Journalism in Conflict Zones: Authenticity, Disinformation and Propaganda

For authoritarian-minded leaders, fake news and hate speech have become an excuse to curb dissent or independent reporting. Unfortunately, this is strongly correlated with significant, tragic, real-world consequences, exacerbated by pre-existing tensions, violence and conflict. To date, the Government of Ethiopia’s response to combating the spread of fake news, misinformation, and hate speech has been heavy-handed, with the go-to response being to turn off the internet for the entire country or to enforce an ‘anti-hate speech law’ which carries up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 birr ($3,000) for anyone disseminating hate speech on social media accounts with more than 5,000 followers. This seminar will examine the political weaponization of the fake news label in the regional context of Ethiopia where hate speech is a widely condemned problem.

Speaker: Sara Creta

Sara Creta is a Marie Curie Early-Stage Researcher at the Institute for Future Media and Journalism in the School of Communications at Dublin City University.

Date: 11 November 2021
Time: 15.00-17.00 (CET)
Venue: Aula S. Cristina (just for HC students) and on Microsoft Teams Link: Please click here to access the event

Introduced by: Prof. Pierluigi Musarò
For information: Elena Giacomelli, elena.giacomelli4@unibo.it