New Resource: Countering Electoral Disinformation Playbook
The rise of electoral disinformation poses a serious threat to democratic processes across Africa, distorting public discourse and undermining trust in elections. To help civil society, journalists, and election observers confront these challenges, we are excited to share the MEDiA Countering Electoral Disinformation Playbook—a comprehensive toolkit designed to detect, expose, and counter digital influence operations.
Developed as part of the Mapping Electoral Disinformation in Africa (MEDiA) project, the Playbook distils more than a decade of expertise from Code for Africa’s information integrity teams, who have worked across 28 African countries. It offers practical strategies for building information resilience, monitoring media ecosystems, and identifying harmful narratives that threaten electoral integrity.
What’s inside the Playbook?
- Frameworks for analysis: Tools like the ABCDE and D-RAIL frameworks to detect and respond to information manipulation.
- Practical guidance: Step-by-step instructions on setting up digital monitoring systems, identifying actors, and mapping influence campaigns.
- Case studies and real-life examples: Lessons from recent elections, including disinformation-for-hire networks and coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
- Security and resilience tips: Recommendations for operational safety and team organisation when working on high-stakes electoral monitoring.
The Playbook is explicitly designed as a nonpartisan resource for civic self-defence. Rather than advocating for offensive countermeasures, it provides constructive approaches to safeguard democratic dialogue while respecting freedom of expression.
You can access the playbook through the form below:
