CNN profiler Nima Elbakir and her television network have been accused by Donald Trump of continuing to spread lies. He tells Viji that growing up in a dictatorship made him resilient.
- CNN profiler Nima Elbakir accuses Trump and the TV network of spreading lies, but says he's thankful for his upbringing in a dictatorship.
- He worked for an international investigative magazine and traveled to conflict zones to uncover crimes
- Elbakir calls artificial intelligence an “incredibly helpful” support, especially in verifying video and images.
- He recently spoke at PRIO's annual conference in Oslo on the theme of the disinformation war
Through her award-winning coverage from Africa and the Middle East, CNN's Nima Elbakir (45) has traveled directly and figuratively through a landscape littered with unexploded ordnance for more than two decades.
Ironically, CNN's highest-ranking journalist at the vetting is also constantly under attack for allegedly spreading fake news.
The former US president, now a Republican presidential candidate, is the channel's most prominent critic.
Donald Trump's claims that CNN spreads fake news have deeply affected his American and European colleagues, but Elbakir says that growing up in a dictatorship gave him an advantage.
Twenty years ago, his introduction to journalism came at his father's newspaper in Khartoum, where the state's own press censorship officers sat alongside the editorial staff – red pen at the ready. So, she tells VG, she's not unfamiliar with the methods Trump uses.
– Well, you know, that's part of it AutocratAutocratAn autocrat is a dictator or autocrat. Autocracy is a form of government in which most of the political power is concentrated in the hands of an individual or a relatively small group. (Source: SNL) – Manual, right? Go after journalists, undermine voters' trust in institutions, and tell them you're the only one they can trust. I wonder if my experience makes it a bit easier, because I believe that institutions are only as strong as the will of those who protect them, says the journalist.
He still believes we can all learn something from Trump's popularity: to see him as part of a wave of receding democracy.
– This can happen anywhere if we are not ready to protect our institutions, and if journalists are not ready to fight for their right to report, says Elbakir.
“Autograd Manual”
Once Elbakir travels to the Norwegian capital, he is scheduled to speak at the Peace Research Institute. Prios annual conference, this time with the theme of the war on disinformation.
For the past two years, Elbakir, one of only two female profiles on CNN with a non-Western background, has led the channel's work with international investigative journalism.
She travels the world to report from conflict zones and uncover crimes.
When VG meets Elbakir in snowy Oslo, the profiled journalist has recently returned from an assignment in the West Bank.
There, she and the team worked with an artificial intelligence firm to detect the Israeli forces' widespread use of explosives against Gaza. Elbakir describes artificial intelligence as “incredibly useful,” if only you make sure you follow through with the result.
– He says it would have been easy for the Israeli military to deny the evidence if, with the help of technology, it had not been possible to verify with certainty where the videos came from.
VG Use Geolocation for checking video and images.
Answer to “Cithole countries”.
Nima Elbakir is a seeker of truth and injustice on live TV, as she is in conversation with VG in Oslo.
When Erna Solberg met with Trump, she said the U.S. should get more immigrants from Norway and not from “sithole countries” like her home continent of Africa. she commented He prided himself on working directly, saying that Trump's statements did not represent America.
Trump accuses CNN of spreading 'fake news' started She's in the big time disclosure If migrants are auctioned off like commodities in Libya, he says, get out.
– I saw for the first time how much impact such a statement can have. Because then the response from officials in Libya was “even the US president says CNN is spreading fake news”.
“I'll show you”
The damage such statements from someone in power can cause is universal, too, he says.
– Because if we lie, no one has to worry about what we reveal. And then whatever those in power do will have no effect. How can those in power be held accountable? This is why people like Donald Trump want to make people distrust journalists: because they never have to take responsibility for their actions, says the CNN profile.
And that brings us back to technology and artificial intelligence, he says.
– As scary as it is, it can also be very helpful. Because you don't need to trust me and my honesty, she gestures as she places a pile of documents on the table in front of her:
– I'll show you instead.
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