Sunday, December 20, 2020
ADISI Cameroun trains journalists and Civil society organizations on Digital Security tools and Data protection
Friday, December 18, 2020
Combatting hate speech, fake news: Yaoundé Bike Riders Pledge Full Commitment
Monday, November 23, 2020
Cohort 3 AFF Fellows- DefyHateNow Set To Move Out of Comfort Zones
Monday, November 2, 2020
Digital Right: Commentary-How your social media appearance can affect your employment
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Tanzanian government stifles the rights Tanzanians by blocking social Media sites on election eve
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Social media and the spread of gruesome images
Gruesome images since the wake of violence due to the ongoing war in Cameroon has been displayed on several platforms. While some share for sensitization and awareness, others are doing so to show their might. What burns more is that someone would package these photographs together and that others would share them. Sure, some images are taken by professional journalists on the job, but most disturbing are the amateur snapshots taken by unprofessionals. Trying to horrify us? Not cool. Demoralize us? Done. Perpetuate cruelty? Not okay! Whatever the intention for sharing, we must all know the implications it has on the brain of the viewers.
Social media users must understand the implication and effects of the images they share online asking questions like what about a particular image makes it ripe for sharing? People who are not professional journalists upload much of gruesome content. It’s unmediated and free to stream across the internet. A major problem arises when these images jump outside their original context. Not only does that practice open the door to resharing false information, but it transports graphic material that had a specific purpose: to energize, enrage, or educate a particular community.
The case of Kumba on the 24th of October is a glaring understanding of this context. We have seen horrible images of school children being killed in schools shared online with these kids lying in their own pull of blood. These images were captured and shared without taking into consideration the effects on the family and other surfers now and in decades to come. The sharing of such images poses so much psychological distress and trauma.
It's time for social media platforms to review their community standards and check if the content spread on this particular issue feeds within the eligibility criteria of their content liberty fronts. But we should avoid scapegoating the big platforms. All of them (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Snapchat) are signed up to the European Commission’s #NoPlace4Hate programme. They are committed to removing illegal hateful content within 24 hours, a time period which is likely to come down to just one hour.
Aside from anything else, they are aware of the reputational risks of being associated with terrorism and other harmful content (such as pornography, suicide, paedophilia) and are increasingly devoting considerable resources to removing it. Within 24 hours of the Christchurch attack, Facebook had banned 1.5m versions of the attack video of which 1.2m it stopped from being uploaded at all.
Monitoring hateful content is always difficult and even the most advanced systems accidentally miss some. But during terrorist attacks the big platforms face particularly significant challenges. As research has shown, terrorist attacks precipitate huge spikes in online hate, overrunning platforms’ reporting systems. Lots of the people who upload and share this content also know how to deceive the platforms and get round their existing checks.
Indeed it isn't any bad thing to show solidarity with the affected families but looking beyond the now to see that in the future these memories are not revisited just by a click on the internet with painful images will go a long way to downplay the horrible effects on their brain and mental health as a whole.
Pedmia Shatu Tita
Monday, October 12, 2020
Conflict Sensitive Journalism is not a technique, it is a philosophy and should provide a counter narrative in conflict reporting Eugene Nforngwa of AKPC tells Journalists at a Media4Peace training
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Center for International development and training funds GIDICom's activities to fight Covid
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Department of Communication and Development studies at UBa benefits #COVID19 kits from UW-CIDT
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Over 200 sickle cell children in Bamenda benefit anti-covid kits from CIDT
As the world witnesses a rise in the number of confirmed cases owed to #COVID19, governments, organizations, individuals are doing all it takes to help curb the spread of the virus. Over the weekend, over 200 sickle cell children and by extension 1500 persons in their respective homes in Bamenda and Santa received face masks, soap, tap buckets, la Croix, and medications/First Aid that will last them for a period of 3months from the University of Wolverhampton Center for International Development and Training (UW-CIDT).
