceptions of AI and the Ethics of Counterspeech

This article examines how journalism students in Indonesia negotiate the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into fact-checking and counterspeech practices within journalism education. Drawing on practice theory, the study conceptualizes AI as part of the material dimension of journalistic practice and explores how its use reconfigures the relationships between materials, competence, and meanings. The study draws on elicitation interviews in which students explored conventional and AI-assisted fact-checking and reflected on how each shaped their verification practices. The findings show that students adopt a hybrid approach, using AI to enhance efficiency without replacing established verification routines grounded in mainstream media and official sources. While AI tools highlight time-saving capabilities and assist in generating counterspeech, students continue to rely on traditional methods in situations requiring greater human judgement. This suggests that AI is integrated as a complementary resource rather than a substitute for journalistic judgment. However, AI-assisted fact-checking practices raise concerns about the erosion of critical evaluation skills. More importantly, the findings reveal tensions in the meanings underpinning journalistic practice. Students frame fact-checking and counterspeech as ethical and interpretive activities, emphasizing transparency, responsibility, and authenticity. Overall, the study argues that AI integration reshapes not only the workflows but also the normative foundations of fact-checking and public engagement, highlighting the need for human-centered and ethically grounded journalism education.