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Governance and information integrity : the role of fact-checking in promoting public accountability and transparency in the Gambia
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Florence : European University Institute, 2025
EUI; STG; Master Thesis
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CAMARA, Omar, Governance and information integrity : the role of fact-checking in promoting public accountability and transparency in the Gambia, Florence : European University Institute, 2025, EUI, STG, Master Thesis - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/93833
Abstract
Around the world, fact-checking initiatives have become important tools to demand public accountability and transparency and promote good governance in emerging democracies like The Gambia. After decades of authoritarian rule by Yahya Jammeh (1994–2017), The Gambia’s media is becoming increasingly independent, aided by a growing use of digital and social media. According to the Afrobarometer survey 2023, 82% of Gambians believe that the media is more free now than under Jammeh. Fact Check Center–The Gambia and Factcheck Gambia are fact-checking organizations that verify what people say in public and to debunk misleading information. Through surveys and semi-structured interviews with journalists, policymakers, and civil society actors, along with case studies of prominent fact-checking initiatives, this research evaluates the role of fact-checking for greater governance and accountability. The results indicate that most respondents (84.7%) used social media as the main source of information. However, it is also a major source of misinformation regarding COVID-19. Public trust in fact-checkers (30.1%) is also higher than trust in mainstream media. However, there are still gaps in this, especially among rural people with low media literacy. According to the research, 87% of respondents think that fact-checking is essential for democracy but not everyday accountability of institutions. The three main losses encompass financing issues, political meddling and low-level digital knowledge. This study adds to the growing research on media and governance in transitional democracies and offers lessons for improving accountability functions in The Gambia.
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Award date: 13 June 2025
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Alain Lempereur (European University Institute)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Alain Lempereur (European University Institute)