In a world where a single misleading post can circle the globe before an official statement has even been drafted, government communicators are fighting a battle that cannot be won with facts alone. A new study by Zanele Mngadi, conducted as part of her Bachelor of Public Administration Honours degree at MANCOSA, set out to understand how a national government department in South Africa manages social media in an era of rampant misinformation and disinformation. The research, based on interviews with nine communication practitioners who manage the department’s online platforms, reveals a deeply human challenge: people want information that is…

In the heart of India’s capital, where the streets often echo with the voices of dissent and democracy, a new and insidious force has crept into the chaos of protest. It is not a physical presence, but a digital phantom—an array of artificial intelligence tools deployed to blur the line between reality and fabrication. During recent demonstrations in Delhi, as citizens gathered to voice their demands, a parallel battle was being waged in the shadows of the internet. The Delhi Police, through its specialized Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit, stumbled upon a disturbing phenomenon: websites and social media platforms…