Al Jazeera Balkans and UNESCO team up in the fight against hateful content

Al Jazeera Balkans and UNESCO are working together on the Social Media 4 Peace project implementation in order to actively identify and expose the impact of hate speech, discrimination and fake news in the Western Balkans region. A partnership is formed to encourage transparency in reporting and increase awareness among Balkan youth on the mentioned challenges, as well as to emphasize the role of media advocacy as a means to counter the combined impact of disinformation, hate speech and discrimination.

The objective of the joint venture is to investigate how to fight and find the best approaches and solutions to the problems that have arisen as a result of the increasingly frequent use of social networks for spreading hate speech, discrimination and dissemination of fake news.

“Al Jazeera Balkans, as a trusted and respected news outlet, is recognized as a global player with a local perspective in the Balkans. We are bringing together the region and providing viewers with an in-depth analysis of the stories and people that affect their lives. Our extensive examination and exploration of the context and backstories of the most important topics, together with our mission of ‘giving voice to the voiceless’, is a reason to team up with UNESCO on the project of countering disinformation and hate speech. Our background makes us a natural partner in UNESCO’s project of strengthening the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content spread online”, said Tarik Đođić, Managing Director of Al Jazeera Balkans.

This joint venture will be implemented by the Current Affairs Department of Al Jazeera Balkans, which will produce ten 25-minute debate show episodes aiming to educate the younger population on countering disinformation, discrimination and hate speech while simultaneously focusing on the rights and freedoms of journalists and their role in creating and promoting media literate and tolerant societies. Starting on 17th May, the talk show will be aired weekly and subsequently posted online on social media platforms. 

Siniša Šešum, Head of UNESCO in Bosnia and Herzegovina, explained: “The dominance of social media has increased the speed and reach of disinformation, divisive narratives and hate speech, and their potential to do damage. Together with the EU, we are working on creating new and enlarging existing spaces for collaboration between social media platforms, civil society, and authorities to ensure that potentially harmful content online does not fuel tensions and violence. The combat of hate speech should be equally understood as an individual and social responsibility as the potential impact of hate speech could negatively tackle some of the highest values of humanity such as cultural, ethical and religious diversity, as well as freedom of expression.”

The TV show format was designed as a debate on a designated topic of the presenter with three expert guests and professionals who can provide knowledgeable insight on the challenges of regulation of hateful and discriminatory content and fight against the dissemination of fake news and conspiracy theories on social media platforms. Young people, particularly Balkan youth, the target group of this show, are among the most vulnerable groups when it comes to using social media and dealing with all the associated issues, especially during times of rapid political and economic transition in the Western Balkans. This debate show will teach them how to identify and combat various online threats.

Project Social Media 4 Peace is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Indonesia and Kenya from January 2021. It is aligned with UNESCO’s overall strategy to combat disinformation by fostering the information as a public good and strengthening the transparency of the internet ecosystem. The project will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16, to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies and to the UN Plan of Action on Hate Speech launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez to combat the disturbing online groundswell of xenophobia, racism and intolerance.