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Guy Berger

@guyberger.bsky.social

Consultant. Former UNESCO director for free expression and media development. Emeritus professor journalism & media studies, Rhodes University, South Africa. https://commspolicy.africa/

48 Posts361 Follower250 Folgt
Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last mo.

How South Africa hopes to deal with online disinformation in its upcoming local government elections www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

CATERING FOR A CLEAN CONTEST IN SA’s UPCOMING ELECTIONS Since its first democratic poll in 1994, the country of Nelson Mandela has resolved its political differences relatively peacefully. But… | Guy...

CATERING FOR A CLEAN CONTEST IN SA’s UPCOMING ELECTIONS Since its first democratic poll in 1994, the country of Nelson Mandela has resolved its political differences relatively peacefully. But today,...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last mo.

In which I argue that we should talk about "public access journalism" rather than "public interest journalism" www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

For Linked in FIVE THESES ON PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM ONE: Is it tautologous to qualify journalism with the adjectives “public interest”?  I mean, news that’s not in public interest, surely ain’t… |...

For Linked in FIVE THESES ON PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM ONE: Is it tautologous to qualify journalism with the adjectives “public interest”?  I mean, news that’s not in public interest, surely ain’t “j...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Tracing the concerns of Information Integrity back to African journalists in 1991 - and taking inspiration for these new times www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

“RELIABLE INFORMATION IS NOT A LUXURY” Glad to make that pitch for information integrity - in the just-published UNESCO Courier. (link in comments below) My article suggests we revisit the 1991… | Gu...

“RELIABLE INFORMATION IS NOT A LUXURY” Glad to make that pitch for information integrity - in the just-published UNESCO Courier. (link in comments below) My article suggests we revisit the 1991 UNESC...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 2mo ago

My take on the UN Scientific Panel's new AI report: too timid, too diplomatic. Here's why it misses the major issue: the economics of AI www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

WHAT THE UN’S AI PANEL GETS WRONG. I asked Google Gemini about the format of the Panel’s report. It said: “A two-column layout is not advisable for PDFs designed to be read on a computer screen. It… ...

WHAT THE UN’S AI PANEL GETS WRONG. I asked Google Gemini about the format of the Panel’s report. It said: “A two-column layout is not advisable for PDFs designed to be read on a computer screen. It f...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Just out for comment: the African Union's draft Guidelines for Access to Data, covering both private and public sector data holdings. A big advance for the right to information in Africa. achpr.au.int/en/news/pres...

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS: “African Guidelines on Promoting and Harnessing Data Access as a Tool for Advancing Human Rights and Sustainable Development in the Digital Age”

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission), through its special mechanism on freedom of expression and access to information in Africa, is under

achpr.au.int

Karl Bode@karlbode.com · 5mo ago

I don't really feel like the press coverage of the metaverse implosion honestly captures the access tech press' role in propping up Mark Zuckerberg's fake innovation mythology if you go back and read "journalism" from this era, 97% was indistinguishable from advertorial

Headline: "At SXSW, Mark Zuckerberg says metaverse is 'Holy Grail' of social experience"
Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 5mo ago

What to do when big tech don't give access to data showing what content is labelled as AI-generated? I wrote about this opacity in regard to flagging #deepfakes here: www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

#informationintegrity #digitalpolicy #deepfakeresearch | Guy Berger

DEEPFAKES: WHEN PARALYSIS HITS ANALYSIS How are we supposed to understand - and effectively mitigate - deepfakes that pose a danger, without evidence? I investigated this in an Issue Brief for last ...

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Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · 6mo ago

One of the craziest things about Musk-era twitter is that because linking to anything is penalized by the algo, no one uses links and you have NO IDEA where any of the info you see is coming from. It's madness!

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Suggestions to cope with how Agentic AI complicates Data Governance www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

ON DATA GOVERNANCE AND AGENTIC AI This is a topic addressed in the recently published toolkit produced for the 2025 G20, to which I was pleased to be lead writer. (link in comments) The toolkit makes…...

ON DATA GOVERNANCE AND AGENTIC AI This is a topic addressed in the recently published toolkit produced for the 2025 G20, to which I was pleased to be lead writer. (link in comments) The toolkit makes ...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Move slow... and move fast. That's the advice I gave to Election Management Bodies in southern Africa at their AGM this week. Concretely, it means a hardnosed calculation of costs and benefits of AI adoption - and the importance of AI adaptation www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

ELECTIONS: ADOPT AI OR ADAPT TO AI? What’s an African election management body (EMB) to do? You already got to defend your professionalism against political pressures.  And to run your elections on a…...