The UW-CIDT project lead for COVID-19 response in the Northwest and South west Region, Rosaline Akah Obah during the maiden distribution excercise with the sickle cell children on Saturday July 25, 2020 in Bamenda indicated that the gesture to this particular target group is intended to give a sense of belonging to minority groups. "I realized that, this special group of persons needed more attention in addition to their health condition. After a thorough research, I found the Association of Sickle Cell Persons in Cameroon led by Mrs Agwetang Evelyn".
She furthered that association has been doing a lot to improve on the health conditions of the children for many years today and the challenges compounded with the advent of Covid-19.
Accompanying the project Lead for the Northwest and Southwest Region was the Executive Director of Global Initiative for Digital inclusion and Communication Miss Pedmia Shatu Tita who cautioned the beneficiaries on the need to verify information that they receive on the social media with primary sources and not take any claim about the virus for gospel truth. She surged them all to respect basic hygiene measures like washing of hands regularly with running water and soap, wearing of masks, keeping social distancing, avoid close contact with infected people and if they feel unwell, they should contact the toll free number.
It should be noted that the university of Wolverhampton through their Centre for International Development and training will in the days ahead, involve 10 radio stations 5 in the NW and 5 in the SW in a COVID-19 response project 4 3 months.
Pedmia Shatu Tita
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
African Vaccination Week relaunched in the Northwest Region to emphasize the role of vaccines in Children
The launch began Tuesday July 14th at the Regional Delegation of public Health with a press briefing with some journalist of local radio stations and bloggers. During the presentations, the Coordinator of the Regional Technical Group for the Expanded Program on Immunization, Dr. Chebo Cornelius indicated that African Vaccination Week is celebrated in the last week of April (24 to 30 April) with aim to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. He furthered that the relaunch is coming at a time when the sociopolitical crisis and the global health crisis is at the center of affairs. He however surged media practitioners to be able to craft out messages encouraging mothers to get their kids vaccinated, introduce them to the new vaccination calendar which no longer ends at 9months but at 15months.
It should be noted that Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Yet, there are still nearly 20 million children in the world today who are not getting the vaccines they need, revelations made by the Focal person for Communication of the Regional Delegation of Public health, Mr. Raoul Saho.
The theme this year is #VaccinesWork for All and the campaign will focus on how vaccines and the people who develop, deliver and receive them are heroes by working to protect the health of everyone, everywhere.
The main goal of the campaign is to urge greater engagement around immunization globally and the importance of vaccination in improving health and wellbeing of everyone, everywhere throughout life.
As part of the 2020 campaign, WHO and partners aim to:
Demonstrate the value of vaccines for the health of children, communities and the world.
Show how routine immunization is the foundation for strong, resilient health systems and universal health coverage.
Highlight the need to build on immunization progress while addressing gaps, including through increased investment in vaccines and immunization.
Given that WHO has designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, WHO will highlight nurses and midwives for their crucial role as early vaccine champions for new parents and parents-to-be.
Just as Cameroon has been declared polio free, Dr. Chebo thinks that if journalists play their role in strategic and proper communication, other diseases common to children like miseales and rubella can be minimized.
Journalists and bloggers left pledging to raise awareness on routine vaccinations at all stages of growth for children.
Pedmia Shatu Tita
COVID19 Updates: Northwest Regional Delegate of public health stresses on anti-covid measures as confirmed cases rise to 610
#COVID19 has and still remains a global health threat to the world at large.
Below is an update on #COVID19 Epidemiological situation as of the 13th of July.
So far, the Region has registered 610 confirmed cases, 159 people currently tested positive (33 being linked to treatment and 126 on treatment), 390 have recovered, 61 people have died.
The Regional Delegate of Public health for the Northwest Region (COVID-19 pandemic Incident Manager for the North West Region) Dr. Kingsley Che Soh continues to appeal to the population to respect all anti-covid measures.
Pedmia Shatu Tita