KIGALI: A coalition of Rwandan media organisations and Africa Check, supported by Google News Initiative, have partnered to fact-check information ahead of the July 2024 general elections.
The media regulatory body the Rwanda Media Commission, the Association of Rwandan Journalists, media organisation New Times Rwanda and PAX PRESS, a media development non-profit organisation, have teamed up to establish an information integrity coalition that will bring together editors, journalists and media outlets in Rwanda to support public debate.
The coalition’s goal is “to ensure voters get accurate information to make informed decisions at the polling booth on election day”. Newsrooms and civil society organisations are invited to join the coalition. Discussions are ongoing with other Rwandan media outlets.
Rwandans will vote from July 14 to 16, 2024, to elect the president of the republic and parliamentarians. The coalition came ahead of the official campaign period which began on 22 June 2024.
“We are keen to establish a home-grown collaborative community to give Rwandans accurate and reliable information, and to counter misinformation and disinformation ahead of the July elections,” said Edmund Kagire, a commissioner of the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC). “We will begin with elections and expand to other important topics such as health, environment, the economy, and climate change, giving reliable information to fuel sustainable development.”
Albert Baudouin Twizeyimana, the national coordinator of PAX PRESS, said Rwanda needed a collaborative organisation that works to check the facts and give people credible information.
“There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation that comes out during the election period. PAX PRESS has been working in media development in Rwanda, and from that experience, we know that we must work with journalists, editors and other players in the information ecosystem to amplify accurate information, debunk falsehoods, and give people reliable information,” Twizeyimana said.
With funding support from Google News Initiative and technical support from Africa Check, a non-partisan leader in information resilience in Africa, the Rwandan coalition will verify political claims, offer voters trustworthy, unbiased information on important topics, and conduct in-depth knowledge transfer on media literacy.
“Africa Check has worked on successful election information integrity coalitions in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and, more recently, South Africa. We have been perfecting our model of bringing together news organisations and civil society in different African countries. We are very proud to work with Rwandan organisations as they deliver reliable information during this important election season,” said Aretha Mashotana, the head of engagement and partnerships at Africa Check.
Africa Check’s contribution will include media and digital literacy work, and fact-checking support to coalition members.
Africa Check’s Kenya editor Alphonce Shiundu conducted a two-day training for 31 journalists from 26 media houses in Rwanda on June 20-21, 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda. The training for the coalition members ended just as the country began the official campaign period on 22 June 2024.
