Consumers of media products should make it a habit to access a variety of quality information sources to gain a better understanding of the information provided so that they are able to draw their own conclusions about the true version of the stories. Disinformation is another challenge that is brought about by the lack of MIL in SADC and is the increase in the dissemination of fake news, which is enabled mainly by features such as anonymity, or by using pseudonyms. In August 2020, the Digital Manipulation Project at the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC), investigated an orchestrated Xenophobia campaign, and unmasked the identities of those behind the malicious campaign. (11) To identify fake news, users must be able to firstly analyse any information they receive, and then verify the source and content. These are some of the skills that are taught in MIL education across the southern African region. Once it has been established to be fake news, it must be debunked, and people should be informed as to why it shouldn’t be shared any further. Media consumers should be enabled to verify information by reading beyond the headline, conduct research online accessing various sources and debunk it by sharing the truth they uncover, with their sources. Ample examples of false news in southern Africa involving photos and videos, of for example the late former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s blue roof mansion, exists. In reality, this mansion belongs to American celebrities. The other is the infamous Pollsmoor prison photograph of former South African president Jacob Zuma that went viral in 2021 following his conviction and prison sentence. (12) (13) In Mozambique, the Islamic State published information about an attack in Palma, but it was declared fake in April 2021 as the photos were not of Palma, but rather of Mocimboa “Media consumers should be enabled to verify information by reading beyond the headline, conduct research online accessing various sources and debunk it by sharing the truth they uncover, with their sources. da Praia. (14) These are just some of the examples of how photos can be manipulated to change the meaning of the messages and cause confusion. In MIL, the communities are empowered with photo and video verification skills while also being educated about a variety of tools available such as Google reverse image search and TinEye to check the truthfulness and authenticity of photos and videos. Fake photos and videos create false narratives to elicit strong emotions and reactions from users. Another form of disinformation is character-based rumours and hoaxes as they are fabricated and false. More and more people are taking false news on social media to courts under the defamation of character criminalisation. In Namibia, the first lady Monica Geingob and Justice minister Yvonne Dausab as well as several celebrities have all made police reports against those who spread defamatory and false information about them on social media. (15) There is no age restriction to liability of what we spread on social media. In 2020, a teenager was arrested in Zambia on three counts of libel for defaming the then Zambian president Edgar Lungu on Facebook. (16) The defamation laws give respite to victims; however, it points once again to a lack of MIL where a user is critical, and reflective of the information and media messages they create. There has always been the concern that these defamation laws can be used to restrict freedom of speech. In the early 2000s, Article 19, a worldwide watchdog organisation and champion for responsible freedom of speech and rightful access to information, examined the constitutions as well as the laws used to prosecute defamation suspects in SADC member states. The report revealed that most countries have increasingly used these laws in recent years. (17) STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 65 standards were breached, which the media ombudsman’s office investigated and subsequently, the case was dismissed in its entirety.