Some Nigerian celebrities have teamed with a public strategy and media group, Gatefield, to inveil a campaign against fake news and misinformation in the country.
In a statement sent to PUNCH Online on Thursday, Gatefield’s Advocacy Lead, Shirley Ewang, said 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 organisation, 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 and on the ground, 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, leading 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 through a petition directed at these companies and government regulators.
She said, “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.”
Also speaking, a leading radio personality and Nollywood actor, Kiki Omeili, said, “I have personally seen families, careers, relationships and reputations being destroyed because of people spreading fake news on the internet with no repercussions.
“It is important that people think twice and verify before contributing to destroying what one has taken so long to build.”
