The existence of trustworthy, independent media is vital to provide verified facts, counter rumours and ensure informed public discourse.
Journalism makes it possible to distinguish between a fact and a lie, particularly in fragile situations where disinformation is often the first weapon to be deployed.
Fondation Hirondelle is committed to defending the integrity of information through implementing the fundamental principles of journalism. We take a twofold approach: stick to the facts and build trust. To ensure that information is reliable, we ensure that our media have complete editorial independence, rigorously check sources, and react quickly in order to process information in the field and prevent rumours from filling the gaps. We insist on a clear and balanced presentation of facts to guard against any confusion between news and opinion, while providing journalists with appropriate training (on the basic principles and techniques of journalism, and on new debunking and fact-checking tools) to help them meet the challenges of disinformation.
At the same time, we concentrate on building trust with our audiences and the beneficiaries of our projects by taking a local and inclusive approach. Our media programmes and partners make the effort to speak to people in their language, to cover subjects that are relevant to them, and to maintain complete transparency concerning their practices and funding. We implement inclusive dialogue initiatives and monitoring tools to identify and counter sources of disinformation. In addition, we engage in media education to enable citizens, including those in the most difficult and fragile situations, to develop a critical approach to the news they consume. Through these efforts, we aim to strengthen communities’ resilience to disinformation and to foster public discourse based on verified and reliable facts.
Examples of media projects
Mali
Created and implemented by Fondation Hirondelle, Studio Tamani in Mali has become a key actor in the fight against disinformation in the country. Through its team of Malian journalists and its unique network of correspondents located throughout the country, every day Studio Tamani provides more than 3 million people with fact-checked news in the Sahel, where disinformation can have a particularly destabilising influence. The project uses a range of media formats, from in-depth reports to public debates, to counter rumours and promote a clear understanding of the issues at stake. At the same time, Studio Tamani trains local journalists to improve their ability to process information in a rigorous and objective fashion. Through these actions, Studio Tamani plays a key role in ensuring informed public discourse and promoting reliable news in Mali. Learn more about the project
Central African Republic
Created and supported by Fondation Hirondelle, Radio Ndeke Luka, the media outlet with the largest audience in the Central African Republic, plays a key role in countering the mis- and disinformation that threatens the country’s social cohesion and stability. By broadcasting reliable, accessible and fact-checked news, Radio Ndeke Luka provides a vital alternative to the rumours and distortion spread by numerous sources both inside and outside the country. The project also focuses on media education, helping the public to better understand and decipher the news they consume. Radio Ndeke Luka runs local awareness-raising initiatives in towns and villages in the field linked to programmes broadcast by the station. In this way, the station helps strengthen communities’ resilience to disinformation while fostering fact-based public discourse. Learn more about the project
Ukraine
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022, Fondation Hirondelle’s project in Ukraine has been supporting regional, or hyperlocal, media located near the front line. Our partners in the country (the Institute for Regional Press and Information, or IRMI, and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, or NUJU) help us to offer direct support that closely meets the needs of the media. In this way, we hope to guarantee the reliable local coverage that is necessary to counter the sea of fake news generated in wartime. At the same time, in collaboration with our online platform Justice Info, we are training Ukrainian journalists in war crime coverage. With this training, they are able to produce rigorous content on war crime trials and thereby contribute to transparency and responsibility while fighting disinformation, which can cloud public perception of the role of justice.
Learn more about the project
REFERENCE Documents
Fondation Hirondelle holds regular discussions with its teams of journalists and media partners in the field, and with disinformation research and monitoring organisations. We have written a policy paper summarising our approach and our recommendations for stakeholders.
Read our policy paper: “Sticking to the facts, building trust: Our cure for disinformation”
Mediation: “A reality check for journalism”
Mediation: “Informing in the Era of Social Media”
Mediation: “Media at the Service of Education”
Mediation: “Medias and democracy”