Timbuktu Institute - January 29

As part of the Observatoire des Réseaux Sociaux set up in partnership with platforms such as Meta, to reflect on the need for action in the face of disinformation and its damaging effects on social cohesion and regional stability, the Timbuktu Institute continues to initiate exchanges and participative discussions. To this end, a regional webinar was held on the theme: "Fighting disinformation: what ethics should be applied to the use of social networks? Moderated by CESTI (Centre d'étude des sciences et techniques de l'information) teacher-researcher Dr. Yacine Diagne, the discussions were led by Ignace Sossou (journalist - Benin), Issifou Habsatou (teacher-researcher - Niger), Massiré Diop (journalist - Mali) and Ziller Djerambété (journalist - Chad).

Disinformation on social networks has become such an evil that it now calls for major remedies. And all players - journalists and the public alike - need to be involved in the debate. "It's important to focus on the issue of digital literacy, enabling people to seek out information, approach it critically and use it for useful purposes. This is also part of our desire to build strong communities, in a safe atmosphere", asserts Olivia Tchamba, Public Policy Manager at Meta. That's why, she continues, "Meta is keen to involve various players in the fight against misinformation, which is a real challenge, in order to have collective solutions, because we are not judges of truth."

At a time when social networks have definitively established themselves as central communication platforms, many questions concerning new journalistic practices are emerging. In a hyper-connected world where information circulates at exponential speed, traditional information transit channels are facing a certain crisis. "It used to be that journalists and press agencies were the main purveyors of information. But today, not only do journalists get their information from social networks, but influencers are sometimes better appreciated too," laments moderator Yacine Diagne.

Chadian journalist Ziller Djérambété agrees. "When a journalist uses social networks as his or her main source of information, it's serious," he insists. He continues: "Everyone is setting themselves up as journalists and not respecting the elementary rules of journalistic treatment. In this age of information disorder, with the triptych Disinformation-Misinformation-Malinformation, news professionals need to have the reflex of critical hindsight and responsibility in the face of information."

Other panelists, like Beninese journalist Ignace Sossou, take a more nuanced view. "I think the real debate is not so much about social networks as such, but more about the quality and treatment of the work of the journalist, who must demonstrate integrity and seek the veracity of information. Social networks can indeed be useful for journalism, in the sense that they can, for example, be the starting point for investigations", he explains. Malian journalist Massiré Diop takes a similar view. In his view, "it's not very ethical. Social networks can be a source of information for journalists, but they shouldn't be the main one. The most important thing is to remain professional." As for jurist Issifou Habsatou, she insists on making it a point of honor that "the question of ethics, understood as a set of rules that must be respected in relation to the exercise of a mission or a profession, is crucial."

A crisis of confidence between traditional media and the public ?

The democratization of social networks has led to a fragmentation of information sources. Today, every Internet user is a potential transmitter of information, which logically tends to undermine the legitimacy of journalists. According to Ziller Djérambété, "communication and journalism are not the same thing. Communication is the preserve of the influencer, who is driven by immediacy, which is not the case with journalistic treatment". Worse still, regrets Beninese journalist Ignace Sossou, "there are influencers who are listened to more than the media. Journalists go beyond simply stating the facts; they can also dig deeper, understand and pinpoint responsibilities. Unfortunately, many media outlets currently behave like communicators, uncritically repeating the official discourse." For jurist Issifou Habsatou, however, it would be interesting to see how to introduce a productive demarcation between communicators and journalists. "People are illiterate. We need to think about complementarity between social networks and traditional media. We mustn't simply pit activists against journalists. What's more, in Niger, since the coup d'état, there's been a real problem regulating speech on social networks", she asserts.

