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UCT LEADS GLOBAL STUDY
ON DISINFORMATION
An international study on information disorder in the Global South
was launched by Professor Herman Wasserman.
The rising tide of
disinformation about
the COVID-19 vaccine
is a very worrying
development.
Launched in January 2021, the project aims to
map the misinformation space, identify actors
and develop frameworks for intervention.
Wasserman, from the Centre for Film and
Media Studies (CFMS), will coordinate data
submitted from four sub-regions of the Global
South: Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia,
and the Middle East and North Africa.
“The input of stakeholders in these
regions will be crucial to the project, as
they will provide the local expertise and
insights drawing on their work in the area
of misinformation,” he said.
Despite disinformation being a widespread
problem in countries in the Global South,
the study of the phenomenon remains
dominated by examples, case studies and
models from the Global North. This new
study will provide insights from the Global
South that can help fill knowledge gaps
and present opportunities for inter- and
intraregional cooperation.
COVID-19 presented a case for urgency
around researching misinformation – in
particular, the rise of conspiracy theories
and rumours, such as miracle cures and
disinformation around the virus.
“The rising tide of disinformation about
the COVID-19 vaccine is a very worrying
development,” Wasserman added.
This has led some countries in the Global
South, such as South Africa and Brazil,
to criminalise disinformation. However,
these attempts have raised concerns that
governments might use the pandemic as a
smokescreen to stifle free expression and
avoid political accountability.
“In other words, the ‘information disorder’
is a global problem, but has specific
characteristics in the Global South, which
remains under-researched,” Wasserman said.
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