Facebook is launching a new campaign in partnership with the WHO called ‘Together Against Covid-19 Misinformation’
Facebook is launching a new campaign across some African countries, in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The campaign, tagged ‘Together Against Covid-19 Misinformation’, will roll out to people in English and French across Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and DRC, and will show up on Facebook through a series of graphics with tips on how to spot false news.
The campaign will focus on the need to Check The Source(Scrutinise content, even if it appears science based); Check How It Makes You Feel (False news can manipulate feelings for clicks); and Check The Context (Look to public health authorities to confirm content).
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Facebook has been working to connect people to accurate information and reduce misinformation on its platforms. Last month it announced the biggest worldwide campaign to promote authoritative information about Covid-19 vaccines, working to remove false vaccine claims, reduce distribution of inaccurate health information, and inform people about effective vaccine delivery.
Public Policy Manager for Facebook, Aïda Ndiaye said: “Ensuring users are getting authoritative information about Covid-19 vaccines is just some of the vital work we are doing here at Facebook. During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, we’ll continue working with industry experts and people on our platforms to ensure we’re aggressively tackling misinformation, and giving people additional resources to scrutinize content they see online, helping them decide what to read, trust and share.”
As part of the campaign, Facebook will also be launching a dedicated website (https://bit.ly/3fwscsN) in English and French, which will include information on how the social media giant is tackling misinformation on its platforms. “It will give people more transparency around our Remove, Reduce and Inform strategy, outline our community standards, and share the steps we’re taking to combat false news around global events such as Covid-19, elections and climate change,” Ndiaye stated.
