Now that Zimbabwe is moving towards elections it is important to make sure that people have access to the correct information especially on social media. These hubs capacitate people to be able to differentiate between fake news and correct news says Christian Oelfke.
The Germany Embassy representative, Oelfke, said this while giving his remarks on the importance of accessing credible sources as well as knowing how to protect one’s data, during a Media and Information Literacy conference currently underway in Bulawayo.
Speaking at the same event, with regards to Information Overload and Misinformation, Dan Gillmor, Internet Media and Information expert (USA) says believing in misinformation is dangerous and could harm people who receive it.
He explains that owing to increased access to the internet, there is information overload and journalists, as people who are mandated to disseminate news to the people have the duty to ensure that people get correct information at all times.
Meanwhile, there has been rampant dissertation of fake news not only in Zimbabwe, but world over.
Citizens journalists who are by nature untrained have been on the forefront spreading unverified information.
In some instances, when accidents happen, citizens journalists have used phones to circulate sensitive images.
Zwnews