ELECTIONS: ADOPT AI OR ADAPT TO AI? What’s an African election management body (EMB) to do? You already got to defend your professionalism against political pressures.  And to run your elections on a ...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Tomorrow Tuesday, a webinar on prospects for information as a public good - in the face of Generative AI. Along with the idea of Re-generating AI. Work within the system, or outside of it? We'll debate this as part of the International Panel on Social Progress www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

Generative AI - how does it impact prospects for information as a public good? Generative AI companies aren’t exactly making things don’t look good for the information ecosystem. Courtesy of them… | ...

Generative AI - how does it impact prospects for information as a public good? Generative AI companies aren’t exactly making things don’t look good for the information ecosystem. Courtesy of them, we...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last yr.

"AI systems are reshaping Africa’s relationship with the global economy, determining whether the continent remains locked into extractive relationships or develops genuine technological sovereignty." And journalists are missing this story. www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/...

African media must follow the money and treat AI as a story about power, not tech

AI systems are reshaping Africa’s relationship with the global economy, determining whether the continent remains locked into extractive relationships or develops genuine technological sovereignty.

dailymaverick.co.za

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo@chinasa.bsky.social · last yr.

My new piece, “AI is Not Africa’s Savior: Avoiding Technosolutionism in Digital Development,” is published on @brookings.edu! I reflect on the need to put the lived experiences and needs of African communities over AI hype, which is becoming prominent. www.brookings.edu/articles/ai-...

AI is not Africa’s savior: Avoiding technosolutionism in digital development | Brookings

Chinasa T. Okolo discusses how Africa can ensure AI progress serves the contitnent's broader goals of social and economic empowerment.

brookings.edu

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last yr.

A new policy brief gives a little-heard perspective on AI. Informed by African interests in the 2025 processes of the G20, the authors signal potent connections and problems within the international AI tech stack www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

A new policy brief gives a little-heard perspective on AI. | Guy Berger

A new policy brief gives a little-heard perspective on AI. Informed by African interests in the 2025 processes of the G20, the authors signal potent connections and problems within the international A...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last yr.

Africa's Continental AI Strategy now has an implementation plan. The African Alliance for Access to Data (I'm convenor), urges the plan to reference: the relevance of Right to Information systems, Open Science & work towards Guidelines on access to data. dataalliance.africa/alliance-hig...

Alliance highlights data access as key for implementing the AU’s Continental AI Strategy - African Alliance for Access to Data

Data access is a critical component for implementing the African Union's Continental AI Strategy. To realise this point, tpecific text can be added to the implementation plan for the Strategy

dataalliance.africa

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last yr.

Four categories of human rights are recognised by the African Union's draft study of AI, making for unique reading. But missing is access to data as part of the right to information as concerns digital dynamics. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has published its… | Guy Berger

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has published its Draft Study on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and Other New and Emerging Technologies in Af...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last yr.

Just published this co-authored report "Data deficits and democratic processes: The under-explored role of data in African elections". Find link and a summary of key points at www.linkedin.com/posts/guy-be...

*A new report gives insight into data and African… | Guy Berger

*A new report gives insight into data and African elections* Digitalisation in Africa is very uneven, and the datafication of democratic processes follows the same pattern. This is the picture emergin...

linkedin.com

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · last yr.

The African Union notes "with deep concern the recent regress by technology companies with regard to information integrity ..." & calls for "developing guidelines to ensure a public interest element for all platforms operating in Africa" achpr.au.int/en/adopted-r... achpr.au.int/en/adopted-r...

Resolution on developing Guidelines to assist States monitor technology companies in respect of their duty to maintain information integrity through independent fact checking - ACHPR/Res.630 (LXXXII) ...

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) meeting at its 82nd Ordinary Session, held virtually from 25 February to 11 March 2025:

achpr.au.int

Guy Berger@guyberger.bsky.social · 2y ago

Lots to do with data! This research uncovers where African elections are heading in terms of stakeholder use of data. Which group will get on top of the game first - Electoral commissions, political parties, researchers, FIMI actors? researchictafrica.net/2025/01/23/f...

Forthcoming report on data policy systems for democratic processes

Forthcoming research for the Advancing the Governance of Data for Development in Africa project shows five challenges regarding data access in African elections. Selected findings were shared in Decem...

researchictafrica.net