Tikaram, a person with visual disability and a local journalist from Rupandehi in the Lumbini Province, too, was ensnared by the 'infodemic'.
I had forwarded news without verifying, contributing to the issue of misinformation in the online space.
Despite being a journalist, Tikaram was unaware of the sensitivity of the news he was producing and sharing. He noticed that people were easily affected by mis/disinformation, negative news, and hate comments, and they hastily shared such content online. 鈥淔or people with disabilities like us, limited mobility hinders our ability to access accurate information."
Tikaram had identified the gap but the determination to promote Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in his community was fueled after he was chosen as a UNESCO Youth Media Champion for Lumbini Province, alongside eight other champions representing all provinces of Nepal.
Being a UNESCO Youth Media Champion, Tikaram received the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle these issues.
After a month-long mentorship and attending several MIL-focused workshops, Tikaram was prepared to disseminate his knowledge about mis/disinformation and hate speech within his community. He organized two workshops鈥攐ne for women and another for people with disabilities. These workshops aimed to impart MIL competencies, covering skills such as accessing, analyzing, and creating media content, ethical use of information, critical thinking, fact-checking, and informed decision-making in digital media.
鈥淲e barely knew the terms mis/disinformation, fact-checking, and online privacy. Now, I will only consume and share information after fact-checking with credible sources and advise others to do the same,鈥 said a participant, applauding the nature of the workshop led by Tikaram, which was a 鈥榝irst of its kind鈥 in his community.
Tikaram, along with fellow participants with disabilities, perceives a huge accessibility gap for them to access online information. These workshops are hopes for youths like Tikaram to address the challenges faced by people with disabilities in accessing credible information online. Through this network, they can raise voices for digital inclusion and collaborate to combat the 鈥榠nfodemic鈥.
Today, Tikaram is an example for his community as he is actively involved in educating his peers about MIL. He initiates discussions on mis/disinformation in various forums, including disability rights movement programs, youth, and student groups, and even during media reporting, ensuring that 鈥楴o One is Left Behind鈥 in these interventions.
"I want to reach every community in Rupandehi and enable them to 鈥'," says Tikaram, who takes pride in being a UNESCO Youth Media Champion.
