Political Polarization, Fact-Checking, and Misinformation in Ghana

media release: Africa Talks is a new monthly talk series purposefully launched by the African Studies Program at UW-Madison in collaboration with the African Center for Community Development, Inc to coincide with the 50^th Anniversary of Africa at Noon. This year, we want to celebrate 50 years of sharing scholarships on campus by reminding our community that the work we do must extend beyond the walls of the university. Advanced graduate student affiliates of the African Studies Program will present a one-hour talk to community members at the Community Relations office in UW South Madison Partnership (UWSMP). Read more about this partnership at Capital City Hues.

Recent presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana show that the country is increasingly becoming politically polarized. Beyond politics, there are other lines of division such as ethnicity, religion, cultural and territorial differences. Dis/misinformation thrives in countries with deep ideological and political differences. In this talk, I explore the complex interrelationship between political polarization, misinformation, journalism practice, and fact-checking.

Speaker’s Bio

Eric Boansi Agyekum is a PhD student at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UW-Madison. His research interest lies in fact-checking, media representation, and misinformation. Before joining UW-Madison, he was a lecturer in the Journalism and Media Studies Faculty at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. He has extensive knowledge in media and communication from both academia and industry, having worked in journalism and advertising before joining GIJ.