Mudavadi publishes article on perceptions of misinformation in Kenya and Senegal
A new article by Media School doctoral candidate Kevin Mudavadi examines how key stakeholders in Africa – such as journalists, fact-checkers, policy experts, and educators – perceive responses to misinformation to address its spread.
“Stakeholder perceptions of regulatory responses to misinformation in Kenya and Senegal,” by Mudavadi, Frankline Matanji of the University of Iowa, Layier Diop of Francis Marion University, Melissa Tully of the University of Iowa, and Dani Madrid-Morales of the University of Sheffield, was published May 23 in Journalism.
The article was based on an analysis of 46 interviews with media professionals and other key stakeholders from Kenya and Senegal. Mudavadi found diverging perceptions of what regulatory interventions are needed to slow the spread of misinformation in the two countries. Stakeholders in Kenya advocated for self-regulation while Senegal called for more government regulation to address misinformation.
The study was funded by a Grant to Enhance Research on COVID-19 and the Pandemic from the University of Houston and by Villanova University’s Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society.