The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Central Africa and Head of UNOCA, François Louncény Fall, has urged journalists to combat hate speech by simply being professionals in doing their job within the rules of noble art.
He made this clarion call in Douala on Tuesday October 26, 2021 during the Regional Forum for sensitisation and capacity building of the media and communication regulatory bodies on the prevention of conflicts linked to hate speech in Central Africa.
François Louncény said journalists should cross-checking, and verifying information before disseminating to the public. He opined hatred often feeds on erroneous, sometimes even falsified, information.
He recalled the harmful role played by the media in the crises in Central Africa, in particular the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994 with the infamous Radio-television libre des Mille Collines and the newspaper Kangura, which fueled the hatred against Tutsis and moderate Hutus and incited to their extermination.
Louncény painted a grim picture of the situation, in particular in states in the grip of armed conflicts, various crises or tense electoral processes. Based on specific cases, he observed that hate speech pervades all countries of Central Africa, and is used as a weapon by many protagonists.
“Hatred delays the march towards development, including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, by inciting the violation of human rights and by promoting exclusion and discrimination against certain categories of your populations, thus creating the conditions conducive to the outbreak or aggravation of crises and conflicts, ”he lamented, calling on the press organs to show responsibility in the face of these issues.
“The media can prevent and combat hate speech simply by doing their job within the rules of their noble art; that is, seeking, cross-checking, and verifying information before making it public. Because hatred often feeds on erroneous, sometimes even falsified, information, ”Fall said.
Cross section of participant pose after Regional forum
In his welcome, the Executive Director of the Cameroonian Association of Media Professionals, Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe, on behalf of his colleagues, wished a good stay to all the participants from other countries of the Economic Community of the States of the Central Africa (ECCAS). He took this opportunity to underline the importance of the Douala Forum, adding that it is being organized at a time when hatred pollutes the content of most media in the sub-region as well as social networks.
Participants during the Regional forum
The inaugural lecture by Professor Charly Gabriel Mbock (Anthropologist) reinforced these approaches and challenged journalists more on their crucial role in the fight against hate speech and the promotion of peace.
Several other interventions on the issues of freedom of expression and the intelligent management of social networks enriched the debates, including those of Professor Ngange Lyonge Kingsley (Head of Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Buea) and Baba Wame, Teacher at the Higher School of Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies (ESSTIC) and Deputy Director in charge of multimedia networks and applications at the Ministry of Communication (MINCOM).
Experts from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also facilitated specific sessions related, among others, to the process of production of hate speech, legal instruments on the prevention and suppression of hate speech.
KNews much more than News! Your trusted Limbe-Based online News agency. Contact KNews on Whtapp(+237)651252410 for coverage and advert. To be informed with the right information is our priority
Comments