Laurent Moustache, the Fake News Hunter
Laurent entered the world of cooperation kind of by chance, when he was working as an international volunteer in Burundi. This one-year assignment changed the course of his career and gave him a taste for the exotic. From India to Senegal, via Togo, follow the journey of this man who is fascinated by fake news and is now a project manager at CFI!
Laurent, you are currently working on the Desinfox Africa and Desinfox Sahel projects. Can you tell us about these projects?
These two projects aim to combat fake news in ten countries in West and Central Africa and the Sahel region. We are seeing that disinformation techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated in these countries, and they clearly pose ever-growing challenges in terms of democracy, stability and social cohesion. Our goal is therefore to train journalists – around 100 of them spread across 10 countries – in various fact-checking techniques. Both projects are funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, with Desinfox Africa being launched in 2020 and Desinfox Sahel being launched a few months ago. Specifically, we offer training on the basics of fact-checking, detecting fake news on social media, open-source investigation (OSINT), the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) criteria and the use of specific tools and software. We also support the production of articles, reports and columns through customised support. In the Sahel region, we are working to create a regional network of French-speaking fact-checkers in order to pool the resources, skills and practices of journalists from the ten countries covered.
How did you end up working in this position at CFI?
That is a long story! I wasn’t initially setting out to work in media development or in development at all. I studied political science at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne university, specialising in political and public communication. My career seemed to be all mapped out: I was going to become a parliamentary assistant or a communications officer in a public institution. And then, in 2014, on a whim, I went to Burundi to spend a year working as an international volunteer for the United Nations. It was the first time that I had visited Africa, travelled abroad and lived alone. It was a life-changing experience, one that marked a turning point in my journey. I then went to India as a microfinance project manager working to empower marginalised people, then to North Togo as a decentralised cooperation support officer. In 2018, I began working for Expertise France as a project manager within the Defence and Security Forces Reinforcement Division, working in connection with various countries – Côte-d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Jordan etc. However, after four years of assignments, I became weary and felt a loss of meaning in my day-to-day work. At that time, I was running a personal Instagram account, where I was debunking fake news. When I saw CFI's job advertisement for the Desinfox project in June 2022, I told myself that the position was made for me and that it was the chance for a fresh start!
What do you enjoy most in your day-to-day job?
I get to meet exciting people with incredible expertise and skills in my position at CFI. For example, I recently oversaw a week-long training course in Abidjan on Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): I was impressed by what the trainer was able to do with online tools that anyone can use! A few months earlier, I didn't even know what OSINT was! I’m learning a great deal with the Desinfox programme, in both technical and human terms. I have never had as much contact with the beneficiaries of my projects before. During my trips out into the field, I come into direct contact with the reality facing African journalists, their concerns and their challenges. That helps to put things into perspective! I often tell myself that this profession makes me experience things that most people will never experience. I also really like the fact that I represent France on my assignments: behind each of our programmes, it is ultimately France's image that is at stake, and I find that very gratifying.
What are the most difficult parts of your job?
I do have to deal with a certain degree of stress on a daily basis, of course. If there is the slightest problem that prevents a beneficiary from attending a training course, for example, I am held responsible. It is therefore important to be extremely vigilant at all stages, to keep a cool head when there are difficulties (and there are many!) and to remind myself that there is a solution to every problem. Given that we manage public money, we also face decision-making processes that slow down – and sometimes prevent – the implementation of certain actions. There are days when I would like everything to be faster and more flexible!
What are the main qualities needed to carry out your duties?
First of all, it is important to be very creative, to succeed in overcoming obstacles, think on your feet and invent new ways of doing things when those that were in place do not work. The second essential quality, in my view, is humility. We must be aware of our rightful place. We are certainly helping to improve people's day-to-day lives in the areas we cover, but we must not overestimate our role: at the end of the day, we have not saved anyone. Humility also allows us to avoid falling into the trap of ethnocentrism. Our mind has been formatted in a certain way, which is not always effective. It is important to learn how to change your frame of reference when necessary.
Do you have an anecdote to tell us?
On 31 May, I touched down in Dakar for the first time, on a one-week assignment. The following day, 1 June, violence erupted in the city after the conviction of the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Dakar emptied, the messages I tried to send to my loved ones would not go through and CFI's head office was growing nervous and urging me to provide some news. In the end, it was more a case of being afraid than bad things happening to me, but that first day "in the field" in Senegal will stay with me for a long time!