Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition raises alarm over rising disinformation during elections

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition, comprising Dubawa, GhanaFact, and Fact Check Ghana, has raised concerns about the growing use of social media to spread false information during elections

According to the Project Manager at Dubawa, Roselena Ahiable, Ghana was identified as one of 81 countries using social media to disseminate disinformation in the 2022 Industrialised Disinformation Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation report, published by the Oxford Internet Institute.

In the recent general elections, the coalition found that 85.3% of false information was spread through social media, with X (formerly Twitter) being the leading platform.

This figure surpasses television networks, which recorded 8.8%, news websites with 4.4%, and radio with 1.4%. Roselena Ahiable emphasised that this raises critical questions about content moderation on social media.

The Team Lead for Fact Check Ghana, Kwaku Krobea Asante, noted that the coalition worked with media houses nationwide to monitor the electoral process, debunking false information that could have plunged the nation into chaos.

The coalition also found that images of candidates were targeted by disinformation, with political parties, party agents, and the Electoral Commission as the main targets.

Kwaku Krobea Asante stressed the need for collective action to address misinformation and disinformation in Ghana.

Source: myjoyonline.com