However, debate facilitator Dr. Yacine Diagne persists in her diagnosis of the crisis of confidence. "Let's not kid ourselves", she warns, asserting that this also poses the problem of access to information for journalists. For Ignace Sossou, "it's crucial, but unfortunately it's not uncommon for public administrations to hide information that's supposed to be public. Access to information is a basic citizen's right, not a privilege granted only to journalists. This is all the more worrying in countries in transition, run on military principles where people's rights are neglected." On this subject, jurist Issifou Habsatou believes that in Niger, "the code of ethics in principle gives free access to news sources, so in principle the problem shouldn't arise."

"We need to take a critical look back at the journalistic profession"

While it's important to focus on the noxious atmosphere created by social networks, journalistic practice shouldn't be exempt from reproach, the panelists note. "Nevertheless, we need to review our practices and take a critical look at our profession. Professionalism must take precedence over emotion," admits Yacine Diagne. As for Massiré Diop, he believes that the crisis of confidence mentioned is due, among other things, to the fact that there is "a lack of professionalism. Many journalists are either influencers or activists, voicing their opinions on anything and everything. There's also a problem with certain media who, in order to make a living, become commercial enterprises", he laments. For his part, Ziller Djérambété points out that "a true journalist is one who checks his information before broadcasting it. In Chad, for example, it's people who work for a credible media outlet, or who have a press card, who are recognized as journalists by law."

This brings us to another very important parameter: the economic viability of the media. While all the panelists agree on the precariousness of the media sector, especially in a context of competition with social networks, Ignace Sossou prefers to temper this view: "There's a threat from the point of view of the business model. For his part, Ignace Sossou prefers to temper: "There's a threat from the point of view of the business model. Ads that used to be dedicated to one medium are now dedicated to influencers who have a bigger audience. But from a journalistic content point of view, the question doesn't arise."

Is fact-checking a panacea ?

For some years now, fact-checking has been the most popular way of tracking down fake news. While acknowledging the usefulness of this practice, Yacine Diagne questions its ability to solve the problem. "I think the democratization of fact-checking is a good thing, but my opinion is that its frequency can contribute to a certain trivialization, or even legitimization, of fake news in the public arena. Wouldn't too much fact-checking kill fact-checking?" she asks.

Lawyer Habsatou isn't convinced, however. "I don't think there's enough fact-checking. Do the digital media really practice it? If not, beyond that, I think it's urgent to reinforce the responsibility of content creators", she suggests. An idea echoed by journalist Ignace Sossou, also a fact-checking trainer in Burkina Faso. "Fact-checking is carried out on facts that have a possible impact on communities. We don't fact-check everything. Internet users aren't that naive either; they can sometimes recognize fake news. The problem lies more with cleverly fabricated fake news. Generally speaking, we need to continue and reinforce media education, so that the public can be the primary actor in the credibility of information", he recommends.

In all cases, says Yacine Diagne, "media education is essential. Ignace Sossou suggests that this means making fact-checking tools more widely available to the public: "Fact-checking should not be seen as the preserve of journalists. We need to democratize fact-checking tools," he insists, "to enable the general public, and especially young people, the primary target of fake news, to use them. Fact-checking must be a permanent state of critical mind". Nevertheless, "the current environment is favorable to influencers. Meta pays influencers better than the media", he points out. For this reason, says Nako Mamadjibé, a participant from Chad, "we need to raise awareness of the laws that protect people and institutions against a certain libertinism and digital delinquency." This was echoed by another participant, Kiari Mamadou, who reminded us that "the laws that have been passed on this subject have not been widely publicized."

Disinformation is a scourge that poses a real threat to regional stability, especially in a context marked by a veritable "information war". For Dr. Bakary Sambe, "the impact of such a situation on the media and journalistic work is today exacerbated by the influence of social networks on opinion-making and strategies for conquering media space". Through the Observatoire des Réseaux Sociaux, the Timbuktu Institute is continuing its research and monitoring work, promoting alliances and partnerships between platform managers, influencers and the media to achieve a real preventive strategy and effectively combat disinformation in the Sahel and West Africa.

 Timbuktu Institute - January 29, 2024