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Unmasking Misinformation: Journalist’s Quest for Verified Truth (International Edition)

The Journalists as Fact Checkers workshop, organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Africa for the Womentorship Champions, recently, was an unexpected catalyst for my growth as a female human rights defender. It effortlessly merged with my duties as both a journalist and an advocate, highlighting how journalism serves as a crucial act of service against misinformation. In Zimbabwe, where confirming straightforward facts such as fatality counts from road accidents can be difficult because of restricted access to data, fact-checking goes beyond being just part of one’s job; it transforms into a nuanced but important mode of defiance. One powerful takeaway was learning about “lateral reading,” which pushed me to go deeper than just skimming content and succumbing to click temptations. This change in mindset has provided me with a persistent critical outlook, examining each headline through the meticulous gaze of an investigator. Rather than taking information at ...
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PTA Clarifies: X Disruption (Formerly Twitter) Unrelated to Local Internet Filtering – International Edition

Islamabad, May 25 – According to official statements from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the recent unavailability of the social media site X (previously known as Twitter) is not caused by any localized internet blocking, filtering measures, or governmental restrictions within the country. Rather, this service interruption is linked to a widespread global technical problem impacting several nations around the world.

Following extensive complaints from Pakistani users who could not access X, PTA released this statement. The platform has faced sporadic service disruptions since May 22, including a major incident on that same day that persisted for several hours until the service resumed without intervention.

The authorities additionally affirmed that a technical inquiry verified there are no issues with Pakistan’s internet entry points, and all other web services throughout the nation are functioning as usual. Evidence suggests that neither throttling nor blocking of X has been imposed by Pakistani Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

The international internet watchdog group NetBlocks similarly endorsed PTA's evaluation, noting that the disruption on X is not confined to one nation and has impacted users across multiple areas globally.

At the same time, many users in Pakistan experienced difficulties when trying to access the platform. According to DownDetector, which tracks service disruptions in real-time, there were 372 reports of X being inaccessible from within Pakistan by 5:36 PM.

PTA stressed that they are keeping a close watch on the circumstances and will offer prompt notifications to everyone should any major changes take place.

This clarification arises amid increased sensitivity regarding social media accessibility in the nation, where platforms such as X have sometimes faced disruptions owing to security or political issues. Nonetheless, the PTA emphasized that this particular event should not be associated with any similar domestic actions.

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