Shelley Liu interviewed about fake news in South African politics

Shelley Liu, assistant professor of public policy in Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, discussed disinformation and misinformation in South African politics and how it could affect future elections in the Good Authority article, “Understanding the fake news about South Africa’s elections.”

For the May 27 article, Kim Yi Dionne, associate professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside, and editor-in-chief for Good Authority, interviewed Liu, who has conducted research on misinformation in South African politics.

“Political disinformation in South Africa tends to touch upon very salient issues such as race and immigration – all issues intending to stoke discord, anger, and fear among recipients,” Liu said. “During the election season this has ramped up to include falsehoods about voting rules, migrants illegally registering to vote, endorsements from external figures such as Donald Trump, etc.”

The interview was part of Good Authority’s series on the 2024 South African elections.