NGOZI, December 6th (ABP) – Since Thursday 5 December 2024, the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology and the Media has been organising training and awareness-raising for journalists in Ngozi on the prevention of disinformation and the fight against hate speech.
According to the Director General of Communication and Media, Oscar Nzohabonayo, disinformation and hate speech are commonplace in the Burundian media landscape, especially during election periods.
For him, disinformation is the intentional dissemination of false information with the aim of manipulating opinion and influencing behaviour. It is news that is deliberately biased and misleading. Disinformation has increased with the internet and social networks, which allow anyone to spread information without recourse to the editors. There are several types of disinformation, as Nzohabonayo mentioned. He cited fake news or false articles, click-bait, which are catchy headlines or images, and misinformation. Nzohabonayo also mentioned rumours, propaganda and deep fakes, which are audiovisual content manipulated using artificial intelligence technologies.
The mechanisms for spreading disinformation include social networks, traditional media, online discussion groups, influencers and public figures, and word of mouth. Image manipulation, government propaganda and false testimony and experts are all part of those mechanisms, he added.
Continuing, he explained the devastating consequences of disinformation for individuals, society, institutions and the social fabric. In economic terms, misinformation can affect the confidence of investors and institutions. It has an impact on public health crises, social and racial tensions and influences electoral behaviour, as well as migration. As a strategy for combating it, Nzohabonayo proposes media criticism, which is an essential skill for understanding how information is produced and disseminated, as mentioned by the Director General of Communication and Media. According to him, it also helps to identify media bias and false information that affect the way information is processed in a medium. According to Nzohabonayo, media education remains a major necessity in a media landscape characterised by an overabundance of information and a proliferation of misinformation.