New digital platforms have unleashed innovative journalistic practises that enable novel forms of communication and greater global reach than at any point in human history. But on the other hand, disinformation and hoaxes that are popularly referred to as “fake news are accelerating and affecting the way individuals interpret daily developments.
Fake news, misinformation, and disinformation can mislead the public. Their spread is amplified by the prevalence of social media and communication technologies. Carefully disguised as the truth, they often involve unverifiable claims which may be hard to dispel by fact-checkers.
Various solutions have been proposed to tackle Fake news on various issues. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to vaccine hesitancy worldwide. According to Tadros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization remarks earlier this year, referring to fake news, he said, fake news spreads faster and more easily than the Covid-19 virus and the world is not just fighting an epidemic; but it is fighting an infodemic.
Last year, Tag a Life International Trust (TaLI), a girls and young women’s rights organization in partnership with Identities Media TV; supported by the Ministry of Information, Public and Broadcasting Services launched the campaign ‘My Freedom of Information – MFoI’.
The initiative was designed to publicize the ‘Freedom of Information law so that citizens, especially women, girls as well as female journalists may begin to enjoy the law and assert their rights to access to information. The campaign is being implemented by TaLI, with support from the Fojo Media Institute (Fojo), International Media Support (IMS), and funding from the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe.
The initiative presents an opportunity for journalists to access correct information and fight fake news that spread widely on social media.
The Freedom of Information Bill came into law replacing the unpopular Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The new Act is meant to provide citizens and media practitioners’ access to information as is provided for by the Constitution Section 62. This new law ensures that any citizen or journalist can approach the public bodies with requests for information.
The law is also meant to protect the rights of journalists. Through this campaign, ordinary citizens will be able to participate in their communities with local leaders, especially in the Zimbabwean context where devolution is progressing. Youths and women must be equipped with the knowledge of this act to be able to participate and assert their rights to information which ultimately enables them to participate in governance and democracy for the betterment of their communities.
Progressive laws such as these also enable women, girls, youths, and all vulnerable groups to participate in democracy, human rights, and accountability as they can easily access information that contributes to the monitoring of usage of public resources.
While the new law is viewed as a huge step in removing the draconian AIPPA which while intended to provide access to information, had an impact on media freedoms and journalistic rights, media regulation, and protection of privacy or information; women and girls always fail to have access to such information. They often do not know how to use such developments to the advancement of their rights.
Speaking on the signing of the new law, the government through the Minister of information Honorable Monica Mutsvangwa in her speech acknowledged the need for mandatory designation of Information Officers in all public and private entities that shall be responsible for handling information requests and disclosure of information to the public.
Also, it is celebrated that the new law provides for the obligation on entities to have a written information disclosure policy. The law also provides for the provision of information in a language requested by the applicant. These practical provisions if well-resourced and are made known to the citizens and journalists will ensure that citizens enjoy their constitutional freedoms and rights to information, as well as freedom of expression.
Human rights activists and lobby groups such as MISA Zimbabwe who were at the forefront of advocating for this new law believe that the freedom of information act is a progressive one in advancing the rights of women and girls. Gender Media Connect, a media group that supports women’s access to media and information has been at the forefront together with others championing this law.
Minister Mutsvangwa in her comment during the Identities Media TV recording of the High-Level Dialogue held last year, on 22nd of July 2021 encouraged citizens and journalists to utilize the law and be positive about the government initiatives to repeal the infamous AIPPA and said citizens; especially women, girls and youths, must put the law to the test.
