Fake news destroys democracy

Speaking at a webinar on the upcoming elections organised by the Government Communications and Information System (GCSI) on Tuesday, Nomshad Lubisi Nkosinkulu, communications manager at Media Monitoring Africa, said the “explosion of information” was making it increasingly difficult to know what was true and what was not.

MMA is an organization that helps promote ethical and fair journalism that supports human rights and democracy.

“Democracy is under threat. South Africa faces unprecedented threats and political analysts are calling the upcoming election period one of the most critical and potentially aggressive for our young democracy.”

“The dramatic increase in misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms and the lack of digital and media literacy skills among the population makes it more important than ever that traditional media are not only trustworthy but also well-equipped to fulfil their mission of informing and educating,” Lubisi Nkosinkulu said.

She said that as the country heads toward elections, misinformation, disinformation and other digital harm is not only more likely but certain to occur, posing a clear threat to democratic elections.

Special Report | 2024 Election

Misinformation is misleading content, and disinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information that is intentionally designed, presented, or promoted to harm or benefit the public.

Acts of public harm include, but are not limited to, disrupting or obstructing an election, the conduct or results of an election, or improperly influencing the results or conduct of an election.

Lubisi Nkosinkulu said disinformation always contains a grain of truth and leaves people angry, anxious, scared and insecure.

This in turn undermines our ability to trust and, as a result, undermines key democratic institutions.

Lubisi Nkosinkulu said multi-stakeholder partnerships with the South African Electoral Commission (IEC) were key to combating misinformation, including a framework for collaboration between Media Monitoring Africa, the IEC, social media platforms and a disinformation working group of leading private sector organisations.

By using a special tool,Real 411“During this election, we will help combat, mitigate and investigate disinformation and other online harms,” ​​she said.

Real411 provides a platform for members of the public to report digital harm, including misinformation, ensuring that online content is assessed and addressed independently, openly, transparently and accountably, within the bounds of the law and constitutional rights.

This app is available on Google Play and the App Store.

Real411 operates in partnership with the IEC and aims to ensure that:

• Key stakeholders follow the same rules.
• There are mechanisms in place for the public to act against disinformation, empowering the public to act against it and helping to mitigate its impact.
• It provides one central place for members of the public to report, regardless of platform, and allows the lEC to address complaints across digital platforms.

In addition, the general publicPolitical Party Advertising Repository (PAdRE)aims to ensure and expand access to information about South Africa’s elections, in line with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Peoples’ Rights Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa.

PAdRE is an initiative that aims to support free and fair elections by ensuring access to information during election periods. The platform provides information on political party advertising and party spending.

Fortune Mugwili Sibanda, TikTok’s director of public policy and government relations for sub-Saharan Africa, said the platform’s community guidelines contain comprehensive content to help ensure the integrity of elections.

“These guidelines establish a common code of conduct. Every household has rules… We strive to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe to create videos, find community, and have fun. These guidelines also allow our community to contribute to maintaining a safe shared space.”

“We deeply value that our users come from a wide range of nationalities and cultures, and our community guidelines take into account the cultural norms and local regulations of the countries in which we operate.

“We believe it’s important that you feel safe expressing your true self, which is why we work hard to enforce our community guidelines and remove accounts or content that violates them,” Mugwili Sibanda said.

On May 17, the platform updated its rules and standards, introducing warning strikes the first time a creator violates its community guidelines, as well as a policy to temporarily remove accounts from recommendations if they repeatedly post content that violates its guidelines.

It introduced Account Check, an in-app feature that allows creators to audit their accounts and publish their most recent 30 posts.

“These are the standards we expect creators involved in TikTok’s program to adhere to, both on and off the platform,” Mugwili Sibanda said.Source