(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A webinar held in Doha has highlighted the vital role of journalists and a free press in fighting disinformation to help save millions of lives amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The event, organised on Wednesday by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) GCC and Yemen Office in partnership with Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Al Jazeera Media Institute (AJMI), forms part of the global efforts to counter the ‘dis-infodemic'.
In a statement, Unesco assistant director-general for Communication and Information Moez Chakchouk pointed out that journalists have at least three roles to play in this crisis: 'Journalists are vital for guaranteeing that citizens are well informed with verified facts about the emergency, in fighting disinformation and misinformation and in holding authorities accountable regarding policies developed to address the present pandemic.
According to Unesco, the onset of Covid-19 outbreak witnessed journalists working round-the-clock to provide the public with comprehensive and up-to-date reporting about the crisis and its impact. Unesco stressed that 'in times of crises, news media, data journalism, fact-checkers and investigative reporting are pivotal to ensure a healthy flow of information.
'Facts are a matter of life and death. We all depend on hard science and reliable information cutting through the noise. And yet, we're bombarded with false or inaccurate information and questionable science about the virus, Unesco said on its website.
'Facebook says close to 40mn posts related to Covid-19 had to be flagged for disinformation in March. Over the last month, Twitter had challenged more than 1.5mn users, on spreading false information and displaying 'manipulative behaviours. Close to 18mn scam e-mails about the coronavirus are being blocked by Google on Gmail each day. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, Unesco added.
Unesco Representative for the GCC and Yemen, Anna Paolini, echoed Chakchouk's statement saying that journalists have been risking their lives in covering the news since the beginning of the crisis. 'Protecting their safety and equipping them with the necessary tools to counter the dis-infodemic during Covid-19 outbreak is essential, she stressed. While the Covid-19 outbreak is a global public health crisis, Unesco noted that its impact however goes much beyond the health dimension.
'From the very beginning, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has denounced the ‘massive infodemic' of disinformation and misinformation swirling amidst the Covid-19 pandemic as a driver of the crisis itself.
The Covid-19 outbreak has exposed fragilities in societies and economies across the globe. The dis-infodemic is deepening those fissures in societies and economy worldwide, Unesco said. Unesco, on its website, said that it launched an initiative aimed at bolstering journalists' role in fighting disinformation through capacity-building projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti.
The capacity-building webinar also saw the manager of Media Initiatives at AJMI talking about the gap that the Covid-19 epidemic revealed in the field of scientific journalism and information verification.
He pointed out that the webinar provides an opportunity for journalists to discuss ways on how to develop skills and adapt to the new reality.
The sessions, presented by experts on Media and Information Literacy and professional journalists, covered reporting in times of information disorders, safety of journalists during the Covid-19 pandemic, and scientific journalism.
MENAFN2008202000670000ID1100670506
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.