Approximately 64.4% of Ghanaians, according to a research, “ignore” and take no action to protest or warn others about inaccurate information or fake news in the media.
The African Center for Quality Journalism and Research, a neutral think group, undertook a two-month study between October and November 2024 called the Disinformation Status Report of Ghana, which includes this revelation.
Approximately 35.6% of respondents, out of 89.2% who reported having come across fake news in the media, say they typically “comment” beneath such stories, 19.7% say they “report it,” and 7.6% say they “send it to a friend.”
About 68.2% of respondents said they visited “credible websites,” 19.7% said they performed a “Google search,” 6.8% said they “asked a friend,” and 5.3% were unsure when asked how they recognized fake news in the media, according to the research.
According to the study, around 37.4% of respondents selected television as their trusted news or information source, followed by “online news websites” (26.7%) and social media (26%).
Newspapers are the other reliable source of information, according to the survey, with 6.1% and 3.1% of respondents, respectively, stating that they trust information from “family and friends.”
With 0.8% of respondents choosing radio as their information source, the study revealed that radio is the least trusted source among respondents.
2,000 respondents nationally took part in this study, which was carried out by the African Center for Quality Journalism and Research between October and November 2024.
“The study aimed to understand the threat of disinformation campaigns to Ghana’s 2024 General Election. It also focused on assessing the Ghanaian electorate’s knowledge of disinformation campaigns, their ability to detect fake news in the media, and ways to combat the spread of false information,” the Disinformation Status Report of Ghana said.
Approximately 71.2% of the responders are men, 28% are women, and 0.8% would rather withhold their gender.
Five percent of the survey’s participants are not registered to vote in the next election, while approximately 94.6% of them are registered voters (of whom 11.4% are first-time voters).
A nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank, the African Center for Quality media and Research uses digital tools and data to advance public accountability and quality media throughout Africa.
Source: newsthemegh.com