CourierJuly-September 2017 n 2 - The Media: Operation Decontamination
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Courier
T H E U N E S CO
July-September 2017 • n°2
The Media: Operation
Decontamination
Our contributors
Bēni
Divina Frau-Meigs
Richard Allan France
Ivor Gaber
Cable Green Aidan White Espen Egil Hansen
United States United Kingdom Norway
Christina Cameron Ginna Lindberg
Canada Nathalie Rothschild
Catarina Carvalho Sweden
Portugal
Kari Huhta
Finland
Sanita Jemberga
Latvia
Andrius Tapinas
Lithuania
John Bewaji
Jamaica - Nigeria
Carlos Dada Tanella Boni
El Salvador Côte d’Ivoire Verashni Pillay
South Africa
Helen Abadzi
Greece
@ Alvaro Cabrera Jimenez / Shutterstock
Adama Marina Forti
Ricardo Gandour Samassékou Giuseppina Nicolini Maria Ressa
Brazil Mali Italy Philippines
2017 • n° 2 • Published since 1948 Language Editors:
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Courier
T H E U N E S CO
Editorial
Each time a new media appears, it triggers The plurality of enlightened opinions
a revolution – print, radio, television, is a prerequisite of the democratic
the internet, have all changed the face of development of our societies. The quality
societies, the ways we get information, of the information disseminated by the
how we live and organize ourselves. media – traditional or new – is decisive
when it comes to shaping public opinion.
Each time a new media appears, voices
This is why UNESCO puts special emphasis
rise to assert that it will kill off the one that
on education about media and information,
preceded it – that radio will kill off print
which it considers a fundamental skill for
Irina Bokova, media, that television will kill off radio, that
citizens in the twenty-first century.
Director-General of UNESCO. digital media will kill off all the others. Yet,
© Yulian Donov today’s media landscape also highlights Freedom of expression and the free
examples of complementarity, of emulation movement of ideas by words and images
and interaction between the various means are among the constitutive principles
of communication and information, where of UNESCO and at the core of the 2030
they amplify and respond to one another. Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UNESCO supports the work of dedicated
Never before have we communicated so
journalists and activists who defend
much, and never on such a large scale.
fundamental freedoms, like the journalist
The new technologies have opened up
Dawit Isaak, winner of the 2017 UNESCO/
new pathways, enabling citizens across the
Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize,
world to gain access to more diverse and
whose story appears in this issue
more numerous sources of information, and
of the UNESCO Courier.
to play a new role in the production of this
information − to become the producers of Over the last decade, more than 800
content themselves. These new media are journalists have been victims of crimes
also creating new barriers and raising new aimed at muzzling freedom of expression.
challenges in terms of regulation and ethics. Only one murder out of ten ended with a
conviction. This impunity is unacceptable
Where does information come from? How
and further fuels the spiral of violence in the
is it created? Who guarantees its quality?
future. This is why UNESCO is committed to
How do we distinguish between true
putting an end to these crimes against the
and false in this web, woven by billions
press, on all continents, as an indispensable
of pieces of information coming from
condition for peaceful societies that are all
all sides? In the incredible tangle of the
the more robust for being better informed.
media, the traditional roles of producer,
broadcaster and consumer have changed. In this “post-truth” era, the role of UNESCO
The production of fake news and the risk is more important than ever, and this issue
of confining audiences in “filter bubbles” of the Courier is a wonderful opportunity
generated by algorithms, raises new to renew our founding commitment to
questions about freedom of expression support information and communication
and cultural diversity. to build peace in the minds of men
and women.
Irina Bokova
Director-General of UNESCO
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 |3
Contents
WIDE ANGLE
The Media: Operation
Decontamination
7 Ethical journalism:
back in the news
Aidan White
10 Fake news : sound bites
on a burning topic
12 Developing a critical mind
against fake news
Divina Frau-Meigs
16 Aftenposten versus Facebook :
triggering a crucial debate
Marina Yaloyan
with Egil Hansen and Richard Allan
20 Crowdfunding
to save the media
Andrius Tapinas
22 A beacon, thanks to the internet
6-27
Carlos Dada
24 Investigative journalism:
against the odds
Sanita Jemberga
ZOOM
My face, my land
Katerina Markelova
and the IDENTiTESproject
28-35
4 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017
36-47
IDEAS
Humanitude, or how to quench 37
the thirst for humanity
Adama Samassékou
The importance of 42
homegrown stories
John Bewaji
The poet at the heart of society 46
Tanella Boni
52-67 48-51
OUR GUEST
Giuseppina Nicolini : “It’s natural for
an island to be welcoming!”
Interview by Marina Forti
CURRENT
AFFAIRS 68-71
53 Dawit Isaak, a symbol of
press freedom who must be freed
Nathalie Rothschild
56 Reconstruction : changing attitudes
Christina Cameron
NEWS
60 Giving youth a voice! 68
Early literacy: the key to fluency
Helen Abadzi
A new beginning 70
64 Sharing legally and freely for the UNESCO Courier
for better learning
Cable Green Exhibition 71
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 |5
The Media: Operation
Wide angle
Decontamination
© Lukiyanova Natalia frenta / Shutterstock
6 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017
Wide angle
Ethical
journalism: back in the news
by Aidan White
The core values of ethical
journalism are more important
than ever today, as we fight
for quality and democracy
in the media in the digital
age. While new laws might
lead to potential censorship,
a commitment to ethics is
© Jugoslav Vlahovic
essential to build public trust.
