Sierra Leone fact-checking group stresses need for more resources after election hit by fake news

African countries need more resources for fact-checking, according to a journalist who has been working to counter the spread of fake news and misinformation during Sierra Leone’s elections.

The West African country saw a “quadrupling” of fake news on election day last Saturday, said Victor Jones, an editor and co-ordinator at iVerify Sierra Leone.

The entity – which started operations in May – is associated with the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the Independent Radio Network. It has been supported by the United Nations Development Programme and BBC Media Action.

Jones said he would advise other countries – such as neighbouring Liberia, which has elections scheduled for October – to take the threat of misinformation and disinformation online very seriously. “They should start [fact-checking] now,” he said. “Ideally, except for limited resources, every newsroom in Africa, as it happens in the West, should have a research or fact-checking desk.”

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A preliminary statement released this week by the EU observers mission noted that “divisive content, circulating on social media, [had] fuelled discord”.

Disinformation was primarily spread through WhatApp groups, the mission said, meaning it could not be monitored on public accounts. Political groups on Twitter or Facebook also featured “aggressive, divisive content, exploiting ethno-regional sentiments and economic hardships”.

Even in areas with limited internet access, content passed through WhatsApp groups was shared orally with others, the EU mission said.

It praised iVerify, calling its work debunking false information and sharing its findings through 25 WhatsApp groups, “positive”.

The biggest platform where fake news spreads is WhatsApp, with Facebook coming second, Jones said. “We’ve had to be battling with these two platforms for the past two to three months.”

The results of Sierra Leone’s presidential election were announced on Tuesday. They saw incumbent Julius Maada Bio re-elected with just more than 56 per cent of the vote, according to the electoral commission. The opposition disputes this. International observers and diplomats have also raised concerns about the lack of transparency and communication by the electoral commission.

[ Sierra Leone elections: Julius Maada Bio re-elected with 56.17% of vote ]

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, and EU delegation said they applauded the Sierra Leonean people for their participation in the vote but “share the concerns of national and international observation missions about the lack of transparency in the tabulation process”.

“We urge everyone to exercise restraint, respect the rule of law, and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve disputes,” the statement concluded.

When asked how the 2018 election compared to the latest one, Jones said that “without any doubt” the 2023 election had been “threatred with violence”, partially “fuelled by the rise of fake news”.

“The negativity surrounding this particular election is alarming, it’s very high,” he said.

Bloggers affiliated to political parties caused particular problems, “throwing tantrums around, attacking one another”. He said their websites can look professional but the information is not reliable.

“What I’m talking about is someone intentionally sharing fake news to disturb public peace,” he said. As a result, iVerify has “had to be fact-checking around the clock, no time to rest”.

They also fact-checked politicians’ statements. Politicians were not campaigning with “facts”, manifestos and blueprints, focusing instead on “shenanigans, innuendos, indecent language, attacking one another, spreading malinformation, [and] character assassination”, Jones said. “This year it’s worse and the stakes are high.”