WITNESS launches #VerifyBeforeSharing Media Literacy Campaign
WITNESS Africa has launched a media literacy campaign named #VerifyBeforeSharing to help combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
This resource-based campaign incorporates learnings from participants at our mis/disinformation West Africa convening and seeks to build resilience in communities most at risk of mis/information and empower them to push back against it. The campaign will support communities with the right skills and tools to identify the threats and prioritize solutions that are contextually relevant to the African continent.
We have seen the ease in which videos and audios, often crudely edited or even simply recycled and re-contextualized can perpetuate and renew cycles of violence. The emergence of deepfakes and other forms of synthetic media enable more seamless, more accessible abilities to make someone appear to say or do something they never did. Also, the advancement of technology developed to mislead makes it increasingly difficult to detect and verify misleading content.
WITNESS is focused on proactive approaches to protecting marginalized voices and human rights as emerging technologies intersect with the pressures of misinformation, disinformation and rising digital authoritarianism. The campaign would adopt a hybrid approach in reaching its objective and would run for six months. There would be physical engagement at the grassroots, including training of community based organizations, activists and journalists on combating mis/disinformation and using video as a tool to elevate the truth amongst other on-the-ground interventions. Simultaneously, the campaign would apply online engagement to reach the set target.
We implore you to join us in amplifying this campaign by
- Resharing some of the videos and graphics from the campaign page
- Using the hashtag #VerifyBeforeSharing
- Downloading and sharing the report from our mis/disinformation West Africa convening
- Advocating to stakeholders including tech platforms to implement the recommendations of the report.