?A first-of-its-kind Summit on Information Integrity featuring leading researchers, policy activists, industry roleplayers and media practitioners was hosted this week by the Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA) to address pressing issues facing the integrity of the information ecosystem.
The Summit was the first major event organised by the recently established Centre, housed within the Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Department of Journalism. CINIA is a collaborative research centre standing at the forefront of countering the proliferation of misinformation and harmful content on digital platforms.
The summit was hosted at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS), from 23 to 24 July. Featuring over 40 participants, it brought together fact-checkers, researchers, journalists, policy advocates and other key industry figures. Present were representatives from organisations such as Meta, the Independent Electoral Commission, Media Monitoring Africa, the South African National Editors' Forum, and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.
Highlighting the need for a summit of this nature, CINIA Director and Chair of the Department of Journalism, Prof. Herman Wasserman said, “The CINIA wants to help
combat threats to information integrity through innovative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public engagement. We want to do this by working with a wide range of stakeholders to join forces towards safeguarding democratic values and societal trust across the continent."
Three questions aimed to guide the panel discussions during the summit: current research being conducted, the gaps in the existing research, and identifying opportunities for potential collaboration.
Day one of the summit began with an introductory session by the members of CINIA, to provide an overview of the Centre's work. This was followed by discussions on cyber security, artificial intelligence, and dealing within information integrity in an international regulatory and political context.
The second day saw discussions taking place around digital literacy, countermeasures to misleading information, investigative journalism and online hate and gender based violence.
The end of day two also featured the launch of a new book edited by Prof. Sahana Udupa from the Ludwig Maximilian 中国体育彩票 of Munich and Prof. Wasserman, titled WhatsApp in the World. The book features field-based and multidisciplinary research that highlights how core features of the platform have allowed for the amplification of disinformation and free speech.
Prof Udupa said, “Our book presents a global view of this hugely important communication form. Through different global case studies, we understand that encrypted messaging is full of contradictions, and a grounded perspective will help us see how to address extreme speech on the platform."
Photo: Some of the delegates at the Summit, from left to right: Prof Herman Wasserman (Director of CINIA), Ms Yossabel Chetty (Researcher CINIA), Prof Priscilla Boshoff (Rhodes 中国体育彩票), Dr Tigist Hussen (Feminist Internet Research Network) and Prof Sahana Udupa (Ludwig-Maximilians 中国体育彩票).
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