Media, CSOs adopt measures to combat fake news ahead of Osun, 2027 elections

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Journalists, fact-checkers and civil society organisations have launched a nationwide #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign as part of efforts to curb misinformation, disinformation and hate speech ahead of the Osun State governorship election and the 2027 general elections.

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The stakeholders said Nigeria’s information ecosystem faces growing threats from coordinated misinformation capable of undermining electoral integrity, fuelling political tension and eroding public trust in democratic institutions.

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The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued on Saturday at the end of a three-day regional capacity-building workshop held during the week in Lagos under the theme, “Truth at the Ballot: Strengthening Media and Civil Society for Democratic and Peaceful Elections in Nigeria.”

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The workshop was organised by the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas in partnership with FactCheckAfrica under the European Union Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance Project.

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Participants included journalists, editors, media practitioners, fact-checkers, civil society representatives, digital rights advocates, researchers and democracy actors from the South-West and South-East geopolitical zones.

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In the communiqué, participants observed that the spread of false information on digital platforms has become a major challenge capable of influencing voter behaviour and weakening confidence in electoral processes.

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“Women, young people, persons with disabilities and minority groups remain the most vulnerable to online harassment, coordinated attacks and hate speech during election periods.

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“Participants also acknowledged that while Artificial Intelligence presents opportunities for journalism and civic engagement, it equally poses new risks through synthetic media, manipulated content and automated misinformation campaigns.

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“Electoral misinformation increasingly exploits ethnic, religious, regional and political divisions, making proactive monitoring and rapid response mechanisms essential,” the communique partly read.

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According to the communiqué, lessons from previous elections have shown that unchecked misinformation and hate speech contribute to voter suppression, political violence and declining public confidence in democratic institutions.

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The participants stressed that collaboration among journalists, fact-checkers, civil society organisations, technology platforms and electoral stakeholders would be critical to safeguarding future elections.

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As part of their commitments, the participants pledged to strengthen verification practices in their respective organisations, promote evidence-based journalism and integrate fact-checking into newsroom and advocacy processes.

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They also resolved to deploy Open-Source Intelligence, reverse image searches, geolocation techniques and Artificial Intelligence-assisted verification tools to identify and counter false information.

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The communiqué further stated that participants would support peaceful, issue-based and inclusive electoral discourse ahead of the Osun governorship election and the 2027 general elections while resisting the amplification of unverified electoral claims and divisive narratives.

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They equally committed to promoting gender-sensitive reporting, strengthening newsroom safety, conducting step-down training for colleagues and communities, and expanding media literacy initiatives.

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To encourage responsible information sharing, participants formally adopted the #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign, urging Nigerians to verify information before publishing, forwarding or sharing content on digital platforms.

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They also called on media organisations to establish dedicated verification desks and election fact-checking mechanisms, while urging development partners to continue supporting initiatives that promote information integrity, democratic resilience and peaceful elections.

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