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By Edwin Naidu
Education and credible journalism are necessary to stamp out disinformation, but a continent-wide effort should strengthen one’s resolve in the fight against the rise of fake news.
This could involve bringing together media and academic brains to ensure a united front against large social media platforms, such as Google and X, which are used to spread fake news.
Elon Musk, the South African-born owner of X, was described as a “super-spreader” during the University of Johannesburg discussion “Speaking the Truth by Understanding the Untruth: Addressing Fake News and Disinformation in South Africa and the African Continent”.
X has been used to cause mayhem in South Africa and worldwide.
The high-powered roundtable at the University of Johannesburg on Monday was organised by the UJ Library Services in association with Higher Education Media Services.
The seminar series looked at the growing debate around fake news and the narrative of how individuals are portrayed in the media.
Panellists included Anton Harber, who is a free speech activist and executive director of the Henry Nxumalo Foundation, Phathiswa Magopeni, who is the executive director of the Press Council of SA and SA National Editors’ Forum executive director Reggy Moalusi.
Underscoring the importance of this dialogue, UJ Vice-Chancellor Prof. Letlhokwa Mpedi said that during the past weekend, it was widely reported that Olena Zelensaka, the first lady of Ukraine, had attempted to flee the country.
He said this began with a video that had the BBC logo on X and Telegram earlier in the week and then was amplified on TikTok and Facebook.
The voiceover claimed that her plan to escape for six months was foiled and she was being held by Ukraine’s security services. In response to the traction the clip had, a journalist for the BBC’s fact-checking service said in a statement on X that “BBC never published this video clip”.
As it turns out, Mpedi said this was the work of a disinformation operation that often-used clips bearing logos of major outlets.
“As this example shows, we are in an era of disinformation. More now than ever, it is difficult to discern between what is real and what is not and the implications of this are profound. As the former US congressman Will Hurd explains: ‘Disinformation is more than just lying. It’s the denial and twisting of reality in order to present some desired image to the rest of the world’.”
According to Mpedi, the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies found last year that disinformation was rapidly spreading across the continent and posing a serious threat to stability, democracy and civil liberties.
These campaigns have fuelled violence, supported coups and even undermined elections, leaving conflict-affected and authoritarian-leaning nations most at risk. The surge coincides with declining press freedom, as laws meant to combat disinformation suppress journalists, further weakening defences against these harmful narratives.
Winston Churchill once said: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Let this be a moment where we help truth catch up.
While the academic and media experts provided practical evidence of the current situation, Mpedi challenged media consumers to heed the words of Stimela’s late frontman, Ray Phiri, who urged people to look, listen and decide, although he conceded the song was about couples entangled in a love relationship.
While the discussion provided plenty of food for thought, which was appreciated by the audience and through online questions, the next planned focus of the series will consider how South African universities should release themselves from the shackles of dependence it has developed with international funders.
This is particularly crucial given the shifts in the global economy. Undoubtedly, the effects on South African universities will be enormous. The question remains: How do we deal with it?
Two words spring to mind: Let’s Talk! While it may not have all the answers, a room of people committed to finding solutions rather than adding to the noise on social media seems to handle some of the challenges.
Edwin Naidu is the Editor of Inside Education.
INSIDE EDUCATION