[kictanet] Day 2 on Fake News: Platform Responsibility

[Peter Wakaba]

what about when fake news is 'closed loop' like via whats app where it is
only relayed to a closed group of recipients and there is no apparently
obvious way to ensure it is pulled down?

On Fri, Aug 18, 2017 at 11:49 AM, Grace Mutung'u via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> @ Peter Mbatha, maybe the focus is on media because media has been our
> primary source of news for ages. In previous discussions, media was
> identified as a key player in combating fake news because they can provide
> reliable news.
> However, there are many other avenues for solving the problem including
> user education (was discussed on day one) and platform responsibility (day
> 2). If other resolutions are being missed out, please point them out.
>
> On to your questions, the actors in my view are the political and many who
> talk of propaganda as the ancestor of fake news seem to agree. The purpose
> of fake news in our case seems to be polarisation of society and I think
> that NCIC as the body charged with promoting cohesion of our nation could
> play a role in combating it. The "when" would be that there was a rise
> during the electioneering season in the same magnitude as Brexit in UK and
> US 2016 elections. Where is of course on the Internet/social media and even
> traditional media like radios etc.
>
> Regards,
>
> 2017-08-18 7:59 GMT+03:00 Peter Mbatha via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>:
>
>> Good morning listers,
>>
>> Been thinking about the discussion we have been doing for the last few
>> days and hadn't given my opinion yet.
>>
>> Yes!  Come to think of it and tell whether we will ever get to the bottom
>> of this issue labeled 'FAKE NEWS' after these long listed debates. We
>> have had a good time to critically share on the issue but it ain't going to
>> be resolved as soon as you may think.
>>
>> Besides the different opinions on the issues raised by 'MERCY MUTEMI',
>>  we need to start by seeing the actors and actuators and of such alleged
>> malpractices.
>>
>>  1. Who?
>>  2. Why?
>>  3. When?
>>  4. Where?
>>
>> This is because we already have the 'what? = fake news '.
>>
>> The scenario won't be at all acomodative for the discussion because we
>> have a BIG bias in what we are discussing already. We have within our
>> capacity started accusing the agents(singked out media) who are actuators
>> of the 'what'  in the above diacussion. This has labbel us as initiators of
>> a good will which doesn't have a foundation and you exactly know what will
>> happen; at the end of the day no outcome will be worth the time spent here.
>>
>> Once we are done,  with the above(we need to stop labelling media only in
>> this) then the below
>>
>> *(a) What is the effect of Fake News to the mainstream media?*
>> *(b) **What is the role of the Kenyan media in combating Fake News?*
>> *(c) **Is the Kenyan media doing enough?*
>> *(d) **What should platforms such as Facebook and Google be doing to
>> reduce the effect of Fake News? Is there a need for localised solutions?*
>>
>> These raised questions will get answers that will lead to a conclusion
>> and summary that will address the issue totally.
>>
>> Thank-you all.
>>
>> On Aug 18, 2017 07:00, "Du Toit, Jaco via kictanet" <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear colleagues,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Yes journalists have a role but also editors and media houses.
>>> Regards.  Jaco
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> [image: dotted_line]
>>>
>>> *Jaco du Toit *
>>>
>>> Adviser for Communication & Information
>>>
>>> UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> United Nations
>>>
>>> Educational, Scientific and
>>>
>>> Cultural Organization
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> United Nations Avenue, UNON, Gigiri (Room 209)
>>>
>>> P.O. Box 30592-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
>>>
>>> Tel.: +254 (0)20 762 2346/2566
>>>
>>> Mobile: +254 (0) 728 610 912
>>>
>>> http://www.unesco.org/new/en/nairobi
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+j.dutoit=
>>> unesco.org at lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of *Churchill Otieno via
>>> kictanet
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, August 17, 2017 9:58 PM
>>> *To:* Du Toit, Jaco <j.dutoit at unesco.org>
>>> *Cc:* Churchill Otieno <cotieno at gmail.com>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Day 2 on Fake News: Platform Responsibility
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> What can journalists/media do? It might be helpful to note that the
>>> International Centre for Journalists (ICJF) is leading a global search to
>>> find clever things newsrooms around the world are doing, that may give
>>> truth the energy needed to compete or outpace fake news. What's emerging is
>>> that fake news feeds off emotions that it's recipients have already
>>> invested in, hence it has an almost opiumish pull. I'm part of this
>>> endeavor and we are also seeing quite some committed journalists, some in
>>> solo efforts, going hard to defend truth. Though it's still early days,
>>> expect some announcements in the coming weeks
>>>
>>>
>>> On 17 Aug 2017, at 17:17, kanini mutemi via kictanet <
>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>> One of the proposals made yesterday was that platforms should pull down
>>> Fake News posts. Is this a desirable approach?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 5:01 PM, Eric Mugendi via kictanet <
>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>> Here's my two cents on this from a fact checker's perspective:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(a) What is the effect of Fake News to the mainstream media?*
>>> Fake news tends to distract audiences and divert their attention away
>>> from the truth. It often mimics real news and taps into our biases and
