Rwanda: New campaign to combat fake news in the community kicks off in Nyarugenge district

Elias Hakizimana Jul 23, 2024Jul 28, 2024 0 Comments

By Elias Hakizimana.

A new initiative to combat misinformation has been launched in Nyarugenge District, spearheaded by the Great Lakes Initiative for Human Rights and Development (GLIHD) in collaboration with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) with funding from the European Union (EU).

The campaign, titled “Street Mass Campaign on Critical Thinking, Access to Public Information and Analysis of Digital Media Content,” began on July 23, 2024, and aims to reach 10 of Rwanda’s 30 districts.

This initiative is part of the broader project “Protecting and Promoting Responsible Freedom of Expression, Enhancing Access to Information, and Improvement of Digital Media Literacy in Rwanda (PPRFRF),” also known as “Ijwi Rirangurire ry’Itangazamakuru” (IRI) in Kinyarwanda, funded by the EU and implemented by GLIHD.

Umulisa Husna Vestine, GLIHD’s Deputy Executive Director, emphasized the importance of this initiative in the digital age.

“Rwanda is developing in various ways, and ICT and digital literacy have not been left behind. We use our smartphones, computers, and various social media channels to share information in our daily lives. We want the community to first understand, analyze, and double-check the information they receive or share to ensure its truthfulness. They must consider the outcomes of such information,” Umulisa stated.

Emmanuel Mugisha, Executive Secretary of Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), warned about the repercussions of spreading false information on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

“We all need to eradicate fake news. Our children are sent to school to learn for socio-economic development, but we also need to help them avoid misleading ideas that undermine their thoughts. In the media landscape, professional radios and TVs analyze information before sharing it with the public. It is the public’s right to have and share information under the Rwandan constitution, but it is better to avoid creating and sharing false digital media content as it undermines society, affecting our children’s social development and education,” Mugisha explained.

He also encouraged the public to use social media responsibly and create accurate information. “Let us build within us what builds us rather than what destroys us,” he added.

During the street mass campaign, citizens had the opportunity to learn where to report issues related to online privacy and misinformation to effectively combat fake news. The campaign brought together residents from the four cells of Nyarugenge sector: Agatare, Rwampara, Biryogo, and Kiyovu.