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SOUTH AFRICA DIGITAL DISINFORMATION -- {WEB & USAGM}

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  • SOUTH AFRICA DIGITAL DISINFORMATION -- {WEB & USAGM}
  • April 28, 2024
  • Content Type Package
  • Language English
  • Transcript/Script SOUTH AFRICA DIGITAL DISINFORMATION -- {WEB & USAGM} HEADLINE: Digital disinformation threatens elections, activists say TEASER: PUBLISHED AT: 04/28/2024 at 4:23 pm BYLINE: Zaheer Cassim CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Johannesburg, South Africa VIDEOGRAPHER: Zaheer Cassim VIDEO EDITOR: Zaheer Cassim SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs, Reifenrath VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _ TV _X_ RADIO _X_ TRT: 1:45 VID APPROVED BY: mia TYPE: EDITOR NOTES: )) ((INTRO)) [[At least 16 African countries, including South Africa, will hold elections in the remaining months of 2024. Voters who go online for political news are risking exposure to disinformation and misinformation. But a new digital ethics organization aims to help journalists and activists identify false and misleading content so they can educate the public. Zaheer Cassim has the story from Johannesburg.]] ((NARRATOR)) At first glance, this video of Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema announcing that he won’t be running in the next election seems authentic. ((NARRATOR)) But it’s fake... And these journalists in Johannesburg are learning how to spot the difference with help from a non-profit called Campaign on Digital Ethics, or CODE. Kavisha Pillay, is the founding director of CODE ((Kavisha Pillay, Campaign on Digital Ethics)) ((Female, in English) “We're making sure that people are accessing information that is safe and is not going to be harmful, that the technology that we're using is not going to cause further harm to our society” ((NARRATOR)) Working with CODE on this project is Africa Check, one of the continent's leading independent fact-checking organizations. The staff at Africa Check encourage people to send them suspicious content. They are collaborating with CODE to teach the public how to identify fake social media content. [[For radio: Keegan Leech is a researcher at Africa Check]] ((Keegan Leech, Africa Check Researcher)) ((male, in English) “It helps to have not just someone to step in and do some work, checking that kind of information, but also to be able to share tips and tricks and techniques for stepping in to stop that spread with anyone.” ((NARRATOR)) Community activist Mannie Sigamoney will be on high alert in the days leading to South Africa's May 29 elections, on the lookout for any fake content that might affect his ward. (Mannie Sigamoney, Community Activist)) ((male, in English) “I think we are moving into an era where more and more, the truth is being distorted, and we kind of need these kinds of initiatives to keep people grounded and to keep people responsible.” ((NARRATOR)) The independent Electoral Commission of South Africa has announced it will work with Google, Meta and TikTok to help safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. ((Zaheer Cassim, VOA News, Johannesburg, South Africa))
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date April 28, 2024 19:47 EDT
  • Byline Zaheer Cassim, VOA News Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English, Radio Evropa e Lirë
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