“Tech giants that dominate the public
information space, such as Google,
Facebook, Amazon and Twitter
circulate information in a value-free
Journalism is on the move like never environment,” says Aidan White. As a coalition of more than sixty
before. Today the news business is faster, groups of journalists, editors, press
more pressurized, and infinitely more owners and media support groups, EJN
complex. The media have learned the Today, most of us get our news through promotes training and practical actions
hard way how the information revolution mobile telephones and from online to strengthen ethics and governance.
− for all its liberating qualities − is a platforms that have grown rich by Its work − whether it is developing a test
double-edged sword. exploiting people’s personal data, while for journalists to expose hate speech,
at the same time, draining lucrative guidelines on reporting conflict or
While news media can deliver stories
advertising from traditional media. producing reports on covering migration
around the world in seconds and
− resonates with journalists around
communications have the potential to
build stronger, more informed and more Resonating with the world.
engaged communities, the business journalists worldwide Because the network has its roots within
models that paid for journalism in the media, EJN’s multi-country reports
past are broken, and in many cases, Thousands of news outlets, mainly and even those that lift the lid on the
beyond repair. newspapers, have closed. Tens of untold stories about the realities of
thousands of journalists have lost their how media work and the challenges of
With less money to pay for public-interest
jobs. People’s access to reliable and self-regulation, have credibility inside
journalism, newsrooms struggle to
trusted sources of news has narrowed as journalism.
maintain their ethical base. Problems that
traditional news sources – particularly
have always been on the radar − political The EJN’s soundings in this period
at the local and regional level – have
bias, undue corporate influence, of uncertainty are that despite the
contracted, even though the space for
stereotypes and conflicts of interest increasingly hostile economic and
free speech has expanded dramatically.
− are now magnified. political climate, journalists everywhere
The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) − from Turkey, Syria and Egypt to
The past fifteen years have seen a
was created five years ago, to strengthen Pakistan, China and Indonesia − remain
dramatic decline in news journalism, as
journalism in the face of this crisis. committed to truth-telling and ethics.
technology has changed the way people
communicate and the way the media
business works.
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 |7
Wide angle
Building public trust Cardinal principles No matter how sophisticated they are,
digital robots can’t be encoded with
This commitment is a golden asset at Today, it’s not just journalists who need to ethical and moral values. The best people
a time of social transformation, when watch their language and show respect to handle ethical questions are sentient
the global communications culture is in for the facts; everyone with something human beings – well-trained, informed
chaotic transition. To people inside media to say in the public information sphere and responsible journalists and editors.
and anyone striving for the key to safe needs to show some ethical restraint.
After recent scandals – like the outrage
and secure communications in future,
The EJN argues that ethical values over censorship of iconic photographs
the defence and promotion of ethical
of journalism – such as fact-based (see p. 16), the live-streaming of torture
journalism has become more important
communications, humanity and respect and murder, and major corporations
than ever.
for others, transparency and owning up complaining about their advertisements
Fake news, political and corporate to errors – are cardinal principles which being placed on websites preaching
propaganda, and shameless online abuse should guide everyone, including social terrorism, hate and child abuse – the
threaten democracy and open up new media users and citizen journalists. But technology companies have promised to
frontlines for free-speech defenders, this should be a voluntary process and act. But will it be enough?
policymakers, and media professionals not driven by law.
On 3 May 2017, Facebook boss Mark
alike. A toxic mix of digital technology,
Worried by online abuse and fake news, Zuckerberg promised to employ
unscrupulous politics and commercial
some governments, even in democratic 3,000 content reviewers (to add to the
exploitation of the new communications
countries, have threatened to fine company’s 4,500-strong “community
landscape is creating stress fractures
technology companies that don’t act operations team”), following outrage over
across the wider landscape of public
to remove malicious and dangerous the broadcasting of a spate of violent
information.
information when it pops up on their videos of murder, suicide, and gang rape.
With this in mind, EJN has promoted a platforms. This could limit legitimate
Facebook has a subscriber base of
new debate about the need to recognize dissent and free speech − this is
two billion, which means that there is
why journalism, which is constrained by increasingly more likely to happen, unless
one content reviewer per 250,000 or so,
its framework of ethics, is essential for these companies act to support ethical
users. It’s a fraction of what is needed
building public trust. communications.
to monitor and control the growth of
We find that there is no widespread The problem is that the tech giants that unethical, abusive content and the
yearning for a new code of ethics dominate the public information space, dangers posed by propaganda and
among the media or the public. The such as Google, Facebook, Amazon and fake news.
core values of accuracy, independence Twitter, circulate information in a value-
and responsible reporting – which have
evolved over the past 150 years – remain
free environment. They give no priority
to information as a public good, such
Exploiting
as relevant as ever, even in these digital as professional journalism. For them, people’s privacy
times. journalism competes on an equal footing
One simple answer would be for tech
in their marketing with other information,
What is needed, says EJN, is a new companies to accept their role as
even if it is malicious and abusive.
partnership with media audiences publishers in the digital age and to draw
and policymakers to persuade them upon the vast pool of informed and
that ethical journalism should be Using algorithms ethical journalists currently displaced
strengthened, and that it can be used as
an inspiration for new programmes to
to attract clicks by the information revolution. We know
they can afford it – in early 2017, it was
promote information literacy. Using sophisticated algorithms and reported that Facebook was worth
limitless databanks that provide access around $400 billion, and Google more
to millions of subscribers, this business than $600 billion. These are among the
model is driven by one simple objective world’s richest companies.
