We’ve begun putting our nationwide CrossCheck network of over 130 journalists and community leaders through the ultimate stress test in preparation for the upcoming election. This week, First Draft’s APAC team unveiled our brand new immersive election-specific simulation. Set on polling day, our bespoke platform simulated real-world social media platforms, placing journalists at the heart of the onslaught of mis- and disinformation we anticipate in the upcoming weeks. Over 1.5 hours, participants monitored social media feeds, responded to editor requests to investigate various election rumours, gathered statements from authorities, and more. Seasoned journalists came away from the experience feeling stressed, but with a better idea of how best to prepare for the upcoming election.
