Gendered disinformation
A 45-minute course for Ugandan journalists. Spot it, verify it and report it responsibly.
Download the slides (PDF, 1.6 MB)
By the end, you can
- Recognise gendered disinformation and its four common tactics.
- Run a five-question check before you publish or share.
- Report on targeted women without amplifying the smear.
- Document and report abuse, and know where to find support.
The course
A rumour reaches your WhatsApp
A doctored image and a rumour about a woman politician are spreading in group chats. This is a fictional example. Write down your answers before you go on: Would you share it? What would you do first?
What is gendered disinformation?
False or misleading stories that target women because of their gender, to discredit or silence them. Four common tactics:
- Sexualised smears: fake or doctored intimate images, including deepfakes, and rumours about her sex life.
- Morality and family: attacks on her character, marriage or motherhood instead of her work.
- “Unfit” narratives: claims she is too emotional, too ambitious or not qualified to lead.
- Pile-ons: coordinated waves of abuse and false claims meant to make her go quiet.
The five-question check
- Source: who posted it first?
- Evidence: can the image or claim be verified?
- Motive: who benefits if it spreads?
- Gender lens: would this be said about a man?
- Harm: does reporting it spread it further?
Try it: apply the five questions to the scenario in Part 1. In a group, take one case card each and compare answers.
Rewrite it, do not repeat it
- Lead with the verified fact.
- Do not repeat the smear in a headline or intro.
- Do not republish the image.
- On air, explain what was checked and do not read the claim out.
Try it: rewrite a headline or radio intro of your own that repeats a smear.
Protect yourself and your colleagues
- Screenshot and save links, dates and usernames.
- Report to the platform and block.
- Secure your accounts with strong passwords and two-step verification.
- Tell your editor and follow a newsroom protocol.
- Look after your wellbeing and ask for support.
Read the Digital hygiene zine for more.
One action for next week
Write one thing you will do differently, and who you will tell. Then take the quiz and share this course with a colleague.
Check what you learned
Five questions. Your answers stay on your device unless you choose to share your score.
Case cards
Use these for the Part 3 activity. All people, accounts and events here are fictional.
Card 1: The voice note
What is circulating: A 40-second voice note is spreading on WhatsApp. A voice that sounds like a woman MP says she got her seat through a relationship with a senior man.
What you know: It was first shared by an account created last week. Nobody has the original recording. The MP’s office says it is not her voice. It is circulating two weeks before a vote on a bill she supports. A radio presenter asks whether to play it on air.
Your task: apply the five questions. Which tactic is this? What would you do?
What to notice
- Source: a brand-new account and no original recording.
- Evidence: it cannot be verified, and voices can be cloned.
- Motive: the timing, just before a vote she supports.
- Gender lens: “she got there through a man” is a smear used against women far more than men.
- Tactics: sexualised smear and an “unfit” narrative.
- Harm: playing the clip on air spreads it, even with a warning. Report that a fake audio claim is circulating and explain how it was checked, without playing it.
Card 2: The screenshot
What is circulating: A screenshot of a post, said to be from a woman journalist, insults people from a particular region. Thousands share it with angry comments, and she starts getting threatening calls.
What you know: The screenshot has no link or date, and the account in it no longer exists. She says she never wrote it. She recently reported on a local company. Some comments say she should “stay at home”.
Your task: apply the five questions. Which tactic is this? What would you do?
What to notice
- Source: none you can verify. Screenshots are easy to fake.
- Evidence: look for archived copies and ask the platform. Without them, treat it as unproven.
- Motive: who gains if her reporting is discredited?
- Gender lens: comments telling her to stay at home target her as a woman, not her work.
- Tactics: a fabricated quote and a pile-on.
- Harm: quoting the screenshot in a news story repeats the fake. Also protect her: save the threats, tell her editor and support her.
Card 3: The mother and the candidate
What is circulating: Facebook pages share posts saying a young woman council candidate “abandoned her children” and is “too emotional to lead”. Old photos of her at a party are posted with new captions.
What you know: Many pages posted the same text within minutes. The photos are from a family wedding years ago. Her children are not part of her campaign. A news site is drafting the headline “Candidate responds to claims about her children”.
Your task: apply the five questions. Which tactic is this? What would you do?
What to notice
- Source: many pages posting the same text at the same time suggests a coordinated effort.
- Evidence: the photos carry false captions. A reverse image search can show where they came from.
- Motive: to push her out of the race.
- Gender lens: male candidates are rarely questioned about their children.
- Tactics: attacks on morality and family, and an “unfit” narrative.
- Harm: that headline repeats the smear and drags her children in. Report the coordinated posting and the false captions, or ask her about her plans instead.