{"id":21660,"date":"2025-12-08T18:33:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hirondelle.org\/?p=21660"},"modified":"2025-12-09T11:40:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:40:19","slug":"beyond-messaging-and-debunking-information-integrity-starts-with-local-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hirondelle.org\/en\/beyond-messaging-and-debunking-information-integrity-starts-with-local-journalism","title":{"rendered":"Beyond messaging and debunking: information integrity starts with local journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ahead of the Public Forum in Bonn, Germany, on 10 December 2025 \u2014 organised in partnership with DW Akademie<\/a> and the CDAC Network<\/a> \u2014 Sacha Meuter, Head of Research and Policy, and Jacqueline Dalton, Head of Editorial Content at Fondation Hirondelle, highlight the essential role of local journalism in countering the spread of harmful information in crisis contexts, playing a preventive role ahead of conflicts. Fondation Hirondelle is a Swiss non-profit organization working to ensure that people facing crises have access to reliable, local, independent information. It has been supporting local media and journalists in fragile contexts for over 30 years (since 1995).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, for the second consecutive year, the World Economic Forum\u2019s Global Risks Report<\/a> identified mis-and disinformation as the greatest short-term global threat. Although this framing focuses on short-term consequences and expressions such as \u2018infodemic or \u2018perfect storm\u2019 are frequently used, harmful information is not a passing phenomenon. It reflects a deep-rooted transformation with potentially lasting effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These effects are particularly severe in crisis contexts. As noted by Sarah W. Spencer in an opinion piece for The New Humanitarian<\/em><\/a>, generative AI\u2019s growing accessibility may make it the new \u2018AK-47\u2019 of information warfare, with the potential to change how wars are waged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An epistemic rupture<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Fondation Hirondelle has worked for 30 years in environments heavily affected by harmful information. In our view, the most accurate way to describe the risk we face is as an epistemic rupture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the term may sound abstract, the idea is straightforward. \u2018Epistemic\u2019 refers to the knowledge foundations of a social group. Without shared facts, shared understanding becomes impossible; without shared understanding, societies struggle to come together and respond to common challenges. Maria Ressa expressed this clearly in her Nobel Peace Prize lecture<\/a>: “Without facts, you can\u2019t have truth. Without truth, you can\u2019t have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, no democracy, and it becomes impossible to deal with our world\u2019s existential problems.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see the risk of epistemic rupture emerging along three major fault lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A growing share of the population is drawn into counterfactual narratives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an online conspiracy theory that inspired the“Pizzagate” pizzeria attack<\/a> in the United States to rumours of witchcraft and so-called “penis thieves<\/a>” that have led to assaults in the Central African Republic (CAR) and a lynching in Chad, unfounded narratives can cause real harm.  They tap into deep fears, frustrations, and mistrust in institutions and \u2018elites\u2019. Preventing the spread of false information requires nurturing a culture of truth, providing verified facts that meet everyday needs, creating a more equitable communication dynamic between decision-makers and communities, and addressing structural drivers of tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The capacity for dialogue between those with opposing views is eroding, fueling polarisation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polarisation has always been an effective driver of engagement. Digital platforms\u2014now central to shaping public opinion\u2014are engineered to promote polarising, sensational, or misleading content over balanced reporting. Meanwhile, as civic space shrinks, insecurity grows, and independent journalism comes under pressure<\/a>, it is becoming harder to create safe spaces for pluralistic dialogue1<\/a><\/sup>.[i] Yet this remains essential. Regular audience surveys<\/a> we commission in challenging contexts such as the Sahel and the Central African region show that when constructive, fact-based and respectful dialogue is made possible, audiences respond positively. In these regions, Fondation Hirondelle strengthens the capacity of local media to produce and broadcast inclusive dialogue and debate programmes\u2014offering an alternative to the \u2018barking matches\u2019 dominating social media and the monotony of partisan outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Under-resourced, less-connected populations and speakers of marginalised languages are excluded from producing and accessing information.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The digital divide increasingly stems from affordability rather than infrastructure. In CAR, for example, a 2024 national survey found that only 26% of respondents owned a smartphone, while 86% had access to radio. Hybrid media\u2014accessible both online and through traditional FM\u2014remains essential to ensure no one is left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI, largely trained on dominant languages, is not yet closing this gap. Where AI excludes, underperforms, or misrepresents less dominant languages and cultural contexts, it risks deepening existing inequalities. This makes the role of local media in producing reliable information in multiple national languages even more critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention is better than a cure<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When credible information is absent, rumours quickly fill the vacuum. Research in the Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a> shows that people often share mis- and disinformation not because they trust the sources, but because, in moments of uncertainty, these narratives give people simple explanations to hold onto. The first\u2014and most effective\u2014way to counter harmful information is therefore to provide accessible, reliable, and relevant information, which is why strengthening local journalism is key<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local journalists, rooted in their communities, are best placed to listen, understand daily concerns and produce inclusive, trustworthy content in multiple languages and formats, grounded in ethics, proximity, and inclusivity. Fondation Hirondelle\u2019s experience in the Sahel and Central Africa demonstrates that such preventive investment<\/a>\u2014complemented by media and information literacy\u2014helps restore trust, reduce the impact of rumours and strengthen information integrity2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What humanitarian actors can do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n