UNDP has launched a nation-wide campaign in partnership with LBCI to combat fake news and their negative impact on social cohesion and stability.

Under the title “Count till 10 Before Sharing Unverified News!” the campaign advocates a more rational approach to consuming news – whether economic, political, or medical – and stresses the importance of raising awareness about fake news. “Counting till 10” suggests taking the time to pause and check the authenticity of any news before responding to it or sharing it. This simple act could constitute an important step in stopping the spread of fake news.

Especially during the current covid-19 pandemic, news (and fake news) travel faster and reach more people than ever before thanks to the power of social media. So naturally social media was the first platform UNDP chose for launching the campaign. First, a comic video with social media influencer Farid Hobeiche (FarixTube) was produced to highlight examples of fake news related to Covid-19 (exaggerated numbers of cases, miracle cures) before promoting the message “Count Till 10 Before Sharing Unverified News!” The video had over 27,000 views in less than 18 hours. In parallel, an educational video explaining how fake news are easily believed and spread, and the need to stop them, was also published on the UNDP Lebanon and LBCI Lebanon social media pages.

In addition, a comic WhatsApp voice note was produced to sound like actual voice notes currently being sent “from trusted sources” to promote “exclusive information.” The twist, however, was that the note’s “exclusive information” was “counting to 10” and not believing anything communicated through voice notes.

Finally, a social media sticker “Count till 10 Before Sharing Unverified News!” was created in English and Arabic for users to send in response to fake news they receive.

These messages are the first part of the “Count Till 10 Before Sharing Unverified News!” campaign. The campaign will also include: TV spots produced by Leo Burnett agency that will air on LBCI; a special report on LBCI discussing the subject of fake news with influencers; and an outdoor campaign promoting the campaign’s message.

The “Count Till 10 Before Sharing Unverified News!” campaign is funded by Germany through the development bank KfW.