– to encourage “viral information” that
While policymakers and technology
delivers enough clicks to trigger digital
moguls wring their hands over these
advertising. It matters not whether
issues, the use of technology by
information is ethical, true or honest;
unscrupulous politicians to undermine
what counts is whether it is sensational,
democracy and to interfere in elections
provocative, and stimulating enough to
is growing. And fake news laced with
attract attention.
malicious lies is all part of the strategy.
8 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017
Wide angle
“No matter how
@ nickgentryart (www.nickgentry.com)
sophisticated
they are, digital
robots can’t be
encoded with
ethical and moral
values,” explains
Aidan White.
“Profile
Number 13“,
by British artist
Nick Gentry.
The crisis was recently highlighted by And there are suggestions that some News reporting can be rough and
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the political adverts – in the US and around ready, but ethical journalism owns up
World Wide Web. The British scientist and the world – are being used in unethical to its errors. More importantly, because
academic warned that the online world ways to point voters to fake news sites, it is fact-based and has civic purpose,
is being overwhelmed by governments for instance, or to keep others away from it also provides a road map for policy
and digital corporations and that the the polls. … Is that democratic?” to build a safe and reliable public
exploitation of people’s privacy is information space.
squeezing the life out of the internet.
Exposing fake news
His criticism highlights the disruptive and
It’s a good question, and one that was Aidan White (UK) is Director of the
pernicious threat posed by the marketing
also asked in France on the eve of the Ethical Journalism Network, and
of false information in politics.
French presidential election in May 2017, the author of a book, To Tell You The
In an open letter (on 12 March 2017, the when online hackers dumped thousands Truth: the Ethical Journalism Initiative,
web’s 28th birthday), Berners-Lee wrote of confidential email files, many of them a global review of ethical issues in the
of the 2016 election in the United States: fake, concerning Emmanuel Macron, the news (2008). He is the former General
“... as many as 50,000 variations of adverts eventual winner. Secretary of the International Federation
were being served every single day on of Journalists, which he led for twenty-
Facebook, a near-impossible situation This information mountain couldn’t four years until March 2011. He is a
to monitor. be examined, verified or debunked by founder of the International News Safety
journalists, because French law forbids Institute and the International Freedom
public discussion of election information of Expression Exchange (IFEX).
in the last hours before people vote.
But it circulated freely on social media.
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 |9
Wide angle
Fake news
Sound bites on a burning topic
Fake news, or disinformation, Aidan White Ivor Gaber
is not a new phenomenon. Director, Ethical Journalism Network Professor of Journalism,
But today, with the rise of University of Sussex, United Kingdom
With growing evidence of interference
digital media, it spreads easily in democratic processes around the There has always been fake news − ever
and quickly. It is the task of world, the debate over how to expose since people realized the power of
responsible journalists and and eliminate fake news is certain to the media to influence public opinion.
trusted news organizations intensify. But the discussion is already However, the difference today is that
confused by misunderstanding about social media and platforms like Google
to douse the flames of this the phenomenon, its origins, and why and Facebook enable fake news to spread
dangerous wildfire and call fake it poses a threat in the first place. widely and more quickly than ever
news out for what it really is – To try to illustrate the problem, the
before, and that is the problem.
lies. What do journalists think Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) has Fake news changes journalism in that it
about this? We asked a few of developed a definition for fake news: presents a real challenge to journalism,
“Information deliberately fabricated because it’s not always that easy to
them to find out.
and published with the intention to distinguish fake news from real news,
deceive and mislead others into believing but it also makes journalism much more
falsehoods or doubting verifiable facts.” important. Because if anybody is going
Using this definition, it is easier to to call out fake news, it’s the journalist −
separate propaganda, “alternative” facts, the responsible journalist, that is. I would
and malicious lies from journalism. say that in the short term, fake news is a
problem for journalists. But in the long
term, it validates them and gives them
Verashni Pillay an increased importance in society.
Editor-in-Chief,
Huffington Post, South Africa Ricardo Gandour
Fake news poisons the atmosphere that Journalism Director,
we all operate in. Because fake news CBN, Brazilian Radio Network, Brazil
exists, audiences are now doubtful
about all news. It has really damaged Fake news reinforces a traditional mission
the relationship between audience of journalism, which is trying to shine
members and the media. a light in the dark, for societies and
the general public. Our mission has to
be reinforced on this core value, trying
Kari Huhta to illuminate the debate, trying to show
the public where the real facts and
Diplomatic Editor,
the real debates are.
Helsingin Sanomat, Finland
We easily exaggerate the effect of fake
news on journalism. I don’t want to be
flippant about it − it is a serious challenge
to society and institutionality. The point
of fake news is not to tell another
narrative; the main aim of fake news is
to dismantle the credibility of institutions,
including journalism, but not only
journalism.
10 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017Wide angle
© Cristo Salgado
Ginna Lindberg
Head, Foreign News,
Swedish Broadcasting, Sweden
We found that one nest of twenty‑six
All this talk about fake news is affecting fake accounts is able to influence nearly
media audiences, because there is an three million Facebook pages. We
insecurity about what is true and what is also know that, as of November 2016,
not. As professional journalists, we need about 50,000 Facebook accounts can
to go back to what we do best – we do be used in targeted campaigns for or
fact-checking, demand answers, and are against politicians or individuals in the
transparent about our (news-gathering) Lies in social networks. Philippines. Another fake account was
methods. linked to over 990,000 members of
groups supporting one political leader,
and yet another was connected to an
Catarina Carvalho Maria Ressa estimated 3.8 million members of various
overseas Filipino organizations and
Editor-in-Chief, Co-founder & CEO, Rappler, buy‑and-sell groups.
