Fake news versus freedom of the press
In Tanzania, the repercussions of publishing fake news are grave, so it’s more crucial than ever for newsrooms to arm themselves with the right tools.
US President Donald Trump is undoubtedly a key reason that most of us are familiar with the term “fake news”, but the practice of media manipulation and spreading lies goes way back, to the early days of the printing press and beyond. And although guests and speakers at the most recent Hacks/Hackers Dar es Salaam (#HHDAR) had different opinions about the topic, all were in agreement that the advent of fake news in Tanzania and the country’s precarious media situation spell bad news (no pun intended) for press freedom.
“Fake news”, as had been widely discussed, is a handy catchall for identifying misinformation (usually in online media). The problem with it as a term is that it is too broad: as far as media organisations go, untruths may be deliberate and intended to damage, they may be accidental, or they may be reported in good faith. First Draft News has a list of seven different ways of identifying fake news and whether or not the intent behind it is intentional or not.
The repercussions of publishing incorrect/misleading news in Tanzania, however, are serious and have included journalists facing suspension and media companies shut down by the government.
No stranger to the heavy-handed side of new media regulations, Jamii Forums’ Asha Abinallah and Maxence Melo shared their knowledge and experiences with fellow journalists.
“As a free for all citizen journalism platform, we have to be even more careful in fighting fake news,” Abinallah said, while sharing tips and suggestions on how newsrooms can help curb the spreading of fake news.
“First of all, self regulation is a must, journalists need to be good researchers and fact checkers. We also need to be smart and resourceful. There are many ways we can collect data and information that is accurate. Journalists often have access to so many people and professionals in specific fields. A simple WhatsApp group set up for the purposes of getting the best information from a group of chosen experts can yield some very useful data for a journalist working under tight deadlines.”
Abinallah believes that journalists can use social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter to curb the spread of fake news. But isn’t social media where a majority of fake news stories are hatched up and disseminated?
Jamii Forums begs to differ. Melo told fellow Hacks/Hackers about Jamii’s most embarrassing fake news incident. The incident was kind of a big deal, Jamii Forums published a story stating that Nelson Mandela has commended Tanzanian President Magufuli on doing a great job. The story was cooked up and the back lash was aggressive.
“We took the story down and apologized to our readers,” Melo recalls, “But this seemed to make the readers even angrier, they did not appreciate feeling like they had been lied to.”
The Tanzanian public used social media to fight (albeit aggressively) the spread of fake news.
“If there’s anything I can say we learned from that,” Abinallah adds, “It’s that it’s not important to be the first to report something, especially if you aren’t sure of the information.”
Tanzanian newsrooms, like others across the globe, are working under tight deadlines and often with limited resources so its very important for journalists not to let shoddy journalism result in fake news. Abinallah shares some fact checking tips Jamii Forum editors and content managers employ.
- Be very doubtful even skeptical about information.
- Make sure you verify all sources.
- Try to be balanced if someone says something try to get another perspective on the same topic.
- Conduct some online research before interviewing sources.
The worlds of hackers and journalists are coming together, as reporting goes digital and Internet companies become media empires.
Journalists call themselves “hacks,” someone who can churn out words in any situation. Hackers use the digital equivalent of duct tape to whip out code.
Hacker-journalists try and bridge the two worlds. Hacks/Hackers Africa aims to bring all these people together — those who are working to help people make sense of our world. It’s for hackers exploring technologies to filter and visualize information, and for journalists who use technology to find and tell stories. In the age of information overload and collapse of traditional business models for legacy media, their work has become even more crucial.
Code for Africa, is the continent’s largest #OpenData and civic technology initiative, recognises this and is spearheading the establishment of a network of HacksHackers chapters across Africa to help bring together pioneers for collaborative projects and new ventures.
