Reporting Elections, Safety and Security of Journalists • • themselves freely when good quality informa- tion is available to voters and citizens. Fake news disrupts the information ecosystem. Poorly informed voters are unlikely to make good choices during elections. This often leads to the election of incompetent, corrupt governments. The long-term effects of this are the erosion of public confidence in the democratic process as well as the emergence of populist, undemocratic regimes. Fake news also tends to deepen divisions and incite violence. Why fact-checking is important • Given the evident threat that information disorder (or fake news) is to democracy and social cohesion, there have been attempts to combat this phenomenon using regulation. • Some undemocratic governments have also sought to use the emergence of ‘fake news’ as • an excuse to stifle media freedom and free expression. • The regulation route poses obvious risks to democracy. • A more effective way of fighting the information disorder is by equipping citizens with the tools • they can use to evaluate the information they receive. • This is why fact-checking is vital. Basic Fact-checking steps 1. Who said it? 2. Verify with other sources 65