April 2nd is observed as The International Day of Fact Checking, by the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) and its partners since 2017. For the first time in Ethiopia the day is observed with an event at the Sheraton Addis. The occasion aimed to raise awareness about the growing issue of Mis/Disinformation and Hate Speech spreading online. The launch of a new campaign called “Gira-Kegn” coincided with the event, which aims to tackle the problem by bringing together eleven social media influencers with a combined following of up to seven million.
During the event it was disclosed out of 1 million reviewed posts in Ethiopia in three local languages- Amharic, Affan Oromo and Tigrigna, 50,000 fake, 30,000 violence-inciting and 25,000 hate speech contents were found. The survey targeted three social media platforms- Facebook, Telegram and Twitter and employed automated machine learning tools developed by Factify Ethiopia. These alarming figures underscore the need for concerted efforts to address the issue.
On the occasion of the International Day of Fact Checking, a new campaign called “#Gira-Kegn” has been launched to address mis/disinformation and hate speech in Ethiopia. The coordinated campaign brought together eleven social media influencers with a combined follower base of up to seven million.