Global Media Group, Portugal the Philippines
With about 54 million Facebook users in
Fake news is not journalism. Maybe Rappler, a social news network committed the Philippines, social media is a powerful
we should think about what we [the to investigative reporting, has documented weapon used to silence dissent and
mainstream media] did to journalism at least 300 websites spreading fake mould public opinion. Rappler has lived
that has allowed fake news to become so news in the Philippines. One of our through numerous waves of attacks via
easily accepted and so easily done. I think investigations monitored the growth of the internet, including from Facebook
we should do some soul-searching to suspicious Facebook accounts that seeded accounts created specifically to harass
know if we are doing the right thing, if we fake news into campaign pages during our reporters and contributors.
are behaving in the right way, if we are the country’s May 2016 elections.
This has only made us more determined
being ethical in journalism – that could
It took us about three months to to expose the lies and prevent their
prevent fake news from having the power
manually check the information the spread.
and influence it has, and stop the growth
Facebook accounts provided and
it has achieved.
to verify they were fake.
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 | 11Wide angle
Developing a
against fake news
critical mind
by Divina Frau-Meigs
Having moved from light surfing, babbling and chatting to data
mining for the purpose of manipulation and destabilization,
the digital transformation of the media landscape underscores
the growing importance of media and information literacy. This form
of education must rethink the media and the political and ethical
foundations that legitimize it.
At the time, I was Director of the Centre
pour l’éducation aux médias et à
l’information (the centre for media and
information literacy (CLEMI)). We had
to prepare students for their return to
the classroom the day after the attack,
and meet the needs of teachers and
parents. We proceeded as we did after
all major catastrophes – we searched
our archives for educational fact
sheets on caricature and propaganda,
and posted media resources online
(reference websites, a press review, a
series of headlines). We also released an
unpublished interview of Charb, which
CLEMI had done in 2013, titled, “Can we
laugh at everything?” The cartoonist and
journalist, whose real name was Stéphane
Charbonnier, was murdered in the attack.
This crisis situation showed the strengths
© Oscar Seco
of MIL, but also its limitations. We were
well-prepared to respond in terms of
resources, but we did not anticipate the
“The Doubly Mysterious Island” from impact of social media.
the series “ Labyrinth and Utopia” by
Like pre-digital media, MIL must take a
the Spanish painter, Oscar Seco.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) leap forward and include in its concerns
is often called to the rescue these days, what data does to the media – it pushes
as the media is threatened on all sides, information to the fore through the
in totalitarian and democratic regimes regulation of algorithms, linked to people’s
alike. The alert was sounded in France on search histories. It can enclose people in
7 January 2015, when the French satirical a “filter bubble” to reinforce the biases of
magazine, Charlie Hebdo, was attacked. confirmation that support preconceived
It was an attack on one of the oldest ideas, and reduce the diversity and
forms of media in the world – caricature. pluralism of ideas by monetizing content
(clicks by views). It is invasive of privacy
and threatens fundamental freedoms
by using digital footprints for purposes
beyond the user’s control.
12 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017Wide angle
© Patric Sandri
Decoding online propaganda
is complex. New generations have
The latest crisis stemming from fake news
– a blend of rumour, propaganda and plot
The return of gossip to learn to be “explorers, analysts
and creators” all at the same time,
theory – has shaken up MIL. Fake news This is why MIL is obliged to rethink says Divina Frau‑Meigs.
is even stronger than disinformation, the media and the political and ethical
which is a toxic, but generally discernible foundations that legitimize it. The role of
mixture of truth and lies. Fake news is a social media needs to be revisited, as do
phenomenon that falls into the category the exchanges that take place on it. The In the information-communication
of disinformation, but its malicious intent growth of digital media, which transforms sciences, gossip falls within the category
is unprecedented, because information old audiences into new communities of of social bonding. It fulfills essential
technology makes it trans-border and sharing and interpretation, also needs cognitive functions: monitoring the
trans-media, and therefore viral. to be taken into account. The renewed environment, providing help in decision-
tendency to gossip manifested by social making by sharing news, aligning a given
Media Information Literacy must
media is not insignificant and should not situation with the values of the group,
imperatively take into account the
be treated with contempt. A conversation etc. These functions have traditionally
digital transformation, which has moved
in undertones that conveys a jumble legitimized the importance of the media.
from the “blue continent” to the “dark
of rumours, half-truths and hearsay, But the media is now perceived as
continent”. In other words, it has gone
gossip makes what is private, public. It deficient and biased – this is symptomized
from surfing, babbling and chatting on
places authenticity above a truth that is by the reliance on online gossip, relayed
platforms controlled by the GAFAM (an
perceived as fabricated by elites, far from by social media. The blame falls less
acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook,
daily and local concerns. on social media than on those who are
Amazon, Microsoft), to noxious data
responsible for public debate in real life.
mining for the purpose of massive Social media, then, conveys news where
manipulation and destabilization. truth is uncertain, and falsehoods have In destabilized political situations all
been used to arrive at the truth or by around the world, social media is restoring
It is in this respect that the decoding
showing that the truth is not all that meaning to the regulatory role of social
of online propaganda is complex,
clear-cut. Hence the temptation to narrative. It highlights the violations of
because it is a question of deciphering
categorize social media as “post‑truth”. social norms, especially when political
a form of disruptive ideology, which
But this stance reduces its scope and institutions boast of transparency,
is technologically innovative, but
refuses to see in it the quest for a because secrets are no longer safe. Set
paradoxically represents a conservative
different truth, when the supposedly against newspapers that toe party lines,
global revolution − designed to create
gold-standard systems of information social media is disrupting the norms of
chaos in existing political systems rather
go bankrupt. Social media centres once objectivity, which has become fossilized
than proposing a system of progressive
again on the eternal journalistic battle by requiring the presentation of one
political thought.
between objective facts and commentary opinion for and one against.
based on opinion, that is played out in
these models of influence.
