Fake News: Beating the monster in our midst 

In August 2021, a customer took to social media with claims that she had been served a milkshake with a rat in it at one of the many outlets of Café Javas, Uganda. For a company reputed for its high culinary and hygiene standards, the saga soon escalated into a PR crisis, and social media outrage against Javas rose to a fever pitch.
Three days later, Café Javas released a statement, coupled with CCTV footage of that particular client’s order, both of which demonstrated the unlikelihood of a rat making it into a Café Javas milkshake.

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The company’s forthright, evidence-based response soon convinced the court of public opinion of CJ’s innocence. The Social Media furore died out, with CJ’s regaining the trust of its clients.
The Café Javas debacle illustrates several important facets of the issue of fake news: the damage it can wreak on organisations and the importance of reacting in a timely and appropriate manner to counter dangerous narratives.

 Fake news has been defined as “purposefully crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading, or fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news.”
While the phenomenon is itself not new, the diversification of media platforms, the emergence and influence of social media, and the speed with which information is propagated render the fake news challenge much more insidious today.

According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, two thirds of youths say that fake news on social media hampers their ability to stay informed. Yet another study indicates that 71 percent of adults worldwide use social media as a source of news. These are significant findings, considering the role of timely access to accurate, reliable information in empowering citizens to participate effectively in the democratic processes of the country. Incidentally, timely and accurate provision of information are areas in which the government tends to struggle.

According to the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the government has suffered a significant loss of trust among a substantial chunk of the population due to uncoordinated communications and misinformation. In many cases, Government bodies and personnel do not communicate in time or simply do not communicate at all.

We have often witnessed cases of contradiction in communication between different government officials or institutions. Whatever the genesis of such gaffes, they result in a loss of public confidence in the Government and create a space for alternative unregulated media sources, which often profit from propagating fake news.Fake news has far-reaching impacts. It causes harm to human lives, cripples trade, and potentially leads to ouster of a government.

It tarnishes the country’s reputation and undermines public confidence in the government’s plans and actions. Perceived success of government programmes.
Therefore, it is vital that government communications be handled in as pro-active a manner as possible: volunteer information that concerns the public, packaged in as accessible and attractive a manner as possible. Transparency from the outset, without waiting to react to a false accusation, would go a long way in establishing public trust.

However, fake news will always pop up, regardless of how careful anyone is to forestall it. How should it be handled in such instances? Again, the experience of Café Javas is instructive: a quick, easily digestible response, backed by proper evidence. This deflates the build-up of negative perceptions, and if done correctly, will win over those with good will, and expose the detractors bent on attacking regardless of the facts. 
We in the media have a key role to play in the fight against fake news, and thereby improve the quality of democracy Uganda can and deserves to have.

I am particularly happy that, despite some challenges, the government too recognizes the task at hand and has set up a youthful taskforce led by the ICT ministry to advise on how best to counter misinformation that casts a bad light on the country.
We all need systems to counter fake news promptly – whether as government, individuals or companies – When we take it upon ourselves to fight fake news and unmask the faces behind seemingly pseudo accounts spreading this vice, we together shall contribute to a better Uganda – we can only achieve this working together.
The author, Mr Kin Kariisa, is the Chairman – National Association of Broadcasters