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Stephanie Busari: How fake news does real harm
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On April 14, 2014, the terrorist organization Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, Nigeria. Around the world, the crime became epitomized by the slogan #BringBackOurGirls -- but in Nigeria, government officials called the crime a hoax, confusing and delaying efforts to rescue the girls. In this powerful talk, journalist Stephanie Busari points to the Chibok tragedy to explain the deadly danger of fake news and what we can do to stop it.
Stephanie Busari - Journalist
Stephanie Busari is a journalist and editor at CNN International Digital. Full bio
Stephanie Busari is a journalist and editor at CNN International Digital. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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I want to tell you a story about a girl.
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But I can't tell you her real name.
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So let's just call her Hadiza.
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Hadiza is 20.
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She's shy,
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but she has a beautiful smile
that lights up her face.
that lights up her face.
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But she's in constant pain.
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And she will likely be on medication
for the rest of her life.
for the rest of her life.
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Do you want to know why?
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Hadiza is a Chibok girl,
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and on April 14, 2014, she was kidnapped
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by Boko Haram terrorists.
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She managed to escape, though,
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by jumping off the truck
that was carrying the girls.
that was carrying the girls.
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But when she landed,
she broke both her legs,
she broke both her legs,
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and she had to crawl on her tummy
to hide in the bushes.
to hide in the bushes.
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She told me she was terrified
that Boko Haram would come back for her.
that Boko Haram would come back for her.
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She was one of 57 girls who would escape
by jumping off trucks that day.
by jumping off trucks that day.
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This story, quite rightly, caused ripples
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around the world.
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People like Michelle Obama,
Malala and others
Malala and others
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lent their voices in protest,
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and at about the same time --
I was living in London at the time --
I was living in London at the time --
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I was sent from London to Abuja
to cover the World Economic Forum
to cover the World Economic Forum
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that Nigeria was hosting
for the first time.
for the first time.
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But when we arrived, it was clear
that there was only one story in town.
that there was only one story in town.
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We put the government under pressure.
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We asked tough questions
about what they were doing
about what they were doing
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to bring these girls back.
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Understandably,
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they weren't too happy
with our line of questioning,
with our line of questioning,
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and let's just say we received
our fair share of "alternative facts."
our fair share of "alternative facts."
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(Laughter)
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Influential Nigerians
were telling us at the time
were telling us at the time
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that we were naïve,
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we didn't understand
the political situation in Nigeria.
the political situation in Nigeria.
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But they also told us
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that the story of the Chibok girls
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was a hoax.
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Sadly, this hoax narrative has persisted,
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and there are still people
in Nigeria today
in Nigeria today
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who believe that the Chibok girls
were never kidnapped.
were never kidnapped.
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Yet I was talking to people like these --
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devastated parents,
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who told us that on the day
Boko Haram kidnapped their daughters,
Boko Haram kidnapped their daughters,
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they ran into the Sambisa Forest
after the trucks carrying their daughters.
after the trucks carrying their daughters.
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They were armed with machetes,
but they were forced to turn back
but they were forced to turn back
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because Boko Haram had guns.
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For two years, inevitably,
the news agenda moved on,
the news agenda moved on,
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and for two years,
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we didn't hear much
about the Chibok girls.
about the Chibok girls.
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Everyone presumed they were dead.
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But in April last year,
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I was able to obtain this video.
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This is a still from the video
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that Boko Haram filmed as a proof of life,
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and through a source,
I obtained this video.
I obtained this video.
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But before I could publish it,
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I had to travel
to the northeast of Nigeria
to the northeast of Nigeria
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to talk to the parents, to verify it.
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I didn't have to wait
too long for confirmation.
too long for confirmation.
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One of the mothers,
when she watched the video, told me
when she watched the video, told me
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that if she could have reached
into the laptop
into the laptop
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and pulled our her child from the laptop,
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she would have done so.
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For those of you who are parents,
like myself, in the audience,
like myself, in the audience,
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you can only imagine the anguish
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that that mother felt.
