June 12, 2024
Longer description:
In 2024, more than two billion people across more than 50 countries — almost half the world’s population — will vote in elections. These elections will require the energy and dedication of millions of people to uphold the right to vote. They run polling stations, knock on doors, hold election debates, and much more. Each small or big contribution adds to the overall effort to protect democracy.
Over the past decade, country-led election coalitions have emerged as a powerful tool for combating misinformation online. By bringing together news organisations, fact checkers, and community groups from within each country, coalitions can work together to serve the voters of each country in a way that meets their specific needs in the run-up to an election.
Election coalitions are especially good at sharing resources and insights. By working together to identify the claims that are causing the most harm, and by amplifying the impact of each individual organisation’s efforts to debunk it, election coalitions can serve millions of voters at a time when they most need reliable information.
Mevan shares the key findings from a six month research project involving interviews with fifteen global experts which culminated in the development of an election coalitions playbook. The research provides insights and identifies best practices from some of the most successful election coalitions from the past decade.The findings show there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating an election coalition to combat misinformation during an election. But there are some common themes, questions, approaches, and ideas that all successful coalitions share.
Come away asking the right questions to build or support the development of the best coalitions possible and ultimately serve millions of voters with the best information available at a vital time in support of democracy.