POLICY ADVOCACY Below: Table 7: Overview of Choose Your Own Fake News Bottom: Table 8: Overview of “What’s Crap on WhatsApp?” Initiatives focusing on policy advocacy seek to lobby government and institutions to adopt policies that promote democracy and digital rights in general or that address information disorder in particular. Alternatively, they might seek to advocate the elimination of discriminatory or oppressive laws and the improper use of existing legislation for bad-faith attempts to address information disorder. While some of these actors try to build the capacity of individuals and media professionals to stand up for their rights, others focus directly on political authorities. Some opt for more subtle methods, such as the Working Group on Infodemics of the Forum on Information and Democracy, that developed a policy framework. For an example of an organization using this methodology, see the overview of Paradigm Initiative in Table 10. Choose Your Own Fake News About Choose Your Own Fake News is an interactive media project developed by Pollicy, a technology consulting and development firm based in Uganda. Established 2020 Reach East Africa Languages English Methods and activities The project developed a storyline with three African characters in scenarios that Africans would be familiar with. The Choose Your Own Fake News game prompts users to make decisions about how they would act in a proposed situation, giving them the opportunity to think about how mis- or disinformation works and the role they play in spreading it as secondary amplifiers. The game is based on three themes: employment (as people often fall victim to online scams promising employment), vaccine hesitancy (especially related to measles, which has been identified as a growing concern in Africa), and electoral violence (how to avoid falling victim to polarization around elections). The aim is to contextualize mis- and disinformation and also to highlight the role AI plays in spreading mis- and disinformation. Other activities Capacity building, research Challenges Online business models motivate media and other platforms to prioritize clicks and likes over truthfulness. Perspectives on information disorder “The idea that the quality of journalism has decreased over the years is not proven; contemporary news channels may just have exposed poor reporting.” “People are prone to believe the information available if they do not have access to credible news or information sources.” “A grassroots approach, such as training members of Parliament on how to use the internet, and promoting internet safety and basic digital skills, will not only encourage them to take an interest in policy issues relating to the internet but also promote effective solutions (instead of responses like shutdowns).” “What’s Crap on WhatsApp?” About “What’s Crap on WhatsApp?” is a mini-podcast production by Africa Check, Volume, and the IFCN. It is specifically designed to be accessed and shared by users of the WhatsApp platform. Established 2019 Reach Africa Languages English Methods and activities Subscribers can forward potentially false content they have received on WhatsApp. The claims are investigated by the team, after which they create a mini-podcast (five to ten minutes) validating or discrediting selected claims. The show usually covers three topics at a time and is distributed to subscribers monthly. The short, voice-based format is easy for people to access and share on WhatsApp. The voice notes also constitute a repository of messages that users can forward to people who share misinformation with them. Although the shows can be accessed online, the initiative encourages people to subscribe to have it delivered automatically to their WhatsApp account. Through being designed in this way, “What’s Crap on WhatsApp?” is able to bypass the challenges posed by WhatsApp’s encrypted platforms to reach audiences whose main media outlet is a particular social media platform. Other activities Fact checking I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH Sub -Saharan Africa – 1 53