The potential impact of information disorders on the 2024 elections

In the field: Distinguishing misinformation and disinformation has become a central challenge for the profession and its audience, particularly around elections PIC PHATSIMO KAPENG
In the field: Distinguishing misinformation and disinformation has become a central challenge for the profession and its audience, particularly around elections PIC PHATSIMO KAPENG

Botswana will be going to the polls later this year. Political parties, voters as well as other stakeholders are gearing up for this special day. A lot is already happening on the ground as D-Day slowly beckons. As is characteristic of any election year, campaigning for the elections is already underway, taking different forms both online and offline.

While we must happy that in this era of digital technology, information becomes easily available, but on the other hand we must be wary that the integrity of such information and communications systems is largely compromised by the proliferation of fake news.

Notwithstanding that in some instances fake news may be unwittingly shared without any intention to cause harm (misinformation), the increasing spread of information which is shared to inflict harm on individuals and institutions (disinformation) threatens processes such as elections and democracy.


Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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