>>> prejudices. If you see a fake story that says something you have long
>>> suspected to be true, even if the evidence appears dodgy, you are more
>>> willing to share it than another story that says the opposite of what you
>>> believe. As a resuly
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(b) What is the role of the Kenyan media in combating Fake News?*
>>> Kenyan media has the double role of debunking fake stories and
>>> propagating the truth. It is not enough to just point at a story and say
>>> that it is false, the burden is then on the media to point out the truth.
>>> They can do this by actively fact-checking the stories that are in the
>>> public domain, rather than just the stories they publish. Given the amount
>>> of trust that Kenyans have in mainstream media, one critical service that
>>> the media can do is to check what they write to make sure it is legitimate.
>>> They can also give members of the public an avenue to quickly check whether
>>> the stories they see on social media or receive via messaging apps are true
>>> before they share.
>>>
>>>
>>> *(c) Is the Kenyan media doing enough?*
>>>
>>> I don't think so. A lot of times the fake stories that do get around
>>> tend to colour the narrative, so to speak, so in the end, you have a
>>> distracted media unwilling to invest resources into holding the things
>>> politicians and other public figures say, or what is published on social
>>> media for instance. Fact-checking is a continuous process, and it is
>>> essential in order to ensure that everyone is held accountable for what
>>> they say. So far, the media
>>>
>>> *(d) What should platforms such as Facebook and Google be doing to
>>> reduce the effect of Fake News? Is there a need for localised solutions?*
>>>
>>> Facebook and Google are inherently neutral in this, in my opinion. This
>>> does not absolve them from the fact that their platforms are used to
>>> distribute fake news and other questionable stories. They have initiated
>>> methods to check verification, with Google adding a 'This story has been
>>> verified' tag on search results, and Facebook adding a banner on their site
>>> with information on how to verify if a story is legit, but these
>>> initiatives have a limited reach, given the fact that much of our news
>>> content falls outside their radar.
>>>
>>> As a result, we definitely need localized solutions. There are some like
>>> Nation's Newsplex that have taken on the task, along with the fact-checking
>>> segment on the Sunday news on NTV. However, seeing as these initiatives are
>>> part of the media establishment, they are unlikely to be critical of their
>>> own coverage. Truly independent initiatives such as PesaCheck
>>> <http://pesacheck.org> which I work on, and AfricaCheck, are able to
>>> navigate the space in a truly neutral way, and we are gaining some
>>> attention from the public. There is a need for more local initiatives
>>> because there are significant gaps in coverage, meaning that we can only do
>>> so much with the claims that we check.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *Eric Mugendi*
>>>
>>> about.me/mugendi
>>>
>>> [image: Eric Mugendi on about.me]
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 17 August 2017 at 16:22, anyega jefferson via kictanet <
>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>> I believe platforms must be held accountable. If a legal entity trades
>>> in information, then it should have a responsibility to protect its
>>> consumers.
>>>
>>> However, this may require a rethink of their role as non-publishers.
>>>
>>> If, Mark Zuckerberg runs for POTUS, as it remotely seems, he will have
>>> to contend with accusations of punishing alternative views and infringing
>>> on free speech.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Aug 17, 2017 14:11, "kanini mutemi via kictanet" <
>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>> Good morning Listers.
>>>
>>> It's another great day to talk about Fake News! Day 1 we focused on the
>>> prevalence of Fake News and the role of different stakeholders in combating
>>> it. Now we move to *Platform Responsibility. *
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> For those who are just joining us, KICTANet is carrying out a three day
>>> online engagement with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission
>>> (NCIC) on how to deal with Fake News. Feel free to share your proposals on
>>> possible interventions.
>>>
>>> Here are some questions to guide our discussion today:
>>>
>>> *(a) What is the effect of Fake News to the mainstream media?*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(b) What is the role of the Kenyan media in combating Fake News?*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(c) Is the Kenyan media doing enough? *
>>>
>>> *(d) What should platforms such as Facebook and Google be doing to
>>> reduce the effect of Fake News? Is there a need for localised solutions?*
>>>
>>>
>>> Fire away.
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> *Mercy Mutemi*.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>>
>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>>
>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
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>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>>
>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
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>> _______________________________________________
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>> Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/m
>> ailman/options/kictanet/nmutungu%40gmail.com
>>
>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Grace Mutung'u
> Skype: gracebomu
> @Bomu
> PGP ID : 0x33A3450F
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> mailman/options/kictanet/peterwakaba%40gmail.com
>
> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>
>
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