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 | 13Wide angle
© Ryoji Ikeda. Photo by Fernando Maquieira. Courtesy of Espacio Fundación Telefónica.
“Data.Path” (2013), by Japanese artist,
Ryoji Ikeda, whose installations aim The public shows distrust of the “veracity” The critical mind can be exercised and
to make the invisible digital network of this polarized discourse and is trained, and can also act as a form of
visible and palpable, as it permeates and seduced by the strategy of authenticity. resistance to propaganda and plot theory.
defines our world. It establishes a close relationship of Young people must be put in a position
trust with the community of members of responsibility while being protected
that now constitutes the audience, by the adults around them: they can be
and aims to involve them in debates, prompted to call into question their use
while basing itself on the principle of of social media and to take into account
transparency. Thus social media pits the the criticism against the consequences
ethics of authenticity against the ethics of of their practices. We must also trust their
objectivity. sense of ethics, once it is called upon.
In my Massive Open Online Course on
Explorer, analyst Media Education – the MOOC DIY MIL,
which received the 2016 UNESCO Global
and creator MIL Award – I offer students three critical
roles: explorer, analyst and creator.
Social media and fake news consequently
The explorer gets to know the media and
make up a textbook case for MIL, which
data; the analyst applies the concepts,
calls upon its fundamental competence
such as source verification, fact‑checking,
− critical thinking. But this critical
respect for privacy; the creator tries
thinking must have an understanding
his/her hand at producing his/her own
of the added value of the digital:
content, sees the consequences of
participation, contribution, transparency
his/her choices and makes decisions
and accountability, of course, but also
about distribution.
disinformation and the interplay of
influence. The MOOC has given birth to projects
such as “Citoyen journaliste sur Twitter”
(citizen journalist on Twitter) and
“HoaxBuster”, against plot theories.
14 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017Wide angle
It is clear that challenges still exist to In order to be deployed fully and to create
significantly scaling up MIL. Decision an educated citizenship, MIL’s critical
makers need convincing that trainers thinking must also be applied to the geo-
must be trained, teachers and journalists economy of social media. The GAFAM digital
alike. My research at the Université platforms, all under California law, have long
Nouvelle Sorbonne, within the framework refused to be classified as media companies,
of the TRANSLIT project of the Agence to avoid all social responsibility and to
Nationale de la Recherche and the evade any related public-service obligations.
UNESCO Chair in “Savoir-devenir in But algorithmic monitoring has revealed the
sustainable digital development”, ability of GAFAM to exercise editorial control
consists of comparing public policies in over content that is worth monetizing.
Europe. It shows that many resources In doing so, these organizations define
and training opportunities exist on the the truth, because it is real or ethical.
ground, provided by organizations or
The GAFAM mega-media have so far played
teachers on their own initiative, rather
the card of self-regulation: they make their
than sponsored by universities. It points,
own rules, they decide to remove sites or
however, to a lag at the public policy
accounts suspected of conveying fake news,
level, despite the inclusion of MIL in many
with no accountability for themselves. But
national educational programmes. There
they cannot resist the need for a responsible
are few interministerial mechanisms,
model for long – it will probably be a hybrid
little or no co-regulation, and little or
between a “common carrier” and “public
no multi-stakeholder coordination.
trustee”, if they want to preserve the trust of
The governance of MIL emerges as
their online communities. The communities
composite, with three models existing
could also organize themselves, and even
in different countries: development,
circumvent them, to co-regulate the news
delegation, or… disengagement
with journalists, as is the case with Décodex.
(D. Frau‑Meigs et al, 2017).
The option of co-designing an algorithm
that would have journalistic ethics and
An ethical leap fundamental freedoms built into its DNA
is undoubtedly one of the alternatives to
In all cases, the point is to ensure that The good news is that journalists are come, according to digital logic!
young people acquire the critical thinking becoming increasingly aware, revising their
reflexes of MIL, so that they can avoid ethics and realizing the value of MIL. Their
the traps of hate speech, non-voluntary ethical leap can help teachers to reposition Divina Frau-Meigs (France) is a professor
internet traces and fake news. Other MIL and provide valid resources to bolster of information and communication
initiatives exist, including some led by resistance in favour of the integrity of data sciences at the Université Sorbonne
UNESCO, which has founded the Global and media. Actions that are re-establishing Nouvelle, and holder of the UNESCO
Alliance of Partners on MIL (GAPMIL) − the value of in-depth investigation Chair “Savoir-devenir in sustainable
MIL CLICKS is a recent project to take are already taking shape − using data digital development”. The author of
ownership of MIL via social media. journalism, which reveals information that several books, she has just published
cannot be obtained otherwise. Public Policies in Media and Information
Scaling up MIL Scandals such as the colossal leak of Literacy in Europe: Cross-Country
confidential documents known as the Comparisons, which she has edited
It is also important that MIL exercises along with I. Velez and J. Flores Michel
Panama Papers have helped moralize
critical thinking against the media itself. It (London, Routledge, 2017).
political life and restore confidence in the
turns out that the top press organizations
press. Other actions are aimed specifically
are among the biggest influencers and
at fighting fake news using digital means.
the ones who tend to push rumours,
These include AFP Correspondent, the
on Twitter for example, before they are
Agence France Presse blog (which reveals
confirmed. The fake news that circulates
what happens backstage at a large news
on Facebook, the first of the social media
network); Décodex, featured in the French
to spread it, draws its grain of truth from
newspaper, Le Monde (which lists sites
the fact that news professionals are overly
according to their unreliability), Google's
responsive to the pressure of the scoop,
RevEye (which checks whether an image
transmitted before it is checked, in the
is genuine in three clicks), and Conspi
same manner as the amateurs. And the
Hunter on Spicee, the online TV reports
denials do not generate as much buzz
and documentaries platform (to debunk
as the rumours!
plot theories).
