Day: April 14, 2023

A group of experts from the Institute of Press and Information Sciences highlighted in a study on media disinformation the need to strengthen the role of public media as an alternative force to counter fake news circulating on social media.

The study looked at the tactics used to manipulate public opinion, Sadok Hammami, the academic who supervised the work said on Friday.

The study, based on monitoring campaigns on social media from March 2022, was presented at a meeting on “the production of political disinformation, theoretical approaches, actors and tactics of disinformation in the Tunisian context” Friday.

The study concluded that disinformation leads to the manipulation of opinion and undermines national security. It is therefore necessary to prevent its impact on political life and society.

It also recommends that the public media sector be equipped with the necessary means to defend itself vigorously, while remaining subject to the principle of accountability.

Mohamed Hedi Fahem, President of the LABTRACK project at the Mourakiboun network, who took part in the preparation of this work, believes that it is necessary to address the recommendations of this study to all stakeholders, including institutions particularly affected by disinformation, such as governments, media and political actors.

In this work, the experts also looked at the issue of funding social networking sites for politicians and political parties, as well as the creation of propaganda sites that masquerade as sites providing credible information.

Another phenomenon highlighted by the study is the creation of temporary sites that imitate the investigative press and use fake experts, disappearing after their mission during political campaigns.

The study, carried out with the support of the International Labour Organisation, found that the management of these pages on social media is carried out from abroad in order to circumvent national legislation and create networks that repeat the same content.

It also shows that the nature of these sites changes during the election period, resorting to sensationalism, exaggeration and the manipulation of figures and statistics in order to reach as many people as possible.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Africa Office, in collaboration with the Judicial Training Institute, Ghana, has adopted the Right to Information (RTI) Training Manual for judges in the country.

The manual provides a theoretical and practical understanding of the RTI Act in executing its mandatory duties.

The manual has five models- the concept of Right to Information, the benefits of the Right to Information, the International and regional legal frameworks on the Right to Information, the principles underpinning the Right to Information and the obligations of public institutions in promoting the Right to Information regime.

Justice Kwaku Tawiah Ackaah Boafo, Justice of the Court of Appeal, speaking at the validation of the manual, underscored the importance of the Judiciary in ensuring the smooth and effective implementation of the Right to Information Act.

Parliament passed Ghana’s Right to Information Act, (Act 989) in March 2019 to provide a framework for the implementation of the Right.

Justice Boafo said the manual would provide the Judiciary with an understanding of the Act and the key principles underpinning its implementation.

The Court, he stressed, would be positioned through the manual to review decisions made by public institutions when requests were refused.

He said the manual would equip judges to play their roles effectively and that the proper implementation of the Act would consolidate the country’s democratic governance.

He said the RTI had gained international recognition because it was a human rights initiative and a tool that empowered the citizenry to demand accountability from the government.

Justice Boafo said the RTI legislation was not only unique to Ghana, but also across other countries, including Nigeria, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

He said since the passage in 2019, the Ministry of Works and Housing and other agencies had adopted the Act and designed the same for implementation.

He said even though there might be challenges in every legislation, there would be room for comparative learning for sustained development.

Justice I. O. Tanko Amadu, Acting Director, Ghana Judicial Training Institute, said the judiciary had the duty to ensure that state machinery and policies did not infringe on fundamental rights, including those of marginalised groups.

‘A well-resourced and well-equipped, and informed judiciary is essential to curtailing failures by state actors in the discharge of their duties under the law,’ he said.

Mrs Ogonna Okaigwe, RTI Consultant, who took the judges through the manual, said the purpose was to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the Act in executing their mandatory duties.

She said the manual, among others, could be used for the training of judges and other institutions with the mandate to review decisions made on RTI applications.

The Coalition on the Right to Information Ghana and participants said the manual would facilitate greater participation in decision-making and ensure access to information in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency