BY MENGESHA AMARE
The contemporary world disjointed and digital media environment has been creating a fertile upbringing ground for the uncontrolled spread of disinformation and disinformation especially through social media.
Although a lot has been carried out to counter the effects of misinformation, very little is about the role of visuals in disinformation and fact checking.
People have found that fact checkers can overcome partisan and attitudinal filters, which can help to overcome the potential harmful consequences of disinformation.
With a view to tacking the problems coming out of producing falsehood fabrications through social media, Ethiopians abroad are devising a number of mechanisms. For example, they established a ‘Unity for Ethiopia Campaign,’ under the umbrella of Ethiopian America Civic Council Campaign and Media.
Ethiopian America Civic Council Campaign and Media Director Seyoum Assefa told The Ethiopian Herald that the ‘Unity campaign was carried out targeting at verifying and presenting reliable facts that could counter the wrong narratives on the social media about Ethiopia.
Seyoum disclosed that the campaigns are under four major themes namely, ‘Rebuild Tigray, ‘Unity for Ethiopia,’ Peace for Ethiopia and Ethiopia prevails.’
The organizers of the campaign verify facts from credible media and authorities, and disprove the wrong narratives with corroborated facts from relevant authorities and credible media, he said
He also said that Ethiopian Advocacy Network and Ethiopian Civic Council are jointly pursuing their missions through creating link with ambassadors, diplomats, missionaries and Ethiopia’s friends.
“Ethiopians need to well bridge the information gap by joining the campaign since the loophole creates an opportunity for the warmongers and drivers of futile attempts.”
Seyoum said, “The tweet is as simple as a single click and anybody can involve in it. Universities, colleges, and youth need to join the campaign.”
He said the first and second round campaigns which were officially launched in early January had contributed a lot to the effort geared towards refuting falsehood fabrications and anti-Ethiopia movements.
The new accounts created have been responsible for 30 percent of all Unity For Ethiopia tweets during the two most active days of the campaign— Jan. 1 and Jan. 6.
Such a coordinated media campaign has the potential to reverse the ongoing news about the situation in Tigray state by putting pressure on the adversaries, indicated the analysis.
The third round 27, 000 messages were tweeted from 22 countries. Of the 27,000 tweets only 229 were from Ethiopia, forwarded the host of the campaign.
All Ethiopians across the globe are urged to take part in the campaigns organized to hit the set targets said Seyoum adding that the organizers have arranged awareness creation events and trainings about the mission and vision of the campaign in different parts of the world.
The Ethiopian Government has provided the campaigners with factsheets that could disprove the fake reports produced by individuals and organizations, he said.
As learnt from Seyoum, falsehood fabrication and fantasy in journalism examine the causes and consequences of the fake news phenomenon now sweeping the world’s media and political debates.
According to Seyoum, the case of developing twitter trending with a much broader outreach to a wide range of Ethiopians across the globe accompanied by new meaningful campaigns is a clear manifestation of Ethiopians togetherness for a common goal.
For instance, the 4th round social media campaign titled ‘Unity for Ethiopia’ has broken Ethiopia’s all time tweeting record via making nearly 130, 000 tweets in a single day.
As to Seyoum, fake news, hate speech and misinformation are creeping through all social media platforms and have been causing a range of destructions as many follow them.
He added that in its place of being a place where people stay connected and share the details of their lives, social media are increasingly being used as sources of information. As a result, the quality of information people receive from social media is becoming a bigger question.
“Social media platforms have come to take up so much of our lives that the decisions the platforms make now could have significant ramifications for the shape of the information environment and how we understand and engage with this world,” he said.
National Defense Force Indoctrination Director-General Major General Mohammed Tesema on his part said that since more and more people are relying on social media as a source for news, there are worries that such content could influence audiences unable to distinguish truth from fact or news from propaganda.
“The media outlets be they are broadcast, print or social media are expected to live up to truth and discipline code of ethics. They have to thus refrain from the destructive move in which they have been irresponsibly indulging. As their acts putting misleading information front and center have added fuel to politically contentious fires and escalating social issues to the level of crises, we can simply regard them as anti-world elements,” said Mohammed.
According to Major General Mohammed, those media outlets which are irresponsibly reporting baseless information assuming that they have backed the buried junta have to refrain themselves from their destructive methodologies as misinformation can plague public discourse and decision-making. It can also make situations more difficult for people to find common ground and even serve as a threat to public peace.
The moral panic about fake news internationally has formed the backdrop for debates about the impact of the spread of similar fabrications on politics in Ethiopia. He said news whether fake or real should not be understood outside of its particular contexts of production and consumption.
Therefore, an investigation into the phenomenon of fake news in Ethiopia needs to take account of local specificities and requires to be verified from the unpretentious sources.
Besides, he said, the phenomena of fabricated news, the discourses that surround it, responses by audiences and the journalistic community, have to be understood within the particular social, cultural and political context as most of the time they are produced to favor certain interested groups or stereotypes.
Though the objectives of humanitarian action are to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters, the media, which have accustomed to reporting on the contrary holding a hidden agendum they have been sent for, are these days busy propagating fake news.
Every situation on the ground in Ethiopia has now gone well beyond a purely internal ‘law and order’ operation. The atrocious acts of the junta group such as ethnic-targeted violence, killings, massive looting, rapes, and all possible war crimes are getting dried. However, the propaganda and lie the junta has continued misleading citizens as it was once said “the junta could hardly stop lying even dead.”
Today the world would like Ethiopia to live up to its prestigious recognition as remarkable changes have been registered despite tough situations are orchestrated in and out.
Understanding the reality on the ground and verifying that Ethiopia has been journeying on the right track though falsehood fabrication are produced here and there, the international community has shown willingness to work with this geat nation, he added.
As learnt from General Mohammed, it is in the best interest of Ethiopia and the wider region to allow humanitarian access and to resume the path towards an inclusive and sustainable peace.
Undeniably, a range of attempts of defamation have been rife to ink Ethiopia in black regarding the law enforcement operation, the humanitarian assistance provision, ideas related to the dam, among others. Despite devastating and murky the words thrown by some irresponsible international media outlets to Ethiopia to give it hard time, all have been disproved following the relentless efforts of citizens at home and abroad to counter fake news and baseless allegations through the campaign of ‘Unity for Ethiopia!.”
In so doing, the country is now in state of transition from humanitarian aid seeking to well intensifying development activities and growth undertakings, said General Mohammed.
The Ethiopian Herald February 27/2021
