Some Nigerian celebrities have come together in the fight against the spread of fake news and misinformation dissemination in the country. This is even as the group has united with a public strategy and media group, Gatefield, to unveil a campaign towards achieving the goal.
PUNCH Online on Thursday, reported that this was contained in a statement by Gatefield’s Advocacy Lead, Shirley Ewang.
According the statement, the group has teamed up with celebrities like Toolz, Linda Ejiofor, Elozonam, Folu Storms, Ibrahim Suleiman, Kiki Omeili, and JayOnAir to combat the rising threat of fake news.
Ewang stated that the campaign, #FWDWithFacts, with support from a global philanthropic organization, Luminate, will empower Nigerians to identify and counter misinformation and fake news.
The statement read. “The initiative aims to reach millions of Nigerians through mass media. Educating them about the dangers of fake news while calling for greater accountability from Big Tech companies.
“In 2018, a fake photo posted on Facebook was viewed 11,000 times. Sparking an ethnic conflict in Plateau State, Nigeria and led to the tragic deaths of 12 people. Unfortunately, this incident is not an isolated case.
“Misinformation campaigns across Africa have increased nearly 400% since 2022. Affecting social and political stability, with Nigeria disproportionately affected.
“During Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential elections, fact-checkers reported as much as 100,000 false claims, shared across social media on a daily basis. With about nine in ten young Nigerians getting their news online, a combination of low media literacy and weak content moderation practices are fueling the proliferation of fake news and escalating confusion, division, and violence.”
Ewang added that the campaign will help demand stronger content moderation by big technology platforms in Nigeria. He noted that this will be done through a petition directed at these companies and government regulators.
“Regulatory requirements such as Europe’s Digital Services Act, which prioritizes transparency and proactive moderation, should not be an exclusive privilege of the West.
“Big Tech needs to treat Africa with the same urgency as other regions. Social media companies like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) have been criticized for scaling back African content moderation efforts. While relying on algorithms that amplify sensational or harmful content. This makes spreading fake news easier, especially during critical times like elections,” she said.
A leading radio personality and Nollywood actor, Kiki Omeili, decried the rising trend of fake news.
She said, “I have personally seen families, careers, relationships and reputations being destroyed by fake new. This is because people spread fake news on the internet with no repercussions.
“It is important that people think twice and verify information before spreading them. So as not to contribute to destroying what one has taken so long to build.”
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