12 December 2021, William Bird and Nomshado Lubisi, Daily Maverick
As our last piece for 2021, we wanted to start with a big thank you! There are so many to thank, like our Real411 volunteer reviewers and the Real411 secretariat. But our biggest thank you goes to all of you who take the time to submit complaints.
The Real411 system has received a little over 1,000 complaints this year – most of them Covid-19-related. One of our colleagues pointed out that this is a mere drop in the ocean of disinformation and digital harms. It may well be, but each piece that is exposed or removed undermines the network effect of the disinformers who attempt to create chaos with each post. It helps to create that much more awareness and makes it easier to spot disinformation the next time.