How fake news does real harm | Stephanie Busari

譯者: Candice Su 審譯者: Yanyan Hong

I want to tell you a story about a girl.

我想和你們分享一個女孩的故事，

But I can't tell you her real name.

但我不能說出她的真名，

So let's just call her Hadiza.

所以我們暫且稱她為哈狄札。

Hadiza is 20.

她今年 20 歲，

She's shy,

她很害羞，

but she has a beautiful smile that lights up her face.

她的笑容看起來很美麗，

But she's in constant pain.

但她卻身在痛苦中，

And she will likely be on medication for the rest of her life.

而且她可能終生都需要藥物治療。

Do you want to know why?

你知道為什麼嗎？

Hadiza is a Chibok girl,

哈狄札來自奇博克，

and on April 14, 2014, she was kidnapped

2014 年 4 月 14 日，

她被博科聖地恐怖分子綁架。

by Boko Haram terrorists.

She managed to escape, though,

她試圖要逃跑，

by jumping off the truck that was carrying the girls.

她從載滿女孩的卡車上跳下，

But when she landed, she broke both her legs,

但在著地時摔斷了雙腿，

and she had to crawl on her tummy to hide in the bushes.

她得爬進草叢裡躲起來。

She told me she was terrified that Boko Haram would come back for her.

她非常害怕恐怖份子會再度找上她，

She was one of 57 girls who would escape by jumping off trucks that day.

那天共有 57 個女孩逃出卡車。

This story, quite rightly, caused ripples

這個事件很快的，

引起全球的關注。

around the world.

People like Michelle Obama, Malala and others

蜜雪兒歐巴馬、馬拉拉以及其他名人，

lent their voices in protest,

都站出來發聲。

and at about the same time -- I was living in London at the time --

當時我正住在倫敦，

I was sent from London to Abuja to cover the World Economic Forum

我被派到阿布加參與

奈及利亞首次主辦的 世界經濟論壇會議。

that Nigeria was hosting for the first time.

But when we arrived, it was clear that there was only one story in town.

當時綁架案在當地受到很大的關注，

We put the government under pressure.

我們向當地政府施壓。

We asked tough questions about what they were doing

並詢問他們，

解救人質的進展。

to bring these girls back.

Understandably,

可以理解的是，

they weren't too happy with our line of questioning,

他們不喜歡被質問，

and let's just say we received our fair share of "alternative facts."

所以我們只得到一些 「小道的事實消息」，

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Influential Nigerians were telling us at the time

具有影響力的當地人告訴我們，

that we were naïve,

我們太天真了。

we didn't understand the political situation in Nigeria.

我們不了解奈及利亞的政治情勢，

But they also told us

但他們也告訴我們。

that the story of the Chibok girls

奇博克女孩綁架案，

was a hoax.

是假的，

Sadly, this hoax narrative has persisted,

難過的是，這些假謠言仍被流傳著。

and there are still people in Nigeria today

直到現在，仍有當地人，

who believe that the Chibok girls were never kidnapped.

深信奇博克女孩綁架案從未發生過，

Yet I was talking to people like these --

但我採訪過那些受害者，

devastated parents,

我採訪過那些絕望的父母，

who told us that on the day Boko Haram kidnapped their daughters,

他們訴說著女兒被綁架的那天，

they ran into the Sambisa Forest after the trucks carrying their daughters.

他們追著卡車跑進山姆畢沙叢林裡，

They were armed with machetes, but they were forced to turn back

他們帶著彎刀衝進叢林裡， 但卻被迫回頭，

because Boko Haram had guns.

因為恐怖分子持有槍。

For two years, inevitably, the news agenda moved on,

這兩年來，此新聞受到的 關注越來越少，

and for two years,

過去兩年來，

we didn't hear much about the Chibok girls.

我們沒有聽到太多 關於奇博克女孩的消息，

Everyone presumed they were dead.

大家都認為她們死了。

But in April last year,

但去年四月，

I was able to obtain this video.

我拿到一部影片，

This is a still from the video

這是擷自影片的畫面，

that Boko Haram filmed as a proof of life,

恐怖分子以此證明女孩們還活著，

and through a source, I obtained this video.