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 | 15Wide angle
Aftenposten
Facebook :
versus
triggering a crucial debate
FREDAG 9. september 2016 Uke 36 • Nr. 253 • 157. årgang • Løssalg kr 40 (Levert hjem fra kr 12. Bestill på ap.no/abo)
Facebook krever at Aftenposten fjerner
dette historiske bildet fra vår Facebook-side.
Her er Aftenpostens svar:
by Marina Yaloyan
The increasing role that social media sites play in news distribution
raises several concerns. Espen Egil Hansen of Aftenposten (Norway)
and Richard Allan of Facebook come from different worlds, yet face
a similar challenge.
Foto: Nick Ut, AP/Ntb scANPix
© Photo Nick Ut. AP/NTB SCANPIX
7 0 3 9 7 8 1 20 16 5 1
Dear Mark
It is an icon of war photography: the With over two billion users worldwide
Zuckerberg black-and-white image reveals a naked and leading more traffic to news sites
Jeg skriver til deg for å fortelle hvorfor Aftenposten
ikke vil etterkomme Facebooks krav om å fjerne nine- year-old girl, fleeing from an than Google, Facebook has now emerged
eller redigere dette viktige dokumentarbildet.
explosion, screaming, her face distorted as a major player in news distribution,
Espen Egil Hansen, sjefredaktør
with pain. Taken by Vietnamese-American even though it still evades formal
Lik dette Kommenter Del
NyHEtEr • siDE 2-5, 24–25
photographer, Nick Ut, during the responsibility by positioning itself as
napalm strike on a Vietnamese village a “technical platform”. Nevertheless,
in 1972, the Pulitzer prize-winning photo, it has arguably become the largest
The front page of Aftenposten, “The Terror of War”, raised controversy in global media site, which has turned
headlining the open letter from its editor, 2016, when Facebook banned it because Mark Zuckerberg into “the most powerful
Espen Egil Hansen, to Facebook founder, of “inappropriate content”. editor-in-chief in the world,” according to
Mark Zuckerberg (8 September 2016). Hansen.” I reminded Zuckerberg that this
“I wrote to Mark Zuckerberg telling him
title comes with responsibility. He doesn’t
that I wouldn’t comply,” remembers
just own a tech company, he owns a
Espen Egil Hansen, the editor-in-chief of
media company.” This is precisely why
Aftenposten, Norway’s largest newspaper,
Hansen considers that censoring an
who shared the post on Facebook
iconic image of photojournalism because
and got threatened with a permanent
of nudity was a bad editorial decision.
ban. Hansen’s bold letter, splashed
“Disturbing images may not always be
across the front page of Aftenposten,
comfortable to look at, but they are
condemned Facebook for creating rules
the ones that help promote awareness
that first “cannot distinguish between
in a democratic society,” he says.
child pornography and famous war
photographs” and then “exclude every Millions of people post content on
possible debate.” The letter drew massive Facebook’s pages every day, which makes
support and became the starting the process of selecting information
point for a heated discussion around case-by-case an obvious challenge.
Facebook’s intricate censorship rules Richard Allan, Facebook’s Vice President,
and the control of content through Public Policy, EMEA (Europe, the Middle
newsfeed algorithms. East and Africa), defends the site’s
general guidelines, which demand
that photographs of children under
18 containing nudity are tracked and
taken down.
16 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017Wide angle
© Nick Ut / Sipa Press
Norwegian illustrator Inge Grodum’s
take on the iconic photograph,
“The Terror of War”, condemning
Yet, he does admit that with the Algorithm – the world’s Facebook’s censorship for “inappropriate
content”. The nine‑year‑old girl in
“The Terror of War” photo, this policy
fell short. “Just to be clear, we question
new editor-in-chief the photo, known as “the Napalm girl”,
ourselves all the time. When we face a is Kim Phuc Phan Thi, UNESCO Goodwill
There is little or no significant difference Ambassador since 1994.
new situation we haven’t anticipated
between Facebook and traditional
before, we ask ourselves, what should
news venues when it comes to editorial
we do now? Should we change our
choice. “In the same way in which an
rules?” he stated during the colloquium,
editor-in-chief of Fox News is responsible
Journalism under Fire, at UNESCO in
for the editorial content of Fox News,
March 2017. Two months later, Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg is responsible for
announced that it would add 3,000 more
the editorial content of Facebook,”
people to its 4,500-strong community
insists Hansen.
operations team. The newly-adopted,
more flexible, approach requires content The only real difference between the
reviewers to treat news as an exception. two is the largely misunderstood and
“There are occasional photos of naked controversial newsfeed algorithm that
children where the public interest of the traditional media editors do not use.
publication of that photo and, in this
“We want to keep our essence. You are
case, the consent of the person involved,
your own editor and you choose what
outweighs the regular policy,” Allan says.
you want to see,” states Richard Allan,
regarding Facebook’s policy.
