Findings from Afrobarometer’s most recent survey in Ghana, conducted in September-October 2019, show that social media is becoming an increasingly common source of news for Ghanaians, even though they trust it less than traditional media.

“Social media is less trusted as a source of information – only 39% of Ghanaians say they trust it “somewhat” or “a lot” – than private and public media (55% each) and government sources (54%)” the study revealed.

In a release, it was noted that Ghana could be in for a perfect storm of misinformation considering that 2020 is both an election year and a pandemic year.

The spread of misinformation, hoaxes, lies, and false claims is of course neither new nor limited to pandemics. Fake news is as old as the concept of “news” itself, but has come into intense focus through the widespread use – and abuse – of social media.

Nonetheless, Ghanaians are also clear-eyed about social media’s negative as well as positive effects on society. Supporters of unrestricted access to social media and the Internet outnumber opponents, but a majority want the government to be able to fight the spread of false information, hate speech, and other problematic content.

This was shown from the study as large majorities of Ghanaians “agree” or “strongly agree” that the government should be able to limit or prohibit the sharing of false news (77%), hate speech (69%), and news and opinions that criticize or insult the president (57%). Close to half (48%) also say the government should be able to limit the spread of information it disapproves of.

In Ghana, the dissemination of false information is a criminal offense punishable by a fine of GHS 36,000 (about $6,250) and up to five years’ imprisonment, according to Section 76 of Ghana’s Electronic Communications Act (2008). Ignorance of the fact that the information is false is not an excuse, as the act explains that “a person is taken to know that a communication is false or misleading if that person did not take reasonable steps to find out whether the communication was false, misleading, reckless or fraudulent”.

In conclusion, the study noted that, “While more and more Ghanaians are getting news from digital sources, they see both positive and negative effects of social media. More citizens favour unrestricted access to social media and the Internet than government regulation. But a majority want the government to be able to fight the spread of false information, hate speech, and other problematic content”.

It added that, “Empowering the government to regulate free speech by restricting access to digital media would violate an important tenet of democracy that Ghanaians have long fought for. Yet action is clearly desired. The government, media houses and watchdogs, and civil society can all participate in intensive public education on how to detect fake news and on the need to fact-check before sharing information. Since the spread of misinformation is not limited to social media, any intervention should address all forms and sources of false information, including government officials and politicians on the campaign trail”.

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Seven rounds of surveys were completed in up to 38 countries between 1999 and 2018. Round 8 surveys in 2019/2020 are planned in at least 35 countries. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples.