Election reporting cannot wait for the campaign to begin, study warns
South African journalists and fact-checkers need to build permanent working relationships before election campaigns begin, rather than assembling temporary anti-disinformation projects when voting is already underway, new research has found.
The study, How Civil Society Coalition-Building Affects Information Integrity During Elections: Evidence from Four African Countries, was written by Dani Madrid-Morales, Herman Wasserman, Nicola Davies-Laubscher and Fatoumata Sow. It examines how civil society coalitions protected information integrity during elections in South Africa, Kenya, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Based on 36 interviews with journalists, fact-checkers, regulators and civil society groups, the researchers found that coalitions often performed monitoring, verification and accountability functions that public institutions or technology platforms could not fulfil.
In South Africa, the Electoral Commission partnered with Media Monitoring Africa to operate Real411, a platform through which members of the public could report false or harmful election content. Researchers described the initiative as an example of effective collaboration between an electoral body and civil society.
More than 400 South Africans were also trained to identify and report disinformation. However, the study found that South African coalitions were commonly formed in response to an approaching election and struggled to remain active once political attention and funding declined.
For journalists preparing to cover future elections, this means verification systems should form part of ordinary newsroom practice. Newsrooms need established contacts at the IEC, fact-checking organisations, community media and civil society groups before a disputed video, false voting instruction or coordinated campaign begins circulating.
The research also cautions against relying only on public social media platforms. Many voters receive political information through WhatsApp groups, community radio and trusted personal networks. Journalists therefore need local-language reporting, community partnerships and ways to identify rumours that may never appear on X or Facebook.
Visit the CINIA website for more research, updates and resources.
