How can we tackle disinformation? Global efforts are on the rise

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How can we tackle disinformation? Global efforts are on the rise

Hi John,

Across the globe, disinformation is growing, produced and disseminated by individuals, groups, and companies typically serving financial or political agendas that seek to oppress. It’s in the media we consume, in advertising and in politics, particularly ahead of election seasons.

From the role AI could play in creating propaganda to Big Tech’s failure to tackle Russia’s disinformation about the war in Ukraine, our ability to detect truth from lies grows harder by the day. A 2019 study from the University of Baltimore suggests that disinformation could cost the global economy close to USD 80 billion a year!

So how can we protect ourselves?

Media and information literacy (MIL) is a fundamental part of the solution. MIL equips people with the knowledge and skills to understand how information is produced and distributed. It also informs people about what laws are needed to support a free and independent media.

ARTICLE 19 is calling for states to include media and information literacy in educational programmes and in life-long learning initiatives, equipping people with the knowledge and skills to understand how information is produced and distributed, and helping us all to distinguish facts from lies, recognise rumours from propaganda, and to participate in the public exchange of news and ideas.

What can MIL curriculums do?

a) Explain the key principles of international freedom of expression and media freedom standards.

b)Teach people the skills to identify and combat harmful content, such as hate speech, disinformation, and censorship.

c) Raise awareness of the challenges faced by marginalised communities and ensure that their voices and concerns are fairly represented.

ARTICLE 19 believes that media and information literacy is a key response to disinformation, hate speech, unfair content moderation, and poor transparency – some of the biggest information challenges of our time.

How else can we tackle disinformation?

Disinformation is now a regular feature of elections: from the USA to Brazil, Kenya and Turkey, propaganda aims to manipulate the voting public and sow fear, undermining the democratic process and the integrity of elections.

#ShareInformation #ShareDemocracy

We can learn valuable lessons from initiatives around the world. In the run up to Brazil’s’ presidential election last year, ARTICLE 19’s Brazil and South America office launched the #ShareInformation#ShareDemocracy campaign to educate and inform the voting public, urging young people to register and vote, and involving them in the campaign. The initiative brought together 20 organisations and groups from diverse backgrounds and cultures to work on issues affecting young people, black women, women with disabilities, indigenous people, communicators, and people from both rural and urban areas across Brazil.

TikTok4Peace

ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa worked with TikTok on #TikTok4Peace in Kenya, to help young people identify online disinformation during the elections. Over 3 live-streamed events which were viewed by 23,000 people, and featured in TikTok’s general election guide, speakers discussed disinformation and responsible election choices. It was so successful that TikTok is now developing ARTICLE 19’s project as one of its flagship programmes and has committed to implementing it globally.

‘The TikTok for Peace live streams broadened my understanding of how political discourse should be done … As a young person who is active on social media, the conversations helped shed light on the steps I should take to detect and avoid perpetuating misinformation and disinformation online.’

– TikTok4Peace live-stream attendee

Stay tuned

In addition to the solutions outlined above, we know, too, how vital increased transparency is to tackling disinformation. The upcoming 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, taking place on 18-19 September in New York, will be a key forum to push to strengthen global transparency and ensure quality information for all.

Look out for ARTICLE 19’s emails and daily output, including on social media, about the summit and on the Right to Know Day, 28 September.

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