A WEB

2025 A-WEB Media Capacity Development Program

The A-WEB Secretariat’s conducted its 10^th anniversary survey in 2023. It suggested that 43 out of 50 Election Management Bodies (EMBs) expressed interest in the A-WEB Media Capacity Development Program. Notably, 80% of EMBs were interested in detecting fake news and crisis communication strategies. In response to these needs, the A-WEB Secretariat launched the 2025 Media Capacity Development Program in Incheon, South Korea, from November 3 to 7. Ten participants from Armenia, Kazakhstan, the Maldives, South Africa, and Taiwan attended, each recommended by their respective EMBs. They have extensive journalism experience and prior involvement in organizing similar training programs.

On the first day, Ms. Taeryung Rita Lee, Director of the Capacity Development and Communications Department at the A-WEB Secretariat, delivered a lecture on "Global Challenges for EMBs: Countering Information Disorder through Behavioral Strategies." She explained information disorder through Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which examines behavior as influenced by Antecedents, Behavior, and Consequences. According to this theory, EMBs should focus on reshaping environments where disinformation thrives through prebunking and identity-affirming messages, rather than relying solely on fact-checking. She also shared Indonesia's 2024 case, including Anti-Hoax Prebunking Training for novice voters and a Google-Jigsaw prebunking campaign with influencer Vincent Rompies. Participants gained practical insights to help take action.

During the country report session, delegations presented their election commissions' efforts in combating disinformation, reflecting on their challenges and successes. The following days included lectures on topics such as deepfakes, fake news detection tools, and organizational responses to misinformation. Experts from South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) led discussions on media response systems, the establishment of a Cyber Investigation Division, and methods to identify fake news. Other topics included fair election coverage, political advertising regulations, and the role of public opinion polls. Prof. Dong Hyun Song emphasized effective crisis management, stressing preparation, prevention, and resilience. These sessions provided valuable insights into managing information integrity and ensuring fair elections.

To assess the program's relevance, effectiveness, and clarity, as well as the lecturer’s communication skills, the A-WEB Secretariat conducted surveys after each session. Participants rated each aspect on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 indicating high satisfaction. On the final day, during the Workshop on Lessons Learned and the closing ceremony, participants expressed gratitude for the program, appreciating the educational content, cultural exchanges, and practical lessons on combating misinformation. An overall survey showed high satisfaction, with participants rating sustainability at 4.9, indicating they would apply the lectures learned in practice.

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The program was proved to be both productive and informative, offering participants a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge and insights on critical issues such as media response systems, deepfakes, cyber-election crimes, media literacy, and crisis management. It also fostered meaningful discussions on how to address election security risks and emphasized the importance of global collaboration in safeguarding free, fair, transparent, and participatory elections. The A-WEB Secretariat is proud to have facilitated this gathering and looks forward to continued cooperation with all EMBs in the shared pursuit of strengthening electoral processes worldwide.