R2K warns SA to be careful on Social Media
Written by Lethiwe Mdluli on 4 April, 2019
By: Sanelisiwe Dlangamandla
The Right2Know campaign, says South Africans need to be critical when they use their media especially in an election period.
The Independent Electoral Commission has partnered with Media Monitoring Africa and launched an online reporting platform, aimed at addressing the dissemination of false information ahead of next month’s elections.
R2K’s, Mark Weinberg, says the internet is becoming the dominant platform where people receive information.
“The trend around the world is towards targeted advertising aimed at shaping the outcome of the election. We know that the ANC for an example has got a very big budget for online advertising. You have to wonder what stories are getting onto your news-feed and why. There’s obviously the risk of misinformation, fake news and fake news being paid for and promoted by political interests,” says Weinberg.
