The book chapter titled "Mis/disinformation and infodemics since COVID-19: the double-edged sword of open government" by Charmaine B. Distor, Danilo Đikanović and Soumaya Ben Dhaou has recently been published. This chapter is part of the "Research Handbook on Open Government".
Access it on Collections at UNU.
It explores how open government principles intersected with the spread of mis/disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter examines case studies from the Philippines, Tunisia, and Montenegro, revealing the double-edged nature of open government – as both a solution and a contributor to infodemics. It discusses the challenges of balancing transparency with combating false narratives from various actors. Key takeaways include the necessity of multi-stakeholder approaches, the importance of media and digital literacy, and the need to review existing legislation to address mis/disinformation without infringing on freedom of speech.