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“Fake news will remain with us” – this is the view of Ms Ellen Tise, Senior Director of the Library and Information Service of Stellenbosch University (SU), who was sharing her perspective on the role of libraries in the fight against misinformation as part of a UN Library international panel.
In her remarks, Ms Tise stated that fake news seems to flourish when there is a crisis and uncertainty, as with COVID-19. She linked that to other crises that have bred fake news in South Africa, such as HIV/AIDS and xenophobic attacks. She pointed out that during the COVID-19 pandemic, fake news has centred on five areas, namely the origin of the virus, the existence of the virus, why the virus exists, infection rates and who can be infected and miracle “cures”. Ms Tise pointed out that although libraries (or anybody for that matter) cannot eliminate fake news, they can play a role in neutralising its worst effects.
The role of libraries in the fight against fake news has been mainly around creating awareness, providing credible information resources, sensitising library clients to the harmful effects of fake news and empowering people to differentiate fact from fiction. Ms Tise was in the company of three other esteemed panelists from other countries.
According to Mr Thanos Giannakopoulos, Chief Librarian of the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library, the webinar was well received with more than 90 attendees from all over the world.[:af]“Vals nuus is hier om te bly” – dit is die siening van Me Ellen Tise, Senior Direkteur van die Biblioteek- en Inligtingsdiens van Universiteit Stellenbosch, wat haar standpunt oor die rol van biblioteke in die stryd teen vals inligting gedeel het as deel van ’n internasionale paneel van VN biblioteke.
Me Tise het opgemerk dat dit wil voorkom of vals nuus floreer in tye van krisis en onsekerheid, soos in die geval van COVID-19. Sy het verwys na ander krisisse in Suid-Afrika wat ook tot die ontstaan van vals nuus gelei het, soos MIV/Vigs en xenofobiese aanvalle. Sy het daarop gewys dat vals nuus tydens die COVID-19 pandemie op vyf areas gefokus het, naamlik die oorsprong van die virus, die bestaan van die virus, die rede vir die bestaan van die virus, infeksiekoerse en wie besmet kan word en wondergeneesmiddels. Me Tise het daarop gewys dat, alhoewel biblioteke (of enigiemand anders) nie vals nuus kan uitwis nie, hulle wel kan help om die ergste gevolge van vals nuus te neutraliseer. Biblioteke se belangrikste rol in die stryd teen vals nuus lê in bewusmaking, die verskaffing van geloofwaardige inligtingsbronne, om biblioteekgebruikers bewus te maak van die skadelike gevolge van vals nuus en om mense te bemagtig om te kan onderskei tussen feit en fiksie. Me Tise was in die geselskap van drie ander gerekende paneellede van ander lande.
Volgens mnr Thanos Giannakopoulos, hoofbibliotekaris van die VN se Dag Hammarskjöld Biblioteek, is die webinaar goed ontvang met meer as 90 mense wat van reg oor die wêreld ingeskakel het.[:]