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False information, rumors and fabricated news have been spreading like wildfire in social media since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. Cambodia has not been immune to this “infodemic”, which consists of an excess of information related to the virus flooding the internet and therefore, making it difficult for the public to access the right information that they need to stay healthy and safe. Often, disinformation has led to discrimination and mistrust among the public at a time where solidarity and collaboration are more needed than ever. In this context, independent media has struggled to retain the people’s trust while countering disinformation through accurate, factual and reliable reporting.

UNESCO in Cambodia has taken the fight against disinformation to the battleground where the rumors and false information spread the fastest and without control: social media. UNESCO Phnom Penh office has partnered with young Cambodian singers and celebrities, journalists and artists to build the public’s resilience to disinformation, strengthen the media’s capacity to counter false information through their reporting, and to promote social cohesion and solidarity among the people. In 5 months, UNESCO’s work has reached over 8 million views and interactions in social media.

In June 2020, Cambodia became the first country in the Asia-Pacific joining UNESCO’s global campaign , through which Cambodian social media users have learned how to access the right information and discard false and fabricated news about Covid-19, through the tips and advice promoted by their idols. The top selling band, Small World Small Band, reminded their followers that “Not all information you find on the internet is true. Only trust reports that have been confirmed by multiple sources or that come from reputable health experts”. Suzanna Reth, with hundreds of thousands of followers in Facebook, warned her fans of the dangers of sharing information that is not true: “If it is not from an official source or a reputable fact checked media house, it is not trustworthy, do not share it”.  Other celebrities that joined the campaign include the singer and model Shin Yubin and the indie music singer, Sin Setsochhata.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also triggered episodes of discrimination. The singer, Chet Kanhchna  sent this powerful video-message to her followers: “According to science, the virus does not care about the color of your skin, your gender, your social class, or anything else. So, let’s stop listening to stereotype-based fake news and standup against discrimination”.

Chet Kanhchna’s message echoed strongly among Cambodians and the artists duo that form Bassac Studio, put her words into an art mural which they painted at UNESCO’s iconic villa in the centre of Phnom Penh. The chalk art mural features a graffiti style interpretation of a dandelion and a combination of words (in both Khmer and English) and symbols. Words have been selected to represent both the challenges, and positive actions or behaviors. The underlying idea behind the dandelion is the fragility of life and the spread of the virus through the air. The round shape and the seeds of the flower are also expressed as two parts of the campaign acronym symbol, which combined with the heart shape icon to create the ‘Open Your Heart’ campaign theme. In words of the artists from Bassac Studio, “it is hoped that the simple and easily copied letters and icons of the logo will allow for easy interactive community engagement. With the impermanence of the chalk, we also hope that the unfortunate negative social effects of COVID-19 will be washed away and be gone with the conclusion of the monsoon rains.”

In the last few weeks, local restaurants and cafes joined the campaign and replicated the “Open Your Heart” mural in their businesses across Cambodia’s capital city.

Journalists joined the Open Your Heart movement, covering the campaign in more than 30 news reports in print and broadcast media in both English and Khmer. On the International Day for Tolerance, reporters from the leading media houses in Cambodia joined a collective mural painting at UNESCO office’s garden.

Reporters and media houses are among the frontline workers that have been protecting the life of citizens, through their reporting on the pandemic. 91�鶹������Ʒ���� supported Cambodian media through online capacity building, providing guidelines for their safety during the pandemic, and translating into Khmer language critical tools to enhance their reporting, such as the publication . The 500 copies printed by UNESCO fell short to meet the demand from Journalism training institutions, media houses, journalists ‘associations and government departments that wanted to use the book to improve their reporting and Media and Information Literacy skills to counter disinformation. 300 additional copies of the book were printed out and disseminated to local actors to aid them in addressing the “infodemic” and build further their capacities.

Promoting access to truthful and timely information, supporting independent journalism and journalism education and building the capacities of the public to consume and share media content critically, are at the core of UNESCO’s mandate and work globally. In the current context of the Covid-19 crisis, this endeavor is more relevant than ever before, as access to information has become a life or death matter. In Cambodia, in addition to the initiatives mentioned in this article UNESCO is stepping up its efforts to build further the capacities of media professionals and authorities in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring that Freedom of Expression and the Right to Information are safeguarded.

For further information about UNESCO’s response to the Covid-19 Pandemic in Cambodia, check our framework for action