WORLD PRESS FREEDOM & AFRIKANER “REFUGEES”

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK:

This past month, we celebrated World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, an annual reminder of the crucial role played by a free press in maintaining the integrity of democratic societies’ information ecosystems. Amid the rising tide of global disinformation, the importance of free, critical, ethical, and independent media in providing accurate information, debunking myths, and offering context and analysis cannot be overstated.

Across Africa, the media continues to face significant challenges, including government influence, control, and economic instability. Many independent media organizations on the continent rely heavily on donor funding for sustainability, particularly as competition from large tech platforms undermines their traditional revenue streams. However, this landscape is rapidly changing due to shifts in international funding, notably the recent withdrawal of US foreign aid. To better understand the potential impacts of these developments, I spoke with Dr Ruth Moon from Louisiana State University and Khadija Patel from the International Fund for Public Interest Media in one of our podcasts this month.

It has also been an eventful period in international news, notably highlighted by attention given to the arrival in the US of the first group of white Afrikaner “refugees”. This follows the Trump administration’s expressed concern over alleged persecution of farmers in South Africa. Despite clear evidence that these concerns stem from disinformation, former President Trump continued to advocate a misleading narrative of “white genocide” in discussions with South Africa’s president.

Observers widely noted Trump’s focus on leveraging these unfounded claims for his own political benefit rather than engaging with factual accuracy. Our Centre actively participated in various local and international media outlets to counteract these narratives by providing accurate information and broader context. Links to these contributions can be found in our newsletter below. Additionally, we featured a podcast interview with Kyle Cowan, the journalist who uncovered one local propagator of disinformation that ultimately reached the White House.

Finally, we are delighted to announce new additions to our growing team at the Centre. Joining us are experienced researchers Karen Allen and Yossabel Chetty, experts in the field of information integrity, alongside Abigail Cardinal, who will provide essential administrative and logistical support.

For more news about these issues, follow us on social media and keep in touch.

Thank you for reading!

Herman

IN THE MEDIA – HERMAN WASSERMAN ON THE AFRIKANER “REFUGEES”:

Democracy Now!: “Trump’s Fake Refugees”: As U.S. Welcomes White South Africans, Trump Falsely Charges “Genocide”

CINIA Director Herman Wasserman spoke to US news organisation Democracy Now! about the arrival of the Afrikaner “refugees” in the US, who he describes as “pawns, as props in a campaign that purports to promote whiteness.”

Daily Maverick: Echo chambers of misinformation — the Afrikaner Facebook groups chasing Trump’s refugee offer

Herman Wasserman recently spoke to Daily Maverick about misinformation and other messages spreading across social media in the wake of the arrival of Afrikaners granted refugee status by the Trump administration.

Newzroom Afrika: Trump’s genocide myth dispelled

Herman Wasserman was interviewed by Newzroom Afrika regarding President Donald Trump’s claims of a genocide taking place in South Africa. This misinformation with which President Trump confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa is of local origin, amplified by social media users, says Wasserman.

AJ+: Are white South Africans taking up Trump’s offer to become “refugees” in the U.S.?

“[Trump is] casting himself as the defender of an embattled white people, not only in the U.S., but globally”, says Herman Wasserman, in a recent interview with AJ+. The interveiw focused on the decision by the Trump administration to welcome Afrikaner “refugees’ to the USA.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – TACKLING DISINFORMATION IN FOUR AFRICAN ELECTIONS

A new report examining disinformation in four African elections reveals how coordinated dis-/mis-information efforts helped shape narratives in the lead-up to and during key elections between 2022-2024.

Co-authored by four researchers, including Herman Wasserman, the study highlights emerging patterns in disinformation, the resilience of counter-coalitions, and actionable insights to help protect electoral integrity across Africa and the world.

WHAT WE’RE READING:

1. Early last week, claims of a coup d’etat taking place in Ivory Coast began circling on social media sites. However, no violence was reported by any government authorities or reisdents of the capital Abidjan. According to Ivory Coast’s National Agency for Information Systems Security, the claim was “completely unfounded” and was “the result of a deliberate and coordinated disinformation campaign”, writes Shola Lawal for Aljazeera.
2. Grok, the AI chatbot created by X, recently began spewing disinformation about a so-called white genocide taking place in South Africa, no matter the question posed to it. This malfunction was a “calculated assulat on South Africa’s sovreignty and reflects an ongoing effort to use social media to spread disinformation, writes Qaanitah Hunter for News24.
3. Writing after a Media20 event hosted at the French Residence in Pretoria, Michael Markovitz explores the threats to information integrity, from declining press freedom to the rise of disinformation and the misuse of AI, and the impact these pose to democracy.

PODCAST: TWATTERBAAS – UNPACKING THE INVESTIGATION WITH KYLE COWAN THAT REVEALED THE IDENTITY BEHIND AN ANONYMOUS X ACCOUNT

CINIA researcher Yossabel Chetty spoke to News24 Journalist Kyle Cowan about the recent investigation that he conducted to uncover the identity of the person behind the infamous Twatterbaas account on X. The account, which has over 100,000 followers, including Elon Musk, has been spreading and amplifying misleading narratives about the true state of crime in South Africa.

PODCAST: US FUNDING CUTS – HOW ECONOMIC FRAGILITIES CAN IMPACT MEDIA INTEGRITY

On World Press Freedom Day, earlier this month, we delved into the economic fragilities facing the journalism industry which have been further amplified by USAID funding cuts. CINIA’s Herman Wasserman was joined by Ruth Moon from Louisiana State University and Khadija Patel from the International Fund for Public Interest Media to discuss the impact of funding on media integrity and what the future of African journalism might look like.

LOOKING AHEAD: CINIA PARTICIPATION IN A BY-INVITATION COLLOQUIUM IN TORONTO

In early June Herman Wasserman and Dr Meli Ncube, a member of the CINIA steering committee, will take part in a by-invitation colloquium of journalists, researchers, and others involved with the integrity of public information about current affairs.

Herman will be speaking in a panel focused on advancing the standards of practice for news’ integrity and Meli will be moderating a series of presentations on news as a public service.

The colloquium, in Toronto, Canada is being hosted in partnership with the CINIA and other organisations.

*This originally appeared in CINIA’s monthly newsletter which provides a monthly roundup of CINIA’s work and all the major talking points from the world of information disorder and information integrity. You can read the original here.