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Lack of media coverage on Tumaini Initiative gave way to ‘fake news’: activist

Author: Emmanuel J. Akile | Published: August 1, 2024

Dr. Ayak Chol Deng – a member of Civil Society Forum speaks on Eye Radio's Dawn Show. August 1, 2024. (Photo: Awan Moses/Eye Radio).

A civil society activist said the absence of independent media coverage on the Tumaini Initiative has created misinformation and disinformation on the Nairobi peace process.

Eye Radio was covering the Tumaini Initiative from June this year, but due to financial constraints, its team returned to Juba.

While in Nairobi, Eye Radio journalists managed to give timely updates and initiated live broadcast of the views of all the stakeholders in the peace process.

Dr. Ayak Chol Deng – a member of Civil Society Forum – is calling on partners to give financial support to the media to cover the Nairobi peace talks.

She said this will enable the communication of first-hand information to the public about the Tumaini Initiative.

“You are the fourth-state and you are the link between what is happening in the room and track-three everybody else, and so all sort of ownership to ensure credibility and also a degree of accountability,” Ayak said in an interview with Eye Radio’s Dawn Show.

“It is important that media is present and that is why there is a gap, honestly to say, as soon as the Eye Radio team left [from Tumaini Initiative], because the Eye Radio and SSBC were the two remaining media team, there was a gap.”

“The voices of the other delegates especially the stakeholders and the opposition were absent from the media, and that did raise a bit of skepticism, what is happening, why are we not hearing from everybody else as we did when Eye Radio was present.”

“That has also allowed for some of the mushrooming misinformation and disinformation around the [Tumaini] process, I know you have been in contact with colleagues there, but it does make all the difference when you are physically present.”

 

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