February 4, 2026 – Executive Director of FactSpace West Africa, Rabiu Alhassan, participated in an online debate hosted by Africanews on information disorder.
The hour-long debate under the theme: “Why misinformation spreads faster than truth,” was moderated by Africanews journalist Michael Oduor. Other discussants aside from Rabiu were psychologist Michael Asaku-Yeboah; a lecturer in Journalism and Digital Media, Dr Trust Matsilele, and a Senior Special Assistant on Digital Communications to the Nigerian President, O’tega Ogra.
Opening the debate, the moderator emphasized that the discussion was driven by the growing speed and reach of misinformation in the digital age, noting that “Now a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”
Speaking on the effectiveness of information verification as a means to combating misinformation, Rabiu emphasised that fact-checking remains effective when grounded in the understanding of local context.
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He explained that fact-checking strategies must go beyond simply correcting falsehoods and instead leverage existing community systems and networks to ensure verified information reaches and meaningfully engages the public.
“Fact-checking actually works, but there is the need to be more nuanced in giving the response than just saying fact-checking works…based on the understanding of local nuances and contexts, there are times we strategise to ensure that, whatever checks we produce, or verified information we produce leveraging on already existing systems and networks, we are able to make the most in terms of reaching the public and engaging the public,” he said.
Rabiu also stressed that political actors cannot be excluded from accountability, noting that “a significant portion of our fact-checks focus on claims made by politicians that turn out to be inaccurate or partially false.”
Weighing in on the speed that false information travels as compared to truth, psychologist Michael Asaku-Yeboah explained that the spread of misinformation is largely rooted in human cognition rather than a lack of intelligence.
“The uncomfortable truth is that we have all shared misinformation, whether we like it or not. And it is not because we are not intelligent and it is not because we are not educated. It is a simple thing that our brains are wired in a certain way … That we tend to be more susceptible to protecting ourselves and our environment and our neighbours and our friends and our family than actually taking the time to go step by step to really make sure that the information we are getting is accurate,” he added.
Aide to the Nigerian president, O’tega Ogra argued that misinformation spreads faster because it is deliberately engineered to trigger emotions.
According to him, false information is designed to provoke fear and anger making it more likely to travel far, while truth often lacks the same emotional pull. He also stressed the need for governments to take a more proactive approach to communication.
From a media systems perspective, Dr Trust Matsilele described misinformation as easier to monetise and amplify. “It is easier to profit or it’s easier to monetise anything that can go viral like misinformation, disinformation, fake news.
“It easily goes viral because it focuses on what is simple, and in large part that lacks nuance, that requires verification. And in most cases, people struggle to process information that requires nuance, that requires verification,” he explained.
By the end of the debate, the panel broadly agreed that while social media accelerates the spread of false information, misinformation is ultimately driven by human behaviour. As Dr Matsilele noted, “I would not say social media is inherently a problem, it helps us to see the problem. I think that certainly, the problem is human beings. We love fake news, especially if it helps aid our deep interest.”
What is the Africanews debate about?
Africanews is a pan-African news channel that broadcasts in English and French. It is a subsidiary of Lyon-based Euronews. They run satellite and online TV channels as well as digital platforms.
The Africanews Debates is a platform where topical African issues are discussed with experts within and outside of the continent. The topics range from the economy, politics, environment and diplomacy.
