Facebook launches new campaign in partnership with WHO to tackle Covid-19 misinformation

Wale Ameen
Online Editor

Social media giant, Facebook has announced the launch of a new campaign in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) in a bid to provide Africans with information on Covid-19.

The campaign titled, “Together Against Covid-19 Misinformation” will be rolled out in English and French across nine African countries; South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The information link will show up on Facebook as a series of graphics which will detail information on how to spot fake news via three cardinals which are:

1. Check The Source: Scrutinise content, even if it appears science based
2. Check How It Makes You Feel: False news can manipulate feelings for clicks 
3. Check The Context: Look to public health authorities to confirm content 

As part of the campaign, the social network giant is also launching a dedicated website in both English and French which explain how it is tackling fake news around issues such as Covid-19, elections and climate change and also enlighten people on Facebook’s community standards.

Speaking on the launch, Facebook’s Public Policy Manger, Aida Ndiaye said, “Ensuring users are getting authoritative information about Covid-19 vaccines is just some of the vital work we’re 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.”

Facebook has been working since the outbreak of the Coronavirus to combat and reduce the spread of false information via its platform.

Last month it announced the biggest worldwide campaign to promote authoritative information about Covid-19 vaccines as it worked towards the goal of removing false vaccine claims, reduce distribution of inaccurate health information, and inform people about effective vaccine delivery.