[Media'tek] Ndèye Fatou Diéry Diagne, de major du Cesti à icône du fact-checking
At 26, Ndèye Fatou Diéry Diagne is one of the most prominent voices in fact-checking in Senegal. The journalist for the national daily newspaper "Le Soleil," an outspoken advocate for women's rights, is making her mark in a media landscape where disinformation too often dictates the pace.
Standing before the screen, her ebony skin enhanced by the light of the slides, she embodies quiet mastery. Her upright, almost instinctive posture alternates between the audience and the visuals she points to in order to emphasize her explanations. In a calm voice, she guides her audience, taking the time to highlight the essential points. Her confident and measured gestures betray a rare ease in this digital exercise. One might mistake her for a television journalist. An optical illusion. It is indeed a fact-checking session: "Soleil Check." One of its founders, Ndèye Fatou Diéry Diagne, is today a leading figure in the fight against disinformation in Senegal.
Her trajectory resembles a series of challenges she set for herself. Born in Dakar and raised in an environment where "everything was calculated, everything was organized," Mami, as her loved ones call her, discovered the columns of Aminata Sophie Dièye, "Ndeye Taxawalou," at a very young age. Her role models were strong, and her ambitions even stronger. She rejected stereotypes and distanced herself from the prejudices that relegated women to secondary roles. With a strong will, she broke invisible chains to forge her own path to the top of journalism.
The daughter of a veterinarian, she entered the profession with a clear goal: to occupy a space where women were scarce. "People would tell me: women work in television or radio. Few women work in print journalism," she says with a touch of humor. This marginality became her driving force. "I told myself: I'm going to work in print journalism." And she made her mark in a field known for its demanding nature, where rigor and depth are paramount. Later, at CESTI (the French Institute of Science and Technology), another challenge awaited her. She was told that top students were often men. "I'm going to graduate at the top of my class," she vowed, smiling. Promise kept: she graduated first in her 47th class, true to her penchant for constant effort.
A commitment to women
While writing is a passion, defending women's rights is her other driving force. It's neither a theoretical concept nor a mere journalistic interest. It's a foundational shock. "I was young, I was defenseless… it left a deep impression on me. I told myself: I'm going to defend women's lives," she recalls. A scene she witnessed in her neighborhood, witnessed by her neighbors, left an indelible mark on her. Since then, the injustice faced by women has awakened her, sustained her, and guided her.
This commitment also draws on a strong lineage: her grandmother. "My grandmother was involved in her community for women," she says with restrained tenderness. As if the female voice circulated from one generation to the next and found, in her, a determined champion. Already in her second year at CESTI, she created a platform of female portraits. "To show that there isn't just one day to demonstrate the positivity of women," she affirms.
Fact-checking: turning doubt into a method
It is in fact-checking that she finds her natural niche. For her, doubt is not hesitation, but a discipline. "I'm a very doubtful person... I don't take anything for granted," she says, her words carefully chosen. Three years of training, hard work, and the creation of "Soleil Check" became the obvious next step. She seeks not only technical precision, but also ethical prudence. For her, information is never static: "I say 'as of today,' because there could be a scientific breakthrough tomorrow," she emphasizes.
Fact-checking thus becomes a coherent extension of her commitment to the truth… Moreover, thanks to this commitment, Diery has now become an author. She has just published her book entitled "Resisting Disinformation." In this work, she opens a space for reflection on truth and the role of the journalist in an information-saturated environment.
Her style, her determination, her sharp gaze behind her glasses… everything about her expresses the same thing. A brilliant young journalist with a keen mind, who moves forward without giving in to noise or illusions.
Commentaires (6)
Fact-Checking c’est Xalaat TV
Dans un Sénégal où le journalisme traverse une crise de crédibilité depuis un lustre, son engagement constant pour la vérité et la vérification des faits apparaît comme une rare lueur d’exigence. Son travail rappelle que le métier peut encore être synonyme de rigueur, d’éthique et de responsabilité. La publication de son ouvrage vient confirmer cette cohérence
Trop fier de celle la, une espece en voie de disparution!...Sa ma jour du dimanche nekh na ba pare....Je ne savais pas que le Cesti en ete capable de former de telles tetes bien faites!.....J'ai toujours souhaiter que cette ecole disparaisse dans les profondeurs de l'abime, a cause de la proliferation de journalistes alimentaires en quete de richesse....Longue Vie au journaliste!-
Bizarrement ses fact-checking ne concernent jamais les mensonges de Sonko. Voila le probleme majeur du journalisme senegalais: parti pris ou lacheté intellectuelle
Et la dette cachee ?
Bravo à Lena Thioune qui a écrit l'article et à Ndèye Fatou. Je ne connaissais ni l'une ni l'autre mais je grand bravo à vous deux.
Effectivement, chaleureuses félicitations à Lena Thioune ! on sent nettement qu'elle a écrit sur sa collègue avec beaucoup de " yéné "; et voilà le genre de féminisme pour lequel j'applaudis des deux mains.
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