Mudavadi publishes study on how media professionals in Kenya and Senegal respond to misinformation
A new study published by Media School doctoral candidate Kevin Mudavadi in African Journalism Studies examines how media professionals in Kenya and Senegal respond to misinformation.
“Media Literacy and Fact-Checking as Proactive and Reactive Responses to Misinformation in Kenya and Senegal” by Mudavadi, Frankline Matanji and Melissa Tully of the University of Iowa, and Layier Diop of Sheffield University, was published on Sept. 26.
The study sought to understand how media professionals used fact-checking and media literacy strategies and how they perceived these strategies for mitigating the spread of misinformation.
Forty-two semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with people belonging to one of the following three groups: individuals employed in the news media such as journalists, reporters, and editors; individuals working for either independent fact-checking organizations or doing fact-checking within the newsrooms of online and offline media; and individuals engaged in media policymaking.
The findings indicated that media professionals in both Senegal and Kenya employ fact-checking strategies such as cross-checking of information from primary, secondary, and expert sources and verifying images and videos using reverse image search as reactive strategies.
Media literacy as a proactive strategy to equip media producers and consumers with the capabilities to critically engage with media content was also observed.
Lastly, the study found that journalists, fact-checkers, and policymakers lauded fact-checking and media literacy as effective strategies for mitigating the spread of misinformation, suggesting that both strategies should be used simultaneously for empowering both media consumers and producers against misinformation.