MultiChoice partners UN to fight fake news
MultiChoice Talent Factory has produced seven short films aimed at combating COVID-19 misinformation.
The films which are part of the United Nations’ Pause campaign were made by the 2020 cohort of the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy.
The project saw young African filmmakers drawn from Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe collaborate to tackle one of the biggest challenges of our time.
By using mostly, humour and slang the creatives worked hard to deliver vital and punchy lifesaving messages that appeal to local viewers.
The short films will air on MultiChoice channels between December 9 and 31, 2020.
“We recognise the transformative power of media and the critical role we play to educate audiences about the dangers of misinformation through these short films, which have enabled us to share hyperlocal information with our audiences,” says Group Executive: Corporate Affairs, MultiChoice Group, Jabavu Heshu.
The Pause campaign is part of Verified, an initiative launched in May by the United Nations to communicate accessible science-backed health information in compelling formats and sharing stories of global solidarity around COVID-19.
It is the first global behaviour change campaign on misinformation to mobilise experts and researchers, governments, influencers, civil society, businesses, regulators and the media under a single message. It is aimed at increasing media literacy to enable social media users to spot misinformation and stop themselves from passing it on.
The campaign is based on research that indicates that a brief pause significantly lessens the inclination to share shocking or emotive material thereby slowing the spread of misinformation. It aims to reach a global audience of one billion globally, online and through partnerships, by the end of December.
“We cannot successfully tackle the pandemic without also addressing online misinformation. We’re thrilled to be working with the talented young African filmmakers at the MultiChoice Talent Factory, who have brought such creativity and passion to this project,” said Senior Adviser for Global Communications at the United Nations, Robert Skinner. “We hope young people across Africa will see themselves in these films and take action to help break the chain of misinformation by pausing before they share.”
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