我透過關係取得這部影片，

But before I could publish it,

但在我發佈影片前。

I had to travel to the northeast of Nigeria

我必須到奈及利亞的東北部，

to talk to the parents, to verify it.

向受害者家長確認影片真實性，

I didn't have to wait too long for confirmation.

我很快就得到了答案。

One of the mothers, when she watched the video, told me

其中有一個母親 在看過影片後跟我說，

that if she could have reached into the laptop

如果她能把手伸進螢幕裡，

and pulled our her child from the laptop,

並把她的女兒拉出來，

she would have done so.

她真的很想這麼做。

For those of you who are parents, like myself, in the audience,

各位，如果你們跟我一樣， 已經為人父母的話，

you can only imagine the anguish

你大概能想像那位母親，

所承受的極大痛苦，

that that mother felt.

This video would go on to kick-start negotiation talks with Boko Haram.

這部影片是與博科聖地談判的開端，

And a Nigerian senator told me that because of this video

奈及利亞的議員跟我說， 因為這部影片，

they entered into those talks,

他們現在才採取行動。

because they had long presumed that the Chibok girls were dead.

因為他們之前認為女孩們早已死亡，

Twenty-one girls were freed in October last year.

去年十月，21 位女孩被釋放了，

Sadly, nearly 200 of them still remain missing.

不幸的是，大概還有 200 位失蹤的女孩，

I must confess that I have not been a dispassionate observer

我得承認我沒有站在客觀的角度

covering this story.

報導此事件，

I am furious when I think about the wasted opportunities

每當想起有許多機會都被浪費掉時，

to rescue these girls.

我就非常地氣憤。

I am furious when I think about what the parents have told me,

每當想起那些父母說，

that if these were daughters of the rich and the powerful,

如果他們是有錢有勢的人，

they would have been found much earlier.

那些女孩們早就被解救時， 我就很氣憤。

And I am furious

我也對假新聞

that the hoax narrative,

感到憤怒。

I firmly believe,

我深信著

caused a delay;

那是拖延救援的原因。

it was part of the reason for the delay in their return.

害那些女孩無法提早被救出來，

This illustrates to me the deadly danger of fake news.

這讓我了解到假新聞 所造成的真實傷害，

So what can we do about it?

我們能做什麼？

There are some very smart people,

在谷歌及臉書有一群，

smart engineers at Google and Facebook,

非常聰明的工程師們，

who are trying to use technology to stop the spread of fake news.

試圖用新科技防止假新聞的散佈。

But beyond that, I think everybody here -- you and I --

但除此之外，我想每一個人，

包含你和我，

we have a role to play in that.

都要參與其中，

We are the ones who share the content.

我們會分享新聞，

We are the ones who share the stories online.

我們會在網路上分享故事，

In this day and age, we're all publishers,

在這個時代，我們就是出版者，

and we have responsibility.

所以我們應要承擔責任。

In my job as a journalist,

身為一位記者，

I check, I verify.

我會檢查、確認。

I trust my gut, but I ask tough questions.

我相信我的直覺，但我也會質問，

Why is this person telling me this story?

為什麼這個人要告訴我這個故事？

What do they have to gain by sharing this information?

他們能從分享此資訊中獲得什麼？

Do they have a hidden agenda?

他們是不是有別的意圖？

I really believe that we must all start to ask tougher questions

我相信我們應該要開始質問

of information that we discover online.

我們在網路上發現的資訊，

Research shows that some of us don't even read beyond headlines

有研究指出，有些人只看到標題，

before we share stories.

就分享資訊。

Who here has done that?

在座有人這麼做過嗎？

I know I have.

我就曾經做過，

But what if

但如果

we stopped taking information that we discover at face value?

我們能停止轉發未經證實的消息，

What if we stop to think about the consequence

如果我們能仔細思考，

of the information that we pass on

我們所轉發的訊息，

and its potential to incite violence or hatred?

可能會引發暴力或仇恨，

What if we stop to think about the real-life consequences

如果我們能在分享訊息前仔細思考，

此舉會對真實世界造成什麼樣影響？

of the information that we share?

Thank you very much for listening.

感謝各位的聆聽。

(Applause)

（掌聲）