A webinar on 3 December organised by WACC and the World Council of Churches (WCC) aims to help faith communities and individuals be more effective in preventing and mitigating the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

The event “Religion and Disinformation: How to be a trusted source” is a follow-up to a 2023 webinar on the realities of misinformation and disinformation, and how religious communities have both been involved in their spread and worked to combat them.

This 90-minute session will present case studies and tools. The case studies will focus on the African context but will be applicable to other regions.

Panelists include Lekan Otufodunrin, secretary of WACC’s regional association in Africa. They will share their experience addressing misinformation – defined as sharing inaccurate or fake news believing it is true – and disinformation – defined as deliberately sharing false information.

The case studies will show how false information is spread, some ways it can be addressed, and recommend tools or approaches.

The audience will have an opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer segment. WACC Deputy General Secretary Sara Speicher will moderate the session.

The webinar, which is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, builds on previous joint work by WACC and the WCC to promote digital justice, such as the September 2021 international symposium “Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age.”

The event will be conducted in English, with French interpretation. To attend, please register in advance.

Presentation at the international symposium “Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age” in September 2021. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC