Across West Africa, elections are more than political events; they are moments of collective decision-making, national soul-searching, and sometimes intense social pressure. In that atmosphere, the quality of information can be as important as the number of ballots cast. That is why the Economic Community of West African States, better known as ECOWAS, has quietly made one of its most significant investments in the minds of citizens: training more than 500 journalists across 12 member states to confront electoral disinformation and strengthen the integrity of the information environment. This effort recently found expression in a two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists…

The first light of dawn filtered through the grimy windows of Seoul Station, casting long shadows over the men and women who had claimed the cold floor as their bed for the night. For them, the arrival of a new day was not a promise of opportunity, but a test of sheer endurance—fighting off hypothermia, hunger, and the crushing weight of social invisibility. Yet, even amidst their struggle, they found themselves the subject of a toxic and viral urban myth. A rumor sweeping across Korean social media claimed that these individuals, who were merely fighting to survive another night, were…