By Haruna Gimba
Facebook Incorporation has launched a new campaign in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) across African countries to check false information about COVID-19, tagged ‘Together Against COVID-19 Misinformation.’
According to statement issued by African Press Organisation (APO), during the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook has been working to connect people to accurate information and reduce misinformation on its platforms.
The social platform had last month announced the biggest worldwide campaign (https://bit.ly/3cGJamf) to promote authoritative information about COVID-19 vaccines.
It is also working to remove false vaccine claims, reduce distribution of inaccurate health information and inform people about effective vaccine delivery.
“Today, across a number of African countries, Facebook is launching a new campaign in partnership with the WHO called ‘Together Against COVID-19 Misinformation.’
The campaign will roll out to people in English and French across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and DRC, and will show up on Facebook through a series of graphics with tips on how to spot false news:
Check The Source: Scrutinise content, even if it appears science based
Check How It Makes You Feel: False news can manipulate feelings for clicks
Check The Context: Look to public health authorities to confirm content
Public Policy Manager, Aïda Ndiaye, commented that ensuring users are getting authoritative information about COVID-19 vaccines is just some of the vital work we’re doing here at Facebook.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, we’ll continue working with industry experts and people on our platforms to ensure we are aggressively tackling misinformation, and giving people additional resources to scrutinize content they see online, helping them decide what to read, trust and share.”
The statement added that as part of the campaign, Facebook will also be launching a dedicated website (https://bit.ly/3fwscsN) in English and French, which will include information on how we’re tackling misinformation on our platforms.
“It will give people more transparency around our Remove, Reduce and Inform strategy, outline our community standards, and share the steps we’re taking to combat false news around global events such as COVID-19, elections and climate change,” it said.
