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The rise of deep fake technology is making it increasingly difficult for journalists to tell fact from fiction, posing a serious threat to media credibility.
Speaking at the World Press Freedom Day 2025, Zimbabwe Online Content Creators (ZOCC) Chairperson Toneo Toneo urged journalists to rely on basic background checks and traditional verification methods to fight back against fake content.
“Deep fake is using a lot of technology that it combines together, that it becomes much more real than the real stuff itself. They could take a whole person’s appearance and mimic a voice, and before you know it, you’re already making a press statement of things that you’re not aware of,” the Chairperson said.
By Ruvarashe Gora
He warned that the biggest risk comes when journalists accept such content without verification. “The biggest problem now is when a journalist comes with that as a source of information. How do you then identify and work around the issues of deepfake and fake news and make sure you sanitize your news before you publish?”
The Chairperson emphasized that the best defense remains strong journalistic habits. “If it’s authentic news, breaking news, get other sources to confirm your news. Don’t just rely on videos without a few people confirming your story. Fact-check your work. Always verify.”
He warned that if journalists ignore these steps, the public will stop trusting the media. “If you don’t do that, you’re going to lose trust and people”.
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