UN partners with media workers to combat misinformation, disinformation and hate speech

Fifteen media workers from Trinidad and Tobago participated in a workshop on misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, co-hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) and UNDP Trinidad and Tobago.

The workshop, hosted on October 21, targeted radio and television hosts, multimedia journalists, newspaper editors and television producers to enhance their capacity to combat misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.

“With the evolution of disinformation, it’s not just something we can take for granted that is just a mistake anymore, or that is being spread mistakenly,” said Nneka Parsanlal, a head of content at a digital news outlet. “These are very deliberate attempts to derail societies and perceptions of stability. These things can have far-reaching consequences, so addressing disinformation is really important.”

In our connected yet increasingly fragmented world, media plays a pivotal role in shaping societal narratives and public opinion. This role has become particularly important in light of the rapid proliferation of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, especially on digital platforms.

“These days, a lie spreads all the way around the world before the truth has a chance to get out of bed, “Urban Affairs Reporter from the Miami Herald, Andres Vigucci, aptly stated during his presentation.

Misinformation, disinformation and hate speech threaten to undermine the social fabric and pose significant challenges to democratic processes. That’s why the RCO and UNDP collaborated to equip media professionals with knowledge and tools to identify, prevent and mitigate these harmful phenomena. 

UNDP Trinidad and Tobago Resident Representative, Ugo Blanco, outlined how much is at stake in the mission to combat mis- and disinformation.

 "Where do we want Trinidad and Tobago to go, which direction in terms of democracy, political participation, community empowerment?” he asked participants to contemplate. “The idea is to grow, learn from each other and to try to do better."

UN Resident Coordinator, Joanna Kazana, said the United Nations and the media have similar mandates to tackle unfounded negative narratives and promote good practices in information integrity.

“We have a shared responsibility to preserve social cohesion, to preserve respect for every  member of our communities and societies around any table that we sit, no matter how much we disagree. This is a very conscious act of non-violence,” she said during her remarks.

The United Nations has actively pursued initiatives to combat misinformation and disinformation, including through its Verified campaign and the formalization of the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity. 

Senior Advisor on Information Integrity at the UN’s Department of Global Communications, Charlotte Scaddan, told participants the UN is committed to playing its part in preserving information integrity, but cannot do it alone. 

“One thing that came through very clearly for us is: the media has such a huge role to play. You, the media, is seen as absolutely key to addressing this challenge, and also - to be honest part - of the problem sometimes because we tend to talk about the media as a monolith, but the media is a very broda spectrum. But from our findings through consultations with communities, people shared that they are desperate for ethical, professional journalism that people can trust and robust fact checking that really guards against the misinformation and disinformation spreading online.

Hate speech was a particular focus of the workshop because of the linkages between disinformation and fueling bigotry against people of different ethnicities and genders, among other social identifiers. 

The UN Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (OHCHR) and UN Women Caribbean made presentations on hate speech, with the latter focusing on gendered hate speech - content that targets and causes harm to identifiable groups and individuals. 

UN Women Caribbean’s Communications Analyst, Sharon Carter-Burke, explained that studies show women, girls and minorities are disproportionately impacted by hate speech because of society’s gendered norms and stereotypes which may value women less than men. 

“Women in the public eye may be more negatively impacted – including activists, journalists and lawmakers,” she said. “They may be attacked on social media in the comments section or receive direct threats to their home or place of work. This can pose significant threats to the safety and well-being of women and girls. These attacks are designed to silence women and girls and reinforce harmful gender norms.”

The Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC), a statutory body, explained the process of redress available to people who feel they have been targeted by hate speech. Haran Ramkaransingh, Director of Legal Services at the EOC, delivered the presentation. Public relations specialist and crisis communications expert, Nicole Duke-Westfield, spoke about the experiences she's had helping corporate and public sector clients grapple with misinformation and disinformation.

Reflecting on the day’s exchanges, newspaper editor, Julien Neaves, said, “I found the training very informative. Misinformation and disinformation are something we deal with on a daily basis in the media landscape especially with the burgeoning social media and all these unofficial websites which don't subscribe to the rules and regulations of journalism.”

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This story was first published to the website of UN Trinidad and Tobago.