Inaccurate media reports are hardly limited to Africa, but there’s a greater chance of international newspapers getting things wrong – and not admitting so – when it comes to the continent, Seay said.
“When most western outlets have just two or three people covering a continent of 11 million square miles, it very easy to make mistakes, even unintentionally. It’s a recipe for disaster in terms of quality of coverage.”
Around half of Africa Check’s investigations are triggered by readers wanting to know anything from the veracity of claims made by pop stars to supposed disease-busting local herbs. Operating out of Lagos and Johannesburg, the not-for-profit organisation funded by grants and individual donations has a team of five full-timers working alongside volunteers and freelancers, and hopes to expand to Kenya and Senegal next.
Anton Harber, a highly-regarded South African former investigative journalist and co-founder of the project, explained its ultimate aim. “I imagine a situation in which every public figure and journalist feels nervous about what they say or write because Africa Check might just catch them out.”
Get your Africa facts right: websites seek to stem flow of misinformation | World news | The Guardian
September 30, 2014
Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, misinformation, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Responsible Journalism, West Africa Leave a comment
′Deadliest year′ for migrants crossing the Mediterranean: IOM | News | DW.DE | 29.09.2014
September 30, 2014
Uncategorized Africa, Gambia, Illegal Migrants, Migrant deaths, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
′Deadliest year′ for migrants crossing the Mediterranean: IOM | News | DW.DE | 29.09.2014.
More than 3,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. A report has been released showing more than 40,000 migrant deaths since 2000.
Hundreds feared dead as boat sinks off Libya – Middle East – Al Jazeera English
September 30, 2014
Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Illegal Migrants, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey 1 Comment
Hundreds feared dead as boat sinks off Libya – Middle East – Al Jazeera English.
A boat filled with up to 250 migrants heading for Europe has sunk off the Libyan coast and many passengers have died, a spokesman for the Libyan navy has said.
Only 36 people, including three women, have been rescued after the boat sunk near Tajoura, east of the capital Tripoli, said navy spokesman Ayub Qassem.
“There are so many dead bodies floating in the sea,” Qassem told the Reuters news agency, adding that the under-equipped coastguard had few resources to search for survivors.
Migrants have been streaming out of Libya in boats in rising numbers for years, on their way to Europe.
So far in 2014, more than 100,000 have reached Italy’s shores, the Italian government said this week…
How ISIS Works – NYTimes.com
September 17, 2014
Uncategorized Conflict, International Security, ISIS, Middle East, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has a detailed structure that encompasses many functions and jurisdictions, according to ISIS documents seized by Iraqi forces and seen by American officials and Hashim Alhashimi, an Iraqi researcher. Many of its leaders are former officers from Saddam Hussein’s long-disbanded army who augmented their military training with terrorist techniques during years of fighting American troops…
Five Hidden Risks of U.S. Action Against the Islamic State – Syria in Crisis – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
September 13, 2014
Uncategorized Conflict, International Security, ISIS, Middle East, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Syria, USA Leave a comment
U.S. President Barack Obama’s four-pronged strategy of air strikes, support to local proxies, defense against the Islamic State’s attacks through intelligence and counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance leaves many unanswered questions. It’s hardly a clear articulation of the sort of long-term, holistic strategy needed to deny the Islamic State the fertile ground it needs to thrive. The approach is fraught with trade-offs, risks, and hidden costs that need to be addressed.
ISS Africa | THINK AGAIN: In defence of the African Union
September 10, 2014
African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
ISS Africa | THINK AGAIN: In defence of the African Union.
The African Union (AU) gets a lot of flak. Critics often argue that it is slow to respond to security threats; that it prioritises power over justice; and that it fails to adequately represent the needs of this continent’s 1,11 billion citizens.
The continental organisation is often dismissed as a talk shop for tyrants, or depicted as an ineffectual, lumbering bureaucracy that worries more about per diems than it does about Africa’s most pressing political problems.
There is merit to some of these critiques. But they don’t tell the whole story, and they leave out the good bits. It is time to give credit where credit is due, and to recognise that – as imperfect as it may be – Africa is in much better shape with the AU than without it…
Ebola: Misinformation can spread like virus
September 8, 2014
Uncategorized Africa, Ebola, epidemic, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research Leave a comment
Ebola: Misinformation can spread like virus.
Much of the reporting around ebola is rife with rumours and misconceptions. In my experience, there seem to be three main popular misconceptions around the viral outbreak.The first is that it is easy to contract ebola. Due to the gruesome nature in which the virus manifests itself in humans, people are understandably terrified of contracting ebola. Anecdotes abound about how people are scared of being on an airplane in the same confined space as anyone travelling from West Africa. However, ebola is not airborne and cannot be contracted by simply sitting beside someone and breathing the same air. Concern Worldwide have dedicated staff on the ground in both Sierra Leone and Liberia, none of whom have contracted the virus or come even close….
Ebola: Eight facts about American perception and West African reality – The Washington Post
September 8, 2014
Articles on Africa Africa, Ebola, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
Ebola: Eight facts about American perception and West African reality – The Washington Post.
The Washington Post’s Todd C. Frankel writes about what it takes to leave some West African airports: a normal temperature. The cold calculation of health is many travelers’ ticket out of the Ebola-ravaged region
Here’s more about the epidemic, our perception of Ebola in the United States and the reality abroad:
1. The current Ebola epidemic has claimed more lives than all previous Ebola outbreaks combined.
As of last week, the number of suspected deaths (1,552) surpassed the number of confirmed deaths (1,548) from every outbreak since the disease was discovered in 1976, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Peter "Just Loves Flying" 
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