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 | 17Wide angle
Disturbing images may not
always be comfortable to
look at, but they are the ones
that help promote awareness
in a democratic society
Meanwhile, algorithms continue to shape “Algorithms may create the so-called “The thousand feeds are still there but
the reading habits of 1.28 billion daily filter bubbles, which reinforce a negative this obviously creates a selection process,
active Facebook users (March 2017), trend of our time – one that leads to more as we pick those that are going to appear
or one-fifth of the world’s population. polarized communities,” says Hansen. on the top.”
Facebook scans and analyzes all the “More and more people live in bubbles,
Favouring the information that readers
information posted by any given user in where they only get the information
prefer can be a slippery road. According
the previous week, taking into account they want, and communicate only
to Hansen, it is a “convenient strategy
every page that he or she has liked, all the with like-minded people.” From this
when watching Netflix [the United States-
groups he/she belongs to and everybody perspective, the criteria of selection used
based streaming service]” but remains a
he/she follows. Then, according to a by algorithms to classify information
“questionable principle for the free flow
closely-guarded and constantly evolving become crucially important.
of information in a society.”
formula, the algorithms rank the posts in
Allan, however, compares the newsfeed
the precise order they believe the user
will find worthwhile.
to a periodical subscription and denies
imposing any content on Facebook’s
Fake news – real
However, the very nature of algorithms readers. According to him, algorithms solutions?
can turn them into controversial, merely allow for the arranging of
On a positive note, social media sites
and even dangerous, tools. periodicals in a way that is most
do breach barriers and make it easier for
convenient for the reader. The challenge,
people to express themselves. “When
however, lies in the large quantity of
I wrote my letter to Mark Zuckerberg,
newsfeeds available. “What we find
I published it in a small paper in a small
is that people sign up for a thousand
country, but the story immediately went
Photographer Nick Ut, who took the different feeds when they only have
viral. Ironically, I think it was Facebook
famous photograph, “The Terror of War”, time to read twenty of them,” he says.
itself that made the story so popular,”
talking to journalists during the Vietnam recalls Hansen, whose own newspaper
War Summit in April 2016 at the LBJ has more than 340, 000 followers on
Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. Facebook. However, he quickly admits
that the opportunity given to everyone
to publish information is a double-edged
sword that may lead to disinformation.
“It is obviously easier today to mislead
very large parts of populations. I wonder
if, as a society, we are actually prepared
for the alarming trends that we are
witnessing,” he says.
© LBJ Library / David Hume Kennerly
18 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017Wide angle
An open letter that
prompts change
“…Listen, Mark, this is serious!
First you create rules that don’t
distinguish between child
© Ruben Oppenheimer
pornography and famous war
photographs. Then you practise
these rules without allowing space
for good judgement. Finally you
even censor criticism against and a
discussion about the decision – and
you punish the person who dares to
voice criticism…
The free and independent media
have an important task in bringing
In a series of scandals related to fake “We are not going to remove these,” information, even including
news that shook Facebook in 2016, stresses Richard Allan. “On one hand, pictures, which sometimes may be
the company has been accused of we don’t want to be the arbiters of truth unpleasant, and which the ruling
influencing the United States Presidential and edit content. On the other, we would elite and maybe even ordinary
election, by spreading fake news stories like to build an informed community, citizens cannot bear to see or hear,
and creating filter bubbles that isolated as we have a responsibility to society.” but which might be important
voters from other opinions. Overall, fake precisely for that reason…
news about US politics alone accounted Hansen views the acknowledgement
of this responsibility as key. He praises The media have a responsibility
for 10.6 million of the 21.5 million total to consider publication in every
shares, reactions, and comments these the positive improvements that
Facebook has adopted since his letter in single case. This may be a heavy
English-language stories generated responsibility. Each editor must
on Facebook this year, according to Aftenposten first came into the spotlight.
“Mark Zuckerberg gave an interview to weigh the pros and cons. This
one analysis. A hoax about former US right and duty, which all editors
President Barack Obama generated more the New York Times, where he said that
the controversy around this letter was in the world have, should not be
than 2.1 million comments, reactions and undermined by algorithms encoded
shares on Facebook in just two months. an eye-opener and made him realize
that he needed to change the way in your office in California.
No wonder that in order to curb criticism, Facebook functions.” Facebook’s Mission Statement states
Facebook has introduced a corrective that your objective is to “make the
fact-checking programme. Starting This realization and subsequent change world more open and connected”.
in May 2017, stories that have been become crucial, especially in the wake In reality you are doing this in a
signalled by users as unreliable are of social media’s broad impact on totally superficial sense. If you
verified by independent fact-checking traditional media and its ever-growing will not distinguish between child
experts and labelled as “disputed”. omnipresence in our daily lives. pornography and documentary
photographs from a war, this will
simply promote stupidity and fail
to bring human beings closer to
each other.
To pretend that it is possible to create
common, global rules for what may
and what may not be published, only
throws dust into people’s eyes…”
(Extracts from an open letter from
Espen Egil Hansen to Mark Zuckerberg
published on the front page of
Aftenpost on 8 September 2016.)
