Pillars of misinformation: A closer look at the RET network
A network of social media accounts is abusing so-called radical economic transformation (RET) policy to peddle misinformation and create racial divisions on Read full article
Media
ANC must reclaim ethical high ground and undergo total reformation of its leadership culture if it wants us back | Daily Maverick
Under Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, the ANC government projected a leadership culture that was professional, diplomatic, disciplined and devoted to public service. They were sincere about improving the lives of South Africans. But President Cyril Ramaphosa inherited a fractious and dysfunctional ANC, one that had become nearly wholly compromised by the project of State …
‘Truth offensive’ needed to counter Covid-19 vaccine misinformation, says messaging expert
From paintings by artists like Xolani Sivunda to communication campaigns launched by provincial health departments, the fight against Covid-19-related misinformation is being fought on many fronts. Spotlight surveyed some of these efforts and asked health and behaviour experts what does and does not work. Read full article
COVID-19 Truth offensive
A painting shows a sick man inside a hand sanitiser bottle, surrounded with human skulls. The painting is the work of Xolani Sivunda, an artist based in Mfuleni, a township near Khayelitsha in Cape town. Read full article
Social media hype over Ivermectin is unproven and irresponsible – experts
SA’s top vaccinologists, scientists and infectious diseases experts were adamant that Ivermectin would not be authorised until sufficient data proved it to be safe and effective at the doses needed to combat Covid-19. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medicine that is being studied across the globe as a possible agent against Covid-19, and in SA is …
Social media hype over Ivermectin is unproven and irresponsible – experts Read More »
SA to receive a million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in January and 500,000 doses in February from the Serum Institute of India (SII).
Here are seven reactions to the above announcement EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has questioned the vaccine rollout; DA spokesperson Siviwe Gwarube welcomed the announcement saying “We cannot be complacent or sluggish”; and others have raised other valid concerns. Read the full story here:
What can we learn from the pandemics of the past?
From small pox in 1893 to the 1904 “Durban Plague” to the 1918 Spanish Flu to Covid-19 in 2020, South Africa has faced many scary viruses. Professor Philip Harrison, the South African research chair in spatial analysis and city planning at Wits’ Gauteng Regional City Observatory has done extensive research on past pandemics and believes …
What can we learn from the pandemics of the past? Read More »
Caolan Robertson – Part 1 of 3. farmlands – The Making of a Misleading ‘Documentary’
Caolan Robertson (pronounced “kay-lin) was one of the central figures in making right-wing politics mainstream, he worked with people like Tommy Robinson and helped them move from ‘fringe’ to mainstream political commentators. Caolan has since distanced himself from right-wing politics and is now working for ByLine Times. He now works to undo the work he …
Caolan Robertson – Part 1 of 3. farmlands – The Making of a Misleading ‘Documentary’ Read More »
Caolan Robertson – Part 3 of 3. What next? A Conversation about addressing ‘Fake News’ in the future
The final conversation with Caolan is a conversation about solutions, and about the future. Caolan has a unique perspective on how the right-wing media operates and what has made it so successful, in this episode we discuss the complexity of working to address disinformation, ‘fake news’ and hate speech online. This episode looks at what …
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