CDD Fact Check About CDD Fact Check is the fact-checking arm of the CDD, a Nigeria-based not-for-profit organization promoting sustainable democracy and development in West Africa. The CDD Fact Check unit was set up in 2018 to monitor and respond to political disinformation ahead of Nigeria’s 2019 elections. The unit has subsequently extended its focus to various types of mis- and disinformation, including related to Covid-19. Established 1997 Reach West Africa Languages Hausa, English, French Partners Media organizations, civil society organizations, national democracy agencies Methods and activities In addition to basic fact checking, CDD Fact Check sometimes does more generalized research on information disorder issues. For example, in an effort to understand the nature of disinformation and fake news, the unit examined the news ecosystem in Nigeria and produced reports on Nigeria’s fake news ecosystem and facts and fictions associated with the country’s 2019 elections. Other activities Fact checking, repository of facts, capacity building for journalists Challenges • Limited capacity to continually scan traditional and online media • Insufficient financial resources • A lack of tools to capture online content, which tends to be ephemeral Perspectives on information disorder “The information age, which ought to be a blessing to democracy, has been undermined by peddlers of mis/ disinformation. However, even with its negative externalities, the information age is helping to promote democratic norms and values. It has enabled a borderless world; we are able to hold our leaders accountable, providing the right real-time information for local and global organizing.” Section 27 About Section 27 is a public interest law center dedicated to equity and social justice in South Africa. Their work veers into the area of tackling information disorder because they deal with a lot of controversial issues (such as Covid-19 vaccines) or taboo issues (such as reproductive health) where people hold strong, often inaccurate, views. Established 2010 Reach South Africa Languages Multiple South African languages Partners Civil society, media organizations, health organizations, education NGOs, public interest law firms, legal consultants Methods and activities Section 27’s educational activities include developing self-help materials and information which are shared via the organization’s social media pages, website, and mailing lists. It also interacts with people via WhatsApp and community forums. In addition to social media, Section 27 collaborates with mainstream media, for example by writing articles or information fact sheets that are published online or in print newspapers. The organization is actively trying to strengthen work in community radio. To this end, it has run awareness-raising campaigns and held informationsharing sessions on community radio stations in different South African languages, including a recent campaign about Covid-19 and vaccines on twelve community radio stations across the country. The campaigns take the format of a talk on a particular topic, after which listeners can call in with questions, thus facilitating an open dialogue with community members. Some activities are done in person, such as Covid-19 literacy training workshops with communities alongside other NGOs. In these forums, questions from community members are used to shape the discussions and to share relevant information. Challenges • The organization’s responses are reactive rather than proactive, as most of its efforts go into creating content based on questions/issues raised by the public. • There are insufficient human resources available to translate materials into different languages. • There is limited digital access among the population. • The public distrusts information generally. Perspectives on information disorder “The damage done by disinformation at times like this puts organizations in charge of disseminating accurate info in a tough position.” “If such limitations [regulatory restrictions on information sharing] are done in a way that follows the right tests and is proportional and reasonable and justifiable and time-bound, then regulation of information can effectively deal with the disorder.” I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH Sub -Saharan Africa – 1 50