Africa Check’s mission is to verify news stories and to inform the public of fake news stories. The NGO looks at trends of misinformation and disinformation and has categorised false news into three categories.
The first category is news that is accurate but misleading. For example, a prominent figure reported strong real GDP growth, which was technically correct but misleading because real GDP doesn’t factor in inflation. This type of news doesn’t paint the whole picture and misleads readers.
The second category is the lowering of a base. This involves deflating a figure to make the new figure look bigger. For example, a party had said in a campaign that in 1994, only 10% of households had water. Africa Check consulted expert data, among the sources was Stats SA’s census data from 1996, to find that number was well below the reported figure, which is closer to 70%.
The third category is outright unlikely promises. Prominent figures who make claims that don’t seem to align with existing structures and capacities in government need to be checked. In this case, consulting experts like municipalities is vital.
SANEF, in partnership with Google, is offering one-day workshops to outline what the elections entail, how to use online tools like polls, how journalists can stay safe online and how to avoid disinformation. Free tools like manuals and PowerPoint presentations are available online or at the one-day workshops.
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