The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has issued a powerful and urgent call to action, framing the fight against disinformation not merely as a matter of media ethics, but as a fundamental defense of human rights. In a newly released policy brief, the Commission warns that a resilient and diverse media ecosystem is one of the most effective shields a democracy can possess against the corrosive spread of false information. The document, titled the Human Rights and Information Integrity Policy Brief, is a comprehensive framework designed to tackle the growing challenge of misinformation and disinformation while steadfastly protecting the constitutional rights to freedom of expression and access to information. It represents a significant shift in how the country’s guardians of human rights view the digital information landscape, moving beyond seeing it as a technical or communications problem to recognizing it as a direct threat to the very fabric of society.
The genesis of this policy lies in a high-level summit hosted by the SAHRC in Gqeberha in July 2025. That gathering served as a pivotal moment, effectively changing the national conversation by declaring that disinformation is no longer just a nuisance or a byproduct of a noisy public square, but a measurable and serious human rights threat. The summit brought together experts, civil society, and policymakers to grapple with the scale of the problem, and its conclusions now form the backbone of the policy brief. The Commission’s analysis is grounded in a stark observation: disinformation does not flourish in a vacuum. It is far more likely to take root and spread in environments where access to reliable, independent information is scarce, particularly among marginalized communities and those who are underserved by mainstream media and language offerings. This insight is crucial, as it connects the problem of false information directly to issues of inequality, social exclusion, and the failure of existing information systems to serve all citizens equitably.
At the heart of the Commission’s argument is a robust defense of independent journalism as a public good that requires active and deliberate state support. The policy brief argues that public policy must move beyond a passive stance and actively foster an environment where independent journalism can thrive. This involves a suite of targeted interventions, including fiscal incentives for public-interest journalism, the creation of sustainable funding models for investigative reporting, and significantly greater support for content production in indigenous and minority languages. The SAHRC points to successful examples like South Africa’s GroundUp, a non-profit news agency dedicated to human rights and public-interest journalism, as living proof that independent, donor-supported journalism can play a significant role in exposing false narratives, holding power to account, and strengthening democratic participation. By highlighting such models, the Commission is making a clear case that investing in quality journalism is not a luxury but a necessity for a healthy democracy.
The policy brief also ventures into more complex and potentially contentious territory by raising the possibility of platform-based funding mechanisms. It suggests that levies on digital advertising revenue, which currently flows overwhelmingly to a few large tech companies, could be a viable means of supporting public-interest journalism. This idea, which has been debated in various forms around the world, is presented as a way to rebalance the economics of the digital information ecosystem. However, the Commission is careful to stress a critical caveat: any such mechanisms must be designed with the utmost care to protect editorial independence and freedom of expression. The goal is not to create a state-controlled media, but to create a sustainable financial foundation for independent journalism that is free from both government and corporate influence. This delicate balancing act—between providing support and ensuring independence—is a central theme of the Commission’s recommendations.
To guide all responses to these information integrity challenges, the policy brief is underpinned by five key principles: accuracy, necessity, proportionality, transparency, and accountability. These principles are intended to serve as a compass for policymakers, platforms, and media organizations alike, ensuring that any measures taken to combat disinformation are themselves ethical, measured, and respectful of fundamental rights. Building on this foundation, the SAHRC has outlined five priority policy recommendations. These include a call for stronger platform accountability measures to ensure that social media companies take greater responsibility for the content they host and amplify. The Commission also recommends the establishment of a well-funded early-warning and rapid-response system, which would be crucial for periods of heightened risk, such as elections or times of public unrest, when disinformation can spread with devastating speed and impact. Furthermore, the brief calls for a comprehensive review of existing legal frameworks to ensure they are fit for purpose in the digital age, enhanced support for independent media and fact-checking initiatives, and sustained investment in digital literacy and civic education to empower citizens to critically evaluate the information they encounter.
For the media sector itself, the Commission’s recommendations reinforce long-standing calls for greater support for public-interest journalism, community media, and local-language reporting. These are not seen as niche interests but as essential pillars of South Africa’s democratic information ecosystem. The policy brief makes it clear that a healthy democracy requires a plurality of voices, and that the media landscape must reflect the diversity of the nation it serves. Ultimately, the SAHRC’s policy brief is a clarion call for a collective, society-wide response to the threat of disinformation. It argues that protecting the integrity of our information environment is not just the job of journalists or fact-checkers, but a shared responsibility of government, tech companies, civil society, and every citizen. By framing the issue in terms of human rights, the Commission elevates the stakes, reminding us that the fight against disinformation is ultimately a fight for the right to know, the right to participate, and the right to live in a society where truth has a fighting chance. The brief serves as a roadmap, not just for South Africa, but as a potential model for other nations grappling with the same existential challenge to their democratic institutions.