Navigating the infodemic together: young people from Utrecht and Kampala investigate fake news

What challenges relating to fake news do young people recognise globally, and which are specific to the country where they live? To find out, students and staff from Utrecht University travelled to Uganda to collaborate with their colleagues from Kampala International University and the NGO Junior Achievement 

“In Uganda, internet access is growing rapidly, but not all young people are learning how to properly assess information online. This makes it difficult for young people to distinguish reliable information – for example, on health and politics – from misleading information,” explains Bruce Mutsvairo, a professor of media, politics, and the Global South at Utrecht University who is involved in Bridging Continents.

“That’s hardly surprising, as the level of press freedom is much lower in Uganda than in the Netherlands. By press freedom, we mean the extent to which journalists can disseminate news of general interest without political, social or economic interference.” Indeed, Uganda ranks 143rd out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index. The Netherlands ranks third. “Furthermore, research shows that the government in Uganda plays a central role in the dissemination of disinformation, whilst the government in the Netherlands is seeking measures to actively combat disinformation.” 

Young people and fake news 

Nevertheless, exposure to disinformation is a well-known problem in both countries, particularly among young people. Patience Alaso, one of the participating Ugandan students, reflects on what struck her: “In both Uganda and the Netherlands, young people often trust information shared by friends, influencers, or peers more than information from traditional media outlets such as newspapers or television stations. When information comes from someone in our social circles, it often feels more credible, even if it hasn’t been verified.” 

But how does this misinformation play a role in people’s daily lives? To investigate this, the participating students conducted interviews with local residents in small groups, each focusing on their own theme. In her group, Patience Alaso focused on international students and students with a refugee background. With around two million refugees, Uganda is, in fact, Africa’s largest host country.

Alaso explains: “It was quite difficult to reach these students. Because their country is unsafe, students were unsure whether they should take part in the interview.” By making clear arrangements, many students were willing to cooperate after all. “We were curious to find out how international students or students with a refugee background use digital tools to access information that is useful for their studies.” 

And in this regard, the students encountered two stumbling blocks. “Firstly, there was the language barrier. In Uganda, English is the dominant language, but many refugees speak Swahili or French. It is particularly difficult to find the right information if you do not speak the local language.” The second factor is access to gadgets or data. “Internet is often not free in Uganda, and gadgets such as tablets or smartphones can be quite expensive. For people with less money, this is a lower priority than food or other household essentials.”  

The interviews covering all these different themes serve as data on which the Dutch and Ugandan researchers are collaborating: “We hope to discover how young people in Europe and in African countries such as Uganda themselves view the key challenges surrounding increasing digitalisation and social media use. And what differences and similarities we find between the experiences of young people in both contexts,” says participating Assistant Professor Ester Driel.

Connecting learning moments

The Utrecht students had expected student life in Uganda to be very different from that in the Netherlands. Student Lynnde Gougon: “Student life in Uganda is actually very similar to that in the Netherlands. I had expected it to be completely different.” Alaso agreed: “Working with a diverse group of people showed me: we aren’t all that different. We are all young people who are ambitious. We come from different continents, but apart from that, we are just the same.” 

The experience was not only educational for the participating students, but also for the lecturers. For instance, Ugandan lecturers make extensive use of ‘embodied methods’ to engage students and encourage them to use their bodies and senses in understanding social reality during fieldwork. Ester Driel is enthusiastic: “I’m going to try out this method in my own lessons soon.” 

“In addition, cross-cultural collaboration offers new insights, but also acts as a mirror,” says Driel. “It invites me to reflect critically on my own actions: in what ways do my research or teaching unintentionally contribute to the perpetuation of power relations?” The interdisciplinary nature of the project also provided Driel with new inspiration: “Sarah Anschütz, for example, taught me about creative research methods she uses in social geography.”

About this project

Bridging Continents is funded by the Youth Education & Life Skills research community within the Dynamics of Youth research theme at Utrecht University. In addition to Bruce Mutsvairo and Ester Driel, Gerrit Dielissen, Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Science, and Sarah Anschütz, Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, were involved from Utrecht University. The project was led by Prof. Dr. Regina Ejemot-Nwadiaro from Kampala International University and by Mary Nanyomo from the NGO Junior Achievement Uganda.