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News Commentary on Fake News

BY DR. NANA SIFA TWUM, MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT.

Today’s world is filled with fake news, sensationalism, hyping of news and personalities, and the competition to be the first to break the news. In this quest, many individuals on social media and mainstream or traditional media turn to churn fake news for many reasons, including drawing the attention of the public to themselves.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has called for the collaboration of the traditional media to stop misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, particularly as the country heads for the 2024 general election. According to the IGP, those three, which are criminal vices, could jeopardise the security of the country, and the media must work together with the police to nip them in the bud. Fake news can be spread through various media, including social networks, news websites, and traditional media outlets. The intent can vary from political manipulation and financial gain to mere sensationalism. The call by the IGP is timely and relevant as the nation heads towards the polls this year.

Access to media and information dissemination has become easy and without any form of awareness or circumspection. Social media is arguably the main channel for such fake news piping. People anywhere and anytime just decide to write or record anything and start circulating it without thinking of the consequences on entire society. With the introduction of the Internet and its associated media, a greater number of the world’s population has access to at least one form of Internet, media, or other platforms, be it Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, now X, or Instagram, among many others. These are meant to promote the holistic social life of the individual, hence the popular name social media.

Social media has come to stay, and it has become part of our businesses, social, political, and economic lives. Undoubtedly, it is the best tool for propaganda today in all aspects of life. Propaganda is a specific type of message presented directly, aimed at influencing the opinion of people rather than impartially providing information. In Ghana and like many other countries, the use of social media leaves so much to be desired. Though many individuals have found the facilities very useful, by way of studies, research, and business activities such as marketing and advertising, others are just abusing the platforms. In fact, social media has been an effective tool for the public sphere, where peer groups, organisations, and individuals use it primarily for pertinent discourse tailored to their needs and aspirations.

Unfortunately, the other side of the use of social media in the country has very little, if anything at all, to show by way of meeting the expectations of many. Today, one would be tempted to say that such powerful communication tools have woefully fallen into the hands of people who do not have any knowledge of its critical importance and use, as well as the dangers they pose.

In the words of the IGP, “We must work together and find a way of dealing with this matter, else the people who do not wish this country well, even including some Ghanaians who have not seen war before and yet want to see that there is confusion, will use that as a medium of creating confusion for selfish interests, which are demonic.” Fake news could be hoaxes and fabrications, which are completely made-up stories with no factual basis. It could also be misleading headlines, such as a true event reported with exaggerated or misleading headlines.

Satire or Parody type of news could also be a form of fake news, which is intended for humour but in effect has dire consequences because listeners, viewers, or readers may sometimes take it seriously. Sometimes, genuine information shared with false contextual information may end up as fake news, and impostor content such as fake information attributed to genuine sources as well as intentionally manipulated content in news stories could all be described as fake news. These all abound today in all stocks of the media in Ghana. The impact of these is critical. Fake news could cause severe political influence and upheavals, public trust, damage to social cohesion, and, above all, security threats.

In some advanced countries, there are ways of working against it, as there are algorithms and tools that detect and flag potential fake news. Such strategies could be deployed in Ghana through the enactment and full enforcement of legislation, as well as national sensitisation.

Understanding and addressing fake news requires a multi-faceted approach involving technology, education, regulation, and individual responsibility. Media literacy in this direction is key. Literate citizens must evaluate news sources and content before believing and acting on them. Ghanaians must also learn to validate information before spreading it on social media. When we are not sure of any information, be it video, audio, or text, it must end up with us, or we must seek more information on it. The pacesetters in the media landscape must be seen educating the populace on what is fake and authentic news. One might think that today it is about someone or something else, but tomorrow it might be him or her.