At AFFCameroon conference in Yaounde: Fellows commit to strengthen efforts against disinformation, fake news during elections.

The multistakeholder confab organised by the defyhatenow initiative in Cameroon, held under the theme: “Addressing digital threats to elections in Cameroon: Counter strategies against disinformation during election period”. 

The conference brought together all the nine cohorts of fact-checkers trained by the defyhatenow initiative in Cameroon since 2020.

The conference, according to defyhatenow Country Project Manager, Ngala Desmond Ngala,  was a platform for fact-checkers, experts, and other stakeholders to exchange information and see how disinformation and misinformation can be fought within the electoral period in Cameroon.

Addressing stakeholders during the conference, Ngala said disinformation was changing, with people editing and sharing content like pictures, videos, and audio out of context, making it hard for the public to understand what is truly happening. 

With the emergence of deep fakes and Artificial Intelligence, Ngala said fact-checking had become more relevant than ever in the media landscape.

In this light, he reminded stakeholders of the crucial role they play in the information cycle. 

“…we are warning the public that even the new and classical media will have a very big role to play in the information cycle,” he said.

The conference served as an opportunity for defyhatenow to initiate public discourse on addressing the root causes of disinformation, its manifestation, and consequences on Cameroon.

Participants during the conference, exchanged best practices to advance fact-checking in Africa with guest experts from Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria based on their countries’ experiences in countering disinformation and online hate speech during the election period. 

Stakeholders in a group photo after the two-day conference

Such a platform, Ngala said, can play a vital role in stemming the 2018 post-electoral crisis spurred after the last elections by tribal undertones both online and offline.

After four years with over 200 fact-checkers trained, Ngala said the way media professionals treat information in Cameroon is gradually changing. 

More journalists, he said, prioritise information verification, which is a basic canon of journalism.

With the public depending on them for verified information, he reminded journalists to keep improving their skills in information verification through practice and continuous learning. 

Speaking as a panelist during one of the plenary sessions at the confab which focused on supporting the development of national monitoring and information platforms, the Managing Editor of The Guardian Post daily newspaper, Doh Bertrand Nua, reminded participants that the period between 2024-2025 is rife with huge political activities and would be a fertile ground for fake news and disinformation in the country. 

In this light, he encouraged journalists and fact-checkers to treat information professionally and ensure they publish credible information in order to distinguish themselves from the rising number of citizen journalists. 

Professional journalists, Doh who is a member of the third cohort of the Africa Fact-checking Fellowship insisted, should be the ones setting the agenda and not citizen journalists.

On his part, the Technical Adviser at elections management body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, Ntonye Njoya Mohammed, described the conference as crucial for stakeholders to get a better understanding of the electoral process in Cameroon.

The ELECAM official used the conference to call on stakeholders to unite to combat disinformation and fake news especially during elections.

Taking the cue, Mbuh Stella, cohort 2 fellow of the Africa Fact-checking Fellowship, said the Yaounde conference made her more alert as a journalist and fact-checker working in a crisis region. 

“I am going back as a more alert person in line with major elections.  I have been able to learn from other fact-checkers, guests, and experts and I think that I am more equipped to face the challenges that may emerge in 2025 with elections,” she said.

For his part, Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe, one of the first cohorts trained by the initiative, said he has witnessed improvements in the works of journalists.

“We have seen a change in the narrative as journalists are becoming more sensitive in their reporting since they owe it a responsibility to ensure that the country keeps improving,” Tabe noted.