Burkina/Crisis and disinformation: “Nothing is certain in advance; we must doubt what appears obvious” (Boukari Ouoba, journalist)

The initiative, which is part of its project “Promotion of citizen and digital education for a better expression of democracy and a strengthening of social cohesion”, aims to build a digital space free of hate speech, divisions and focused above all on a spirit of peace and social cohesion.

To achieve the objectives, this “digital dialogue” took place in two phases. It was a communication on the theme, delivered by the journalist and analyst, Boukari Ouoba, also secretary general of the Association of Journalists of Burkina. His speech was followed by discussions with the participants, moderated by ABB communications officer, Séverin Ouédraogo.

In his approach, Boukari Ouoba first presented the national context of the security crisis, which highlights the challenges linked to disinformation. Disinformation is understood, he specifies in passing, as a set of communication practices and techniques whose aim is to influence public opinion through the voluntary dissemination of false or biased information.

According to Mr. Ouoba, there is no disinformation where there is no information. “Unfortunately, people just see the misinformation, without providing the information. We realize that they do not fight disinformation, they only fight information that does not suit them,” he points out, noting that the covid-19 period was, for example, conducive to such reality.

The communicator then revealed that the manipulation takes place through concepts that surround disinformation, such as infobesity, fake news, misinformation, etc. before emphasizing that it also manifests itself through various channels. and techniques. “We recently saw the communications department of the Presidency of Faso which published a press release to draw the public’s attention to the false accounts circulating in the name of the Head of State. You will also find accounts that have the names of celebrities, stars, etc. », detects Boukari Ouoba.

Faced with such an environment, the communicator recommends that each Internet user cultivate systematic doubt. “Nothing is certain in advance; we must doubt what appears obvious. Today, it is crucial to sort, process and contextualize information before disseminating or consuming it. This approach is essential to preserve social cohesion,” invites Boukari Ouoba.

“We are not obliged to share what is published. (…). When you look, most of the fake news is screenshots, which takes away from the rest of the information (no dates, no context, no sources, etc.). These are the elements that people convey in groups, without taking the care to verify or even analyze. (…). This is how the journalist differs from others who publish on the Internet. A journalist doubts everything, there is no evidence. Not only does he seek the source, but he is also not satisfied with just one; it does what is called cross-checking of sources. It then sorts and processes before broadcasting. It may even happen that he does not disseminate what information he has, even if it is verified,” he says before emphasizing that the verification of information has always been one of the principles of journalist’s work, not only in times of crisis.

“When we say that in times of crisis, journalists should not publish everything, in reality, that means absolutely nothing; because, even in normal times, journalists do not publish everything,” points out the secretary general of the Association of Journalists of Burkina.

He points out that confusion between journalists and all those who publish on the internet is recurrent among public opinion. Hence the need, he also believes, for media education of populations. “We would have saved a lot of energy and would have avoided suspending media. If people have discernment, they can even use the information given by the media that is incriminated wisely,” says Boukari Ouoba.

He also believes that the Burkinabè State could have set up, as soon as the crisis broke out, a media outlet specially dedicated to war communication, with all that this implies in terms of programs to promote collaboration between the Defense Forces. and security and populations. Also with a vision of training the Burkinabè citizen of tomorrow through their own values, a television channel specially dedicated to children could see the light of day, with programs designed for this purpose.

His communication was followed by numerous reactions, including comments and questions for clarification. A phase during which participants also demonstrated the relevance of this “digital dialogue” initiative of the Association of Bloggers of Burkina (ABB) and its partners and, therefore, wanted it to continue and expand. to more audiences.

According to speakers, such communications aimed at raising awareness are all the more important as even the history of Burkina, including that of which they are contemporary, is often falsified, especially on social networks by witnesses. Which does a disservice to the youth and the country.

A reason for satisfaction therefore for the project manager/ABB, Moussa Diallo, for whom, through this “digital dialogue”, it was a question of providing the rudiments of analysis and discernment to users of social networks in a context of fragility at all levels. Initiatives, such as fact-checking, also contribute to this awakening and, therefore, the construction of a digital space carrying messages of tolerance, cohesion, peace and development.

This is why, for the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ABB, Gabriel Kambou, everyone must, at their level, play their role in the fight against disinformation, by adopting responsible behavior on social networks and by cultivating a spirit of rigor.

Oumar L. Ouédraogo

Lefaso.net