Dear Listers, 

We live in an age unprecedented information and different parties will want to to sway opinions. Fake news provides fertile ground for anyone who wants to take control of conversations. 


a) Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?

One can judge how their audience will receive a specific piece of information in any circumstance so fake news becomes a tool that can be used to manipulate audiences, why wait for events to report on when you can create your own news? 

(b) What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake News?

All categories of users have one role calling our fake news, otherwise if we can't tell the difference between fake or real news then all news will very soon become irrelevant. All stakeholders must ensure the truth is upheld in all circumstances.

(c) Have Kenyans given up or are there good practices in combating Fake News?

There is a large group of Kenyans who cannot tell real from fake news, some of us may spot it really fast or even research to verify, in the interest of those who easily fall victim there must be a concerted effort to flag perpetrators of fake news.

(d) Is Fake News a manifestation of deeper societal issues and if so, are there ways of combating it other than resolving the societal issues?

We may be unable to resolve the societal issues as these evolve from day to day, the last line of defense for what is right is protecting the truth, we all thought increased access to information would solve societal problems however we  have also created an abyss of disinformation and we must work to correct this.


(e) We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher duty when communicating?

Influencers surely do have a higher duty however other technical stakeholders must work overtime to protect the integrity of news for example pulling down fake websites that purport to be legitimate news sites. 

We must work really hard to protect the integrity of information mediums and combating fake news must be made a priority.

Kind regards, 

Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu 

On Wed, Aug 16, 2017 at 10:02 AM, kanini mutemi via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Good morning Listers,

Let me start of by thanking NCIC for their willingness to engage on this issue. We look forward to a a great discussion and pragmatic proposals.

We had a discussion on this during the PRE KIGF ONLINE DISCUSSION DAY 2- FAKE NEWS DURING ELECTIONEERING.
I will say at that time, the impact of Fake News was not apparent. Times have since changed as we have now witnessed numerous 'Fake News' posts which go viral within minutes. Following the election results, posts on alleged instances of violence and of government action in parts of the country have dominated social media platforms. On several occasions, government officials, media houses and diligent citizens have come forward to denounce these posts as 'Fake News'. Photos that were first presented as true accounts of the situation on the ground were later discovered to be old photos of past events. At the same time, there have been instances where posts were quickly dismissed as 'Fake News' even when there was evidence later on that they were indeed factual reports. There is therefore a need for us to navigate through this issue carefully.

Just for the record, it was agreed previously that the definition we are working with is Fake News refers to disinformation which GG aptly put as: fabricated news that has no basis in fact, but is presented as being factually accurate.

With this in mind, I invite you to engage on the questions below: 

(a) Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?


(b) What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake News?


(c) Have Kenyans given up or are there good practices in combating Fake News?


(d) Is Fake News a manifestation of deeper societal issues and if so, are there ways of combating it other than resolving the societal issues?


(e) We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher duty when communicating?


--
Mercy Mutemi.




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Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu
Advocate 
Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs-Wayawaya
Tel: +254 718 181644