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This video would go on to kick-start
negotiation talks with Boko Haram.
negotiation talks with Boko Haram.
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And a Nigerian senator told me
that because of this video
that because of this video
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they entered into those talks,
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because they had long presumed
that the Chibok girls were dead.
that the Chibok girls were dead.
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Twenty-one girls were freed
in October last year.
in October last year.
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Sadly, nearly 200 of them
still remain missing.
still remain missing.
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I must confess that I have not been
a dispassionate observer
a dispassionate observer
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covering this story.
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I am furious when I think
about the wasted opportunities
about the wasted opportunities
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to rescue these girls.
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I am furious when I think about
what the parents have told me,
what the parents have told me,
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that if these were daughters
of the rich and the powerful,
of the rich and the powerful,
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they would have been found much earlier.
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And I am furious
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that the hoax narrative,
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I firmly believe,
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caused a delay;
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it was part of the reason
for the delay in their return.
for the delay in their return.
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This illustrates to me
the deadly danger of fake news.
the deadly danger of fake news.
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So what can we do about it?
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There are some very smart people,
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smart engineers at Google and Facebook,
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who are trying to use technology
to stop the spread of fake news.
to stop the spread of fake news.
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But beyond that, I think
everybody here -- you and I --
everybody here -- you and I --
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we have a role to play in that.
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We are the ones who share the content.
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We are the ones who share
the stories online.
the stories online.
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In this day and age, we're all publishers,
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and we have responsibility.
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In my job as a journalist,
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I check, I verify.
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I trust my gut, but I ask tough questions.
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Why is this person telling me this story?
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What do they have to gain
by sharing this information?
by sharing this information?
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Do they have a hidden agenda?
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I really believe that we must all start
to ask tougher questions
to ask tougher questions
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of information that we discover online.
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Research shows that some of us
don't even read beyond headlines
don't even read beyond headlines
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before we share stories.
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Who here has done that?
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I know I have.
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But what if
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we stopped taking information
that we discover at face value?
that we discover at face value?
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What if we stop to think
about the consequence
about the consequence
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of the information that we pass on
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and its potential to incite
violence or hatred?
violence or hatred?
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What if we stop to think
about the real-life consequences
about the real-life consequences
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of the information that we share?
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Thank you very much for listening.
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06:21
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Stephanie Busari - JournalistStephanie Busari is a journalist and editor at CNN International Digital.
Why you should listen
Stephanie Busari moved to Lagos from London in July 2016 to pioneer CNN's first digital and multimedia bureau. She also reports on-air in breaking news situations for CNN International.
In April 2016 Busari exclusively obtained the "proof of life" video that showed that the missing Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2014 were still alive. She was also an instrumental member of the CNN team that won a Peabody Award in May 2015 for the network's coverage of the missing girls. Busari recently won a Gracie Award for her persistence in covering this story, and she's also a previous recipient of the Outstanding Woman in the Media Awards.
Busari is a passionate community activist who curated TEDxBrixton for three years before she left London. She founded TEDxBrixton in 2013 driven by a desire to bring disparate elements of her community together and to create a platform for those who wouldn't normally have one to share their ideas worth spreading.
A passionate and adept public speaker, Busari is regularly invited to share her insights and host panels. She has spoken at UN Women, Said Business School, Oxford, Africa Gathering among others.
Over a 15-year career, Busari has worked as a news reporter, entertainment and features writer, court reporter and columnist, and she has been published in many of the UK and international media's most influential outlets, such as the BBC and Daily Mirror.
During a six-month stint in Northern Ireland in 2003, Busari spent time in some of the worst affected areas of "The Troubles" and secured interviews with a crucifixion victim, government ministers and paramilitaries. While there, she also launched and edited an award-winning lifestyle column.
A native Yoruba speaker, Busari also speaks fluent French and is currently learning Hausa.
Stephanie Busari | Speaker | TED.com