The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA, in collaboration with local media actors -SINJOTECS, AMPROCS, RENARC and OJGB, is convening a media forum on the theme: “Media, Mis/Disinformation and Democratic Consolidation in Guinea Bissau”. The event forms part of activities under the Media Freedom project being implemented by the MFWA, and the local media actors in the country.
The forum is expected to bring together about 100 participants, including experts in governance, communication, law, civil society, public institutions, political parties, religious groups, journalists, and the diplomatic community. Participants will reflect on current challenges of mis/disinformation in Guinea Bissau and share solutions, and strengthen the media’s capacity to play a positive role in promoting peace and democracy. As part of the forum, there will be a panel discussion that will help to throw into focus, the underlying issues, that drive the phenomena of mis/disinformation so they can be discussed and explored.
The forum will also serve as the official closing ceremony for the Media Freedom project titled “Promoting Media Freedom and Access to Quality Information” which was implemented with funding from the European Union. The three-year project which was launched on July 15, 2022, was aimed at ensuring that journalists and other media actors in Guinea Bissau are safe and secure, and produce ethically-appropriate, timely, and fact-based journalistic content that fosters peaceful co-existence and enables public access to quality information in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Throughout the project, several key activities were carried out, including enhancing the capacities of 130 state and media actors on human rights issues, press freedom, freedom of expression and digital rights. 50 leaders of the key media actors – Sindicato dos Jornalistas e Técnicos de Comunicação Social (SINJOTECS), Rede Nacional das Rádios e Televisões Comunitárias (RENARC), Associação das Mulheres Profissionais da Comunicação Social (AMPROCS), and Ordem dos Jornalistas da Guiné-Bissau (OJGB) have had improved understanding and capacity to monitor and document violations of media/freedom of expression rights (including digital rights). To improve their sustainability, each media actor was supported to develop concise institutional policy documents (strategic plans, communication and fundraising plans, personnel and human resource plan).
Additionally, there was the improvement of the capacity of journalists and media organisations to produce fact-based and ethical content to help counter radicalisation and violent extremism; the improvement of relations between the media and state actors, by the development of a Comprehensive National Framework on the Safety of Journalist in Guinea-Bissau which was launched to commemorate the 2024 World Press Freedom Day and a common website was created for the publication of issues related to violations of press freedom and freedom of expression and to report significant developments in the media sector.
The forum on Media, Mis/Disinformation and Democratic Consolidation in Guinea Bissau will be streamed live on Radio Sol Mansi, Radio Capital FM, Radio Jovem as well as the project Facebook timeline https://www.facebook.com/limpgb and X (formerly Twitter) handle @ImprensaNa.
