Image: Namibia Fact Check
Highlighting the facts through all the political noise on the electoral information landscape will be crucial
The presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for late November 2024 could be critically defining of Namibia’s democratic trajectory.
While it is still early days in the run-up to the 27 November 2024 elections (image below courtesy of the Electoral Commission of Namibia), it is already becoming clear that the electoral landscape could be significantly polluted by political mis- and disinformation as the country moves closer to the polls.
Political mis- and disinformation is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the rise and prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) generated fake and propaganda content online has become a growing concern on political and electoral landscapes everywhere.
In order to contribute to mitigating the potential effects and impacts of what could become a tide of political and elections related mis- and disinformation as the country moves closer to 27 November, Namibia Fact Check undertakes to provide elections related coverage that incorporates the following:
- Debunking – exposing and fact checking questionable elections related claims, statements and reports
- Pre-bunking – using examples to guide audiences through the types of elections related and of political mis- and disinformation they could potentially encounter
- Factsheets & information guides – arming audiences with verified election related facts and information in simple and accessible formats.
In order to identify and counter elections related mis- and disinformation, Namibia Fact Check will be monitoring political party campaign statements and manifestos, elections related coverage of Namibia’s main news media outlets, as well as social media spaces and feeds where much of the political and elections related information will be published and shared.
As part of this effort, Namibia Fact Check will brand all its elections related coverage in order to ensure and increase visibility. This elections coverage branding will be unveiled in the second-half of April 2024. This branding will be incorporated into all elections related fact checks, prebunking articles and factsheets and information guides.
At the same time, Namibia Fact Check will be introducing and using an elections coverage related hashtag on social media in order to separate elections related coverage and reporting from its usual reporting and coverage.
Further announcements will follow over coming weeks regarding Namibia Fact Check‘s elections related coverage.
To view some of Namibia Fact Check‘s previous work on political and elections related mis- and disinformation go here and here.