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 | 19Wide angle
Crowdfunding to save the media
by Andrius Tapinas
The digital revolution has brought The November 2016 election of Donald
monumental changes and Trump for the highest office in the United
States is the most dramatic example of the
challenges to the media industry.
all-pervasive nature of social media. The
Journalists are best-placed to mainstream media hated him passionately,
adapt to the new media landscape yet the former kingmakers could do
if they embrace new technologies, absolutely nothing as he forced them to
reinvent themselves, and adopt do his bidding in order not to commit
new business models. The story commercial suicide in full sight of their readers
and viewers. And so Donald Trump became
of Lithuania’s Liberty TV, an the first ever US President of Social Media.
independent television channel
broadcast on the internet
and financed by the public,
Anyone can be a star
is proof of this. At the dawn of the social media era, the
old guard dismissed it as a tool for young
people. Enter YouTube: the world’s biggest
The digital age is upon us, whether we like television repository and video-hosting
it not. And if you belong to the media old service which creates almost zero content
guard, it is quite likely you will not like it. itself, but is the haven for all the wannabes
Traditional print media and television have on earth. Anyone, anywhere in the world
been caught off guard – technologically, today, can be whatever they dream of
financially, and creatively – by the digital – singers, chefs, boxers, media stars.
revolution, and are experiencing the The sky is the limit and it’s all for free.
biggest challenges they have ever faced.
PewDiePie (born Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg The new technologies allow for
Are they up to it? Not really. But they have
in Sweden, October 1989), a web-based unprecedented freedom, especially in
no choice – they can either sink or swim.
comedian and video producer, became countries where the press is controlled
The advent of the internet, nearly thirty the uncrowned king of YouTube, with by the government. Now is the perfect
years ago, has hooked the world onto one almost 55 million subscribers! Two of the time to voice your opinion, and make it
of the most powerful drugs available to most successful YouTubers in Lithuania resonate across the globe. Interacting with
modern societies – free and lightning-fast – Whydotas (Vaidotas Grinceviĉius) and your audience is critical − instant audience
access to information. The3dvinas (Edvinas Navikas) − have more feedback is a potent tool.
subscribers than the four national TV
Before they knew what hit them, a second
wave – social media – hit the old guard. It
channels combined.
Crowdfunded
was bigger and stronger than the web, and
with more severe consequences. Social
Of course, new media is not all positive,
and sometimes comes at a heavy price.
by viewers
media companies gained the upper hand Fake news, virtual mob lynching, trolls and The changes in journalism can be viewed
as paid subscriptions to newspapers and baseless accusations abound – it’s a free- as a positive development. It has forced us
magazines dwindled, and TV channels for-all. There are no filters or editing, and no to be creative, and to invent new business
started to lag behind the thousands of need to exercise restraint or decency if you models in order to survive, as in our case.
news websites on the internet. choose not to.
Propelled by the shock of losing my TV
Suddenly everyone became the We are in the throes of a media programme on Lithuanian television,
media – cameraman, editor, storyteller, transformation, forced by the ascension I decided to fight back. Liberty TV was
journalist, promoter – all rolled in one. of the internet. As journalists, we must founded by me in September 2016. It is a
The gatekeepers of information saw their embrace the revolution, and shed any completely independent internet television
gates come crashing down, as they lost the of our inhibitions to go digital. With our channel, crowdfunded by viewers.
biggest privilege of all – the right to decide professional qualities, we still have the edge
what is important and what is not. over most of the novices out there today.
20 | The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017Wide angle
A proven
business model
Putting myself and my team into the hands
of the public was the biggest gamble
of my journalistic career. Would they be
willing to pay for something they could
get for free but would cease to exist if they
didn’t pay for it? Are we public-spirited
enough to support independent media
by contributing to it? Media experts in
Lithuania were sceptical. But we went
ahead nevertheless.
In March 2017, we suggested that our
viewers use their ability to direct two per
cent of their taxes to Liberty TV. We are
curious to see how much funding we are
able to raise with this initiative.
In four months, Liberty TV became the
biggest media entity on Lithuanian
YouTube, with some of its programmes
reaching six-figure viewership numbers
and competing with the most popular
shows on mainstream TV. In eight months,
media experts started to admit that they
had been wrong, and started reporting
about our plans to expand.
Our business model is new and falls
in line with the digital revolution, but
Last recording of the season of it is not unique. Similar crowdfunded
“Hang in there!” with Andrius Tapinas, journalistic projects have been launched
We broadcast fifteen programmes each which attracted a live audience of in Holland, Switzerland, India, and several
month, and add at least three more over 2000 (23 May 2017), in Klaipeda, other countries.
in the autumn of 2017. The content Lithuania’s largest port city. It is not easy; it is the hardest job I have ever
includes political satire in Lithuanian © Matas Baranauskas
done in my career of almost twenty years.
and Russian, talk shows, investigative But it is the only way I would like to go
journalism, political analysis and positive further as a journalist. And it is the digital
documentaries. revolution that gave me this chance.
Our staff (made up of full-time and We reached our financial goal of €15,000
freelance professionals) includes a in ten days, just in time for the launch.
full technical crew – from editors to Almost 5,000 people committed to funding Andrius Tapinas is a Lithuanian
cameramen, journalists and script-writers. us in the first month. Subscribers are free journalist and writer. He founded Liberty
A small administrative team also handles to pledge their support for whatever TV in 2016 and is the host of its flagship
communication for the channel. Our duration they choose, with no obligation to programme, “Hang in there”. Tapinas
flagship programmes are filmed in theatres continue. For a nation of less than 3 million is one of the most popular persons
with high-definition cameras, in front of live people, this was phenomenal. We are on Lithuanian social media, with over
audiences of 200 to 250 people. also funded by commercial sponsors who 130,000 Facebook followers.
are prepared to accept that there will be
We are a non-profit, so we have to make
no strings attached.
sure we balance our books. This calls for
austerity. Most of our equipment is rented,
or comes with the professionals we hire.
Most of our work is done online, and we
use a tiny office space for meetings and
editing. We plan to relocate to a larger
office in autumn 2017.
The UNESCO Courier • July-September 2017 | 21You can also read
