Praia, July 22, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde on Tuesday called for joint efforts with Portuguese-speaking African countries and Timor-Leste to update laws and promote digital truth, especially during elections, advocating rapid responses to strengthen the quality and competence of the media.
“We, Portuguese-speaking Africans and Timor-Leste, must make a major investment in our parliaments to change the legal framework and respond to these new phenomena that are transforming traditional media, prompting it to improve its quality and competence,” said Arminda Barros, president of the Regulatory Authority for Media (ARC) of Cabo Verde.
She was speaking in the city of Praia, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Platform of Media Regulatory Authorities (PER), noting that in the campaign for the 1 December 2024 local elections in Cabo Verde, “the candidates benefited from a highly influential disinformation campaign,” which requires a response.
"Many countries have already invested heavily in this area and we will learn from them," she added, noting that "reality changes quickly" but lawmakers take a long time to pass laws.
ARC intends to establish a fact-checking centre this year, in partnership with the University of Cabo Verde (Uni-CV), the Cabo Verde Journalists’ Union (Ajoc), and the country’s media outlets, to promote accurate information.
“In the case of Portugal, the situation is different because there are European Union (EU) regulations and directives that fall within the national framework,” he explained.
The fact-checking centre is intended to be an independent body that promotes media literacy and strengthens accountability in the dissemination of news.
The proposal includes the use of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), developed by the joint office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to ensure quick, accurate responses to disinformation.
“ARC has experience, having collaborated with several institutions during the municipal elections, carrying out a pilot project with very positive results, which we want to consolidate and expand,” she pointed out.
Arminda Barros added that the organisation conducts annual awareness campaigns in schools to promote media literacy.
The PER meeting, which ends on Wednesday, is discussing “democracy, media and digital platforms” and brings together representatives of media regulatory bodies from Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste and Cabo Verde to share experiences and reflect on the challenges faced as democratic communities and regulators of the political media space.
RS/ADB // ADB.
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