In recent years, the prevalence of disinformation, particularly through social media, and its threat to the integrity of elections have become an issue of global concern. While this space is rapidly changing and developing, a better definition of problems and terms, and a deeper understanding of the challenge that social media disinformation poses to electoral integrity are needed.
The Centre for Democracy and Development’s Election Analysis Centre (EAC) for the 2019 presidential and gubernatorial elections represented the first attempt in Nigeria at running a rigorous fact-checking process before, during and after the electoral process of both presidential and gubernatorial elections. CDD’s specific mandate was to provide a filter and check on viral stories that were demonstrably false. Or to confirm, with sources and justification, if certain events were true. To do this CDD worked in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute and the Premium Times.
This document outlines NDI’s programmatic approaches to addressing the threat of disinformation in the electoral context, particularly the actions citizen election observers and international observers can take to mitigate, expose, and counter disinformation. It also stresses the importance of using open election data to deter disinformation and advocacy around norms and standards to counter disinformation.
In a new brief, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) outlines how the latest generation of technology-fueled disinformation campaigns is amplifying the scourge of hate speech and offers a framework for democracy and governance practitioners to consider when designing interventions to effectively counter these dual threats.
As we know, disinformation is a growing and critical threat to democracy worldwide. Disinformation is spreading more rapidly and widely, and is being used to distort political discourse, spread cynicism, and distrust in governing institutions, and interfere with citizens’ abilities to make informed political decisions.
For those directly involved in empowering journalists and student journalists, this handbook provides a framework for inquiry, and lessons to help navigate the increasingly murky information environment. It examines the deployment of ‘fake news’ as a term to discredit journalism, and sets out an alternative framework covering disinformation and misinformation, and (to a lesser extent) mal-information and emotive propaganda. The lessons are contextual, theoretical and in the case of digital verification, extremely practical.
The Department of Public Policy Analysis of Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV/DAPP) is a center for applied social research concerned with innovation in public policies in Brazil.
FGV/DAPP aims to qualify the public debate through data transparency, social participation, and dialogue with networked society. They conduct research around topics of politics on the web, policy transparency, security and citizenship, and more.
Gong is a civil society organization in Croatia focused on enhancing democratic processes and institutions as well as developing democratic political culture and encouraging active and responsible participation of citizens in political processes, particularly in decision-making processes related to good governance of public and collective property, protection and promotion of the rule of law, human rights and solidarity.
Established in 2007, the Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental women rights organization. We invest in empowering women and girls to realize their full potential, worth and strength politically, socially and economically through advocating for their human and social justice rights.
Founded in 1999, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness is a national feminist women’s rights Non-Governmental Organization. Although CREAW’s work has expanded over the years, the focus has consistently set women’s rights at the centre of everything we do.