A media expert has urged the public to be aware of misinformation and disinformation circulating on social media as this can affect them in their decision-making. Media Monitors Director Farisai Chaniwa said social media has seen a rise in information disorders.
“The rise of misinformation has a negative impact as it creates a false narrative among people thereby affecting how they make decisions. During the elections, there was a lot of misinformation and disinformation circulating in both traditional and social media which affected the electorate’s decision. It also deters other people from participating in critical issues that affect their day-to-day lives,” she said.
Chaniwa also added that consumers of information should use various ways of fact-checking before believing everything they read or hear from the media.
“Fact-checking is necessary in checking the truthfulness of the information before believing it. It is very important in the fight against misinformation and disinformation. If one does not have technological tools for fact-checking, they can verify the information by checking the credibility of the source before forwarding information they are not sure of,” she added.
Chaniwa was speaking on the sidelines of a media training workshop on New Trends and Emerging Practices on Misinformation and Disinformation in Election information held in Bulawayo and organised by Misa Zimbabwe