It isn’t just that the dark forces are strong, or that the nature of the harms we are seeking to combat and mitigate are multifaceted and globalised in nature. It’s also that the world has changed. To be clear, inequality, the digital divide, issues of mis- and disinformation, hate speech, harassment, polarisation, racism, misogyny and unaccountable power are not new threats to dignity and equality, but the explosion of social media has facilitated, incentivised and monetised all of them, at industrial scale.
If this weren’t bad enough, we are in the early stages of the next societal revolution taking place as a result of the explosion of artificial intelligence. To add to the complexity, these poly-harms come at a time when traditional democratic mechanisms to combat them are declining, faltering and failing.
News media, journalism and public broadcasting historically have acted as a central bulwark, not just to hold the powerful accountable and help people understand what is going on in the world around them, but also, importantly, to frame narratives of societies. The news media, in other words, didn’t tell people what to think but it did serve to tell people what to think about. For all its limitations, and there are many, the editorial decisions, correctly or incorrectly, were made by real people, based on a series of values and assumptions and principles about what they determined people should and could be interested to know.
Currently, news media are facing extinction-level events, where not only have the number of journalists continued to decline, but the quality and diversity of news is being equally hard hit. Fewer journalists are expected to tell more stories in multiple formats with less time. As a consequence, fewer journalists have the time and resources to go and tell stories from communities. Instead, most tend to rely on social media and accessible, curated news events framed by political parties, governments and powerful corporations for their news quotas. The result is less news, more opinion, fewer sources, fewer ideas being challenged and poorer-quality journalism. It’s hardly surprising then that journalists are further distanced from their audiences, with one consequence being that journalists are trusted less by their audiences. With some rogue media in South Africa openly pursuing the agenda of its owner, shamelessly attacking those who it disagrees with, the public have further cause for growing distrust of news media. It only takes a few bad actors, poor journalist decisions, and unethical behaviour to deeply damage the trust and credibility of all media.
At the same time, other democratic institutions are losing credibility. Donald Trump’s authoritarian approach isn’t just dangerous because of its anti-democratic nature; it’s dangerous and demeaning to democracies the world over because he has normalised lying repeatedly, attacking those who call him out instead of facing accountability.
Despite these issues, there are bright lights. There are new possible models of journalism, like the Debrief Network, and world-class investigative journalism that continues to hold the powerful accountable, such as the series on Babita Deokoran, the exposure of State Capture and egregious corruption. The dark forces and the poly-crises of journalism and democracy also offer an opportunity to get back to basics. To help people look for what we have in common. To build on common humanity and values. To remind people that while algorithms structure what we see, and while AI currently will almost certainly make the harms exponentially worse, without clear purposeful intervention there is still space and need for us to avoid climate catastrophe. We can realise a better world. We can realise Steve Biko’s promise: “The great gift still has to come from Africa – giving the world a more human face.”
We at Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) aren’t just up to these challenges; we have spent more than a year carefully analysing all the issues, threats and changes and have come up with a new, focused approach that will enable us to play our part not just in saving our democracy, but our global common humanity.
The truth is that our old name, Media Monitoring Africa, no longer captures the full scope of our work. Over the years, we have grown to be “more than monitoring”. Our work has evolved from purely observing the media to using technology, litigation and public empowerment to actively build a better information ecosystem. Our portfolio had become fragmented, and we needed greater “activity clarity” to deliver on a singular mission. We faced the reality that “if we don’t evolve, we will lose the war and risk our existence”.
This required a significant step-change, and to signify that commitment, we needed a new name that embodies our purpose.
Media Monitoring Africa is now Moxii Africa.
The name Moxii is a derivative of moxie, which is the trait of showing innovation and courage. This courage is what is required to confront unaccountable tech platforms, defend journalists from legal attack, and empower citizens to navigate a flood of lies.
Our Brand Purpose has been clearly defined: To uphold our shared humanity by ensuring accountability, and by providing access to credible, transparent information that empowers all.
Moxii Africa is a steady drumbeat of truth across the continent. We are driven by a clear mission: Striving for an accessible, accountable and transparent information ecosystem we can trust. We will deliver on this by focusing on four key priority areas:
- Ensure Accountability: Holding institutions and those with power accountable when they infringe on values and rights;
- Instil Information Integrity: Ensuring diverse and pluralistic public interest information that is credible, accurate, transparent and reliable;
- Empower the Public: Equipping the public to critically navigate information and make informed decisions; and
- Promote Safety: Working to establish safe, respectful, inclusive spaces that allow people to express themselves freely.
The fight for truth and human rights in the digital age is perhaps the most defining struggle of our time. It requires courage, clarity and innovation. With a clear mission and a new identity, Moxii Africa is ready to meet this moment, ensuring that the next great gift from Africa is a global example of open and trusted information for all. DM