In October 2025, researchers from across the Global South gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, for the closing workshop of the three-year project, Resisting Information Disorder in the Global South, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The workshop, hosted by InternetLab (Latin America), brought together partners from the ARIJ Network (Middle East and North Africa – MENA), LIRNEasia (Asia), Research ICT Africa (Africa), and Stellenbosch University, who have spent the last three years studying how misinformation moves through their regions, and what practical solutions might actually work.

Over two days, on October 13 and 14, the teams presented the final results of their research, comparing how information disorder manifests in different political, cultural, and technological landscapes. These comprehensive study findings will later be published in a collective volume, which is scheduled to be published in January 2026.

Alongside the internal workshop, InternetLab also organised a public event that drew an audience of more than 50 journalists, offering them a chance to hear directly from research teams whose work spans three regions. The public session featured two panels – “Journalism, Disinformation, and Regulation” and “Media Consumption and Disinformation.”

 

What the research teams shared

Across both the workshop and the public event, each organisation brought a different lens to the table, revealing how misinformation takes shape in their regions and the solutions being tested.

InternetLab opened with a deep dive into how people in Latin America navigate a chaotic, emotionally charged information environment. Drawing on over 6,000 survey responses and extensive qualitative work, their research showed that most Latin Americans feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and are unsure how to verify what they encounter. They move between platforms – especially social media, messaging apps, TV, and online news sites – trying to make sense of conflicting narratives. Despite this, people often rely on informal and personal cues of trust, such as who shared the information, rather than verifying the content itself. They also highlighted how political identity and local context strongly shape trust: for example, people on the political right tend to distrust mainstream media and rely more heavily on social networks, while those in rural areas show more trust in high-audience TV or radio.

ARIJ Network shared findings from their ten-country study in the Middle East and North Africa. They identified political pressures, security constraints, and unprofessional media practices as major drivers of information disorder. In many MENA countries, journalists face limited access to reliable official information, pushing them towards sensational or poorly verified content. They talked of a concept that caught the attention of Brazilian journalists: the “silent communicator syndrome.” When official institutions withhold information, it creates a vacuum that misinformation quickly fills. Furthermore, their research on fact-checking revealed a surprising gap as many newsrooms mistakenly equate fact-checking with basic proofreading or source checking. Their work highlighted the need for stronger pre-publication verification processes, sustainable funding for fact-checking organisations, and clear policies to guide responsible newsroom use of AI tools.

Research ICT Africa brought the conversation into the realm of artificial intelligence. Their research focused on how engagement-driven algorithms amplify misinformation across the continent, especially during elections and public health crises. They emphasised that AI doesn’t simply distribute content, it shapes what people believe by rewarding engagement and sensationalism over accuracy. Their presentation raised important questions about how African governments balance the use of AI for governance while also fearing its potential to undermine their control of information. They argued for stronger collaboration between governments and media organisations to ensure AI is used ethically, transparently, and in ways that protect democratic participation.

Finally, LIRNEasia shared findings from Sri Lanka, where researchers explored whether short, interactive media and information literacy interventions could help children recognise and resist misinformation. This year-long study followed 90 children from three districts, tracking not just what they learned, but what they remembered and applied months later. The results were encouraging: children who attended the training became more aware of misinformation, more cautious about what they shared, and more skilled at recognising suspicious content. But the study also revealed that interactive, hands-on activities were far more effective than theory-heavy lessons. The research team emphasised that effective digital literacy must be practical, engaging, and reinforced over time.

Across the two days, it became clear that while the challenges facing each region are shaped by local politics, media systems, and technologies, the underlying patterns of misinformation are strikingly similar. What the workshop ultimately demonstrated is that misinformation is a global challenge that demands both structural solutions and human-centred ones. 

By Iyanthi Kulatilaka (Junior Researcher, LIRNEasia)