FAKE NEWS: HOW IT UNDERMINES ACCESS TO CREDIBLE INFORMATION IN THE FACE OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND IMPENDING ELECTION

Fake news also known as ‘infodemic’ or disinformation is a form of news which is deliberately spread across social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter or even through traditional media. The publication of fake news is usually done with the intention to mislead, damage a person’s or a corporate reputation to either gain financially, politically or for sheer revenge. It ranges from making propaganda, misleading headlines, sloppy journalism and usually thrives when there is vacuum created by institutions in providing information to the public.

Even though fake news is not a recent phenomenon, the advent of social media has made it gain currency given the ease with which people can access those platforms at a click of a mouse or touch on a phone. According to a recent research conducted in the USA, it was found that about 20 top fake news stories around the 2016 Presidential elections received more attention from the public than same number of top news circulated by the 19 mainstream media. This revelation clearly highlights the extent to which fake news has received ‘legitimacy’.

Article 21(1) (f) of the 1992 Constitution guarantees right to information, which information must be credible to give true meaning to that human right. Hence, deliberate misinformation to a large extent can be interpreted as the violation of the right to information guaranteed under the constitution.

For Ghana, given the outbreak of the COVID 19 coupled with the upcoming elections, the threat of fake news and its manifestations should be a matter of concern to all. Why, because, it has the tendency to wreck government’s efforts in managing both the crisis and holding credible elections.

The Outbreak of Coronavirus

Since the declaration of the coronavirus as a global pandemic by the WHO, countries including Ghana adopted a plethora of strategies to confront the scourge ranging from the closure of borders to suspension of religious activities. In times of pandemics such as this, access to timely and credible information is not only a right but necessary to enable citizens get along with measures adopted by authorities. Accordingly, the President intermittently through televised broadcast informed the citizens about steps being taken to protect them and what health and safety strategies all citizens must comply with to contain the transmission from person to person.

While this is commendable, it is regrettable to also note that some unscrupulous online portals reported that the pandemic was an attempt by the Western Powers to recolonize Africa. Others, also quite sadly, asserted that it was an attempt by government to siphon state resources. These misconceptions arguably could account partly for the country’s high case count.

These misleading pieces of information contributed in emboldening some persons in treating COVID-19 directives with reckless abandon. As we write this article, there is some information making rounds on the internet and social media that the coronavirus even if it existed has now been eradicated and therefore people should disregard wearing of face masks. As the popular adage goes ‘bad news sells fast’, so does fake news, because it is sensational, populist, and over-simplistic. As government’s pronouncements suggest control of the situation, information related to new infections, recoveries, currents developments, new threats must continuously be shared with the public timeously.

Election 2020

As an election year several political actors will be crisscrossing one another in terms of putting their campaign messages across to voters. Amidst a global pandemic, the traditional large gatherings (rallies) may not be feasible given the threat, and therefore, the traditional and social media will be flooded with campaign messages. While this may be the new normal, there is also a high tendency of some competitors deploying disinformation in order to smear political opponents in order to reap undeserved political dividends.

This phenomenon can also undermine the credibility of electoral information and ultimately the peace of the country if not checked. As hinted earlier on, fake news purveyors thrive on the absence of the provision of credible news by mandated institutions at the appropriate time. Against this backdrop, as the country prepares for the general elections, state institutions should endeavor to disclose information way ahead of time. This is called advanced disclosure as enjoined by the right to information Act, 2019.

It was thus encouraging to note how the Electoral Commission made information available on the number of persons who registered each day. That way, there will be no room for misinformation to hoodwink the public which has the tendency to derail the national efforts in achieving a credible and violent free polls.

Going Forward: Minimizing the Impact of Fake News under the Prevailing Circumstances

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in light of the above concerns wishes to call on institutions to make advance disclosure of public information to enable citizens to make informed decisions. This will get rid of misinformation, prejudices, sensationalism and misconceptions which are a common feature of fake news.

By Human RightsDepartment, CHRAJ
Email: info@chraj.gov.gh