In Dakar, Senegal, on November 22 and 23, 2023, around fifteen journalists from West and Center Africa participated in a training organized by the NGO Amnesty International on the fight against disinformation and hate speeches.
During the opening of this exchange workshop, Ms. Samira Daoud, regional director of Amnesty International, expressed her gratitude to media professionals who, despite a busy agenda, responded to the invitation of the NGO in order to share their experiences. Each participant therefore had the opportunity to present the situation of disinformation in the media of their country.
Ms. Samira stressed that "disinformation spreads faster than information, and this phenomenon promotes hatred speeches. Disinformation compromises Amnesty International's work in the field, because it has a direct impact on the population. The media must therefore understand the effects of disinformation on society and human rights. »»
This is how Michel Kenmoe, head of the UNESCO communication and information sector, helped participating journalists better understand the concepts of disinformation, malinformation and motivations hiding behind these concepts. According to this expert, technologies, education, verification of facts, the abundance of information, as well as the legal and regulatory framework are approaches that may help remedy these previously cited concepts.
For better assimilation of concepts, the coumba sylla consultant by Africa Check has redefined disinformation, mesinformation and malinformation. She also emphasized instigators and disinformation agents, as well as on their motivations.
Astrid Chitou of Amnesty International captivated participants by presenting the different applications of artificial intelligence used as vectors of disinformation. According to her, journalists must perfectly master these tools in order to be able to verify the information they have more effectively.
HAVIBOU DIA of the High Commission for Human Rights has informed assistance on the various instruments and laws to combat disinformation. According to him, this struggle must be intense because "the channel used is very important and the audience should not be overlooked".
But how to thwart or counter the disinformation that pollutes our media environment and which generates hate speeches? Ms. Monique NGO Mayag of AFP Check arrived at Amnesty International headquarters in Dakar with a bag filled with tools for journalists participating in the training.
According to Ms. NGO, journalists "Fact-Checkers" must never separate from tools such as Google Lens, Bing, Yandex, Tineye or Intvid (for videos).
Before leaving Dakar, journalists exchanged with the formidable team of Amnesty International on how they work in the context of authorization and this disinformation environment. Each participant has unveiled the context of his country and his writing. It is with a note of satisfaction that Ms. Samira closed the seminar while hoping that the participants will put into practice the lessons received.
Peter Kum.
