Radicalization online linked to rising school shooting in Brazil
And actionable strategies for safer fact-checking
Hey Checklisters!
We hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
A few weeks ago, Brazil’s National Congress re-introduced a fake news law aimed at curbing misinformation. Big tech companies have recently pushed back on the proposed law but were ordered by Brazilian authorities to halt their campaign. This is not the first time attempts were made to pass the bill. Back in 2020, Reporters Without Borders called the proposed fake news bill “a major threat against the freedom to inform”. In 2022, a group of women researchers was enlisted to advise the Lula administration against hate speech and fake news dissemination on social media. In their first public-facing document, the group found strong links between online radicalization and violence. The researchers said they are formulating new policies and approaches to tackle the problem. Can government-backed researchers succeed in curbing hate speech and misinformation and propose an alternative to controversial legislation that could threaten freedom of speech?
We also bring you a list of actionable strategies and best practices for safer fact-checking and to address mental health implications of exposure to challenging content.
Also, take a look at the Townsquare section where we share opportunities and events and some interesting reads from the Check Global team.
If there are updates you would like us to share from your country or region, please reach out to us at checklist@meedan.com.
The Check Global Report
By Meedan’s Check Global team in Beirut, Kochi, Bhimtal, and Nairobi
Silencing dissent: Journalists in Sudan face threats, raids (Al Jazeera)
Since fighting erupted in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month, supporters from both sides have threatened journalists for criticising human rights violations by both sides, according to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate. Many have appeared on lists circulating on social media, where those mentioned are accused of betraying Sudan in an apparent effort to incite violence against them.
“Seven journalists appeared on the list, but I was the only one still in Sudan. I have since received threats from many people. Two [wrote to me on WhatsApp] and said that after the army kills the RSF, they will come for me next…. I haven’t taken any position in the war, neither in favour of the RSF or army. But the people threatening me keep saying that I should support the army.” — Mohi el-deen Jibril, veteran television reporter
Is Telegram profiting from Myanmar's nightmare? (Global Voices)
After Meta (previously known as Facebook) banned the Myanmar military and its online outlets from its platform, pro-military propagandists found an alternative avenue to continue their work. They took advantage of Telegram’s weak content moderation policies by disseminating non-consensual and sexualized images of women, doxing dissenters, and inciting violence toward the opposition.
Although a few of the pro-military channels were banned from Telegram, the company continues to fail to take action against hundreds of problematic accounts connected to disinformation operations.
The Myanmar pro-military paid accounts are widely involved in calling for and collecting the private information of pro-democracy citizens, disseminating abusive content, and launching doxing campaigns against those who oppose them.
A year on, family and friends say no justice for slain Al Jazeera journalist (Reuters)
A year after Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot while covering an Israeli army raid, family and friends say her killers are yet to be held responsible. Abu Akleh, one of the most recognizable journalists covering Israeli-occupied territories, was shot dead on May 11, 2022 during an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
"Shireen's killers are free, they haven't been held accountable. Nothing was done to deter them from targeting journalists and killing them in the same way." —Najwan Simri, a close friend to Abu Akleh.
Press freedom under threat in Kenya (International Press Institute)
Journalists across Africa continued to bring the public critical news and information about elections, political protests, and conflict, while also facing risks to their safety and security, as IPI’s monitoring of press freedom violations for the month of March showed.
According to IPI data on press freedom threats and violations, 103 incidents were identified across 19 countries in the region in March. IPI documented the highest number of incidents in Kenya where journalists that month came under physical attack by security forces
Online extremism linked to rise in school shootings in Brazil, researchers find (Rest of World)
A group of women researchers has been enlisted to advise the Lula administration against hate speech and fake news dissemination on social media, recently linked to real-world violence. In its first public-facing document, released in December 2022, the group linked the rise in school shootings in Brazil to online extremism and fake news.
Members of the group told Rest of World they found strong links between online radicalization and violence. Through this document, they want to aid Brazil’s new government in combating this pathway to violence at the source: online communities that groom young men through seemingly innocuous discussions about music, gaming, and internet culture.
Safer fact-checking: Developing best practices for managing mental health
Meedan has compiled a list of actionable strategies developed across fact-checking and journalism organizations to address mental health implications of exposure to challenging content.
Kat Lo, Program Manager at Meedan’s Digital Health Lab shares practices developed by fact-checkers to mitigate risks to mental health in fact-checking.
Townsquare
May 24, 2023
Webinar on AI and media in Asia: Journalists interested in knowing AI's use in media in Asia can join this free webinar by Oxford University's Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
May 25, 2023
Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) is accepting applications for the 10th cycle of its Early Career Fellows Program. Researchers and journalists across NAWA can apply for this grant.
May 31, 2023
'Like, Share, Subscribe se pehle Digital Access ki baat'": Join Meedan’s partner, Khabar Lahariya for a virtual dialogue on creating a more inclusive digital world.
July 12 to 13, 2023
Pollicy, a feminist collective of technologists, data scientists, creatives and academics is organizing the DataFest Africa 2023 to bring together data enthusiasts, researchers, academia, feminists, and governments in Africa to address gender data and artificial intelligence (AI) bias and promote gender equality in data.
What else we’re reading
Read about the five notable projects that may come out of India’s first AI Hackathon.
Five key takeaways from ChatGPT creator and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Senate hearing
“What if India ruled Great Britain?”- Read more on how TikTok creators use AI to rewrite history
Disinformation and polarization tactics in pivotal Turkish election
Elon Musk’s controversial tweets about George Soros after being accused of antisemitism
Read about the controversial film, ‘The Kerala Story’, and whether a work of fiction or art constitute ‘hate speech’
The U.S homeland security uses AI tool to analyze social media of U.S. citizens and refugees