MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. The West is working hard to sully the Russia-Africa partnership, TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov said during a plenary discussion at the Russia-Africa media forum.

"Russia-Africa cooperation has become one of the main targets of information attacks by Western ill-wishers and their henchmen. Today, when Russia and African nations are working to build an equal partnership, any distortions are especially noticeable and come at a particularly high cost to both sides," he stressed.

Modern fake news is rarely based on crude fabrications, Kondrashov pointed out. Instead, it often relies on "seemingly harmless techniques," the distortion of motives and the use of reputable sources without providing evidence. As an example, he cited a deepfake video featuring Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Posted shortly before a Russian delegation’s visit to Kazakhstan, the fabricated video was intended to disrupt the visit but failed after the provocation was promptly exposed.

The TASS director general urged African journalists to pool their efforts to counter fake news. He noted that TASS and its partners had co-founded the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN).

"We brought together 130 experts from 55 countries. This is an effective tool that will allow you to detect fake news almost automatically from the start," Kondrashov said, adding that media outlets could join the organization free of charge and that they did not have to pay membership fees.

Media forum

The Russia-Africa media forum is taking place in Moscow on October 26-29, bringing together leading Russian and African media outlets. Media leaders are discussing the role of the countries of the Global Majority in the international media landscape, exploring the prospects for the development of media resources as tools to combat disinformation, and assessing ways to "decolonize" media content.

TASS is an information partner of the forum.