Facebook, others launch campaign to tackle false news in Nigeria

An educational campaign, #NoFalseNewsZone, aimed at helping people identify false news and educate them on ways to minimise its spread in Nigeria, has been launched.

A product of partnership by Facebook, Big Cabal Media and Comic Republic, it is expected to boost the fight against the spread of fake news.

Facebook’s Corporate Communications Manager for Anglophone West Africa, Oluwasola Obagbemi, said, yesterday, that the technology company is committed to the wellbeing of individuals and communities. “We are super excited to be working with Big Cabal Media and Comic Republic to launch #NoFalseNewsZone in Nigeria,” he said.

As part of the campaign, Big Cabal Media and Comic Republic have also joined the conversation to sensitise Nigerians on how to identify and report false news online.

Speaking on the collaboration, Big Cabal Media CEO, Tomiwa Aladekomo, said, “The world is increasingly relying on sourcing for information from digital news outlets and social media platforms. The consequences of false news are glaring and especially painful to those who fall victim. Big Cabal Media is passionate about connecting people to accurate news sources and is excited to work with Facebook on its #NoFalseNewsZone campaign.”

Comic Republic CEO, Jide Martin, also said: “As more people spend time on their screens, consuming news and information on social media, service providers must become more socially responsible to combat misinformation on their platforms as effectively as possible. I am pleased to be working with Facebook, a company that has taken the bold step to use the longest and most relevant art form to tell the story of misinformation to drive the desired attitudinal change.

“Comic Republic has since used comics to shine the light on issues like social injustice, online security, and domestic violence. We are pleased to be collaborating on art for a good cause and we can’t wait to show you what we are working on.”

Facebook has also commenced the 2021 edition of its ‘safe online forum’ in Nigeria, bringing teachers, parents and other important education stakeholders together to discuss ways of promoting and ensuring online safety and digital literacy for young people. Feedback received from the forum will be used to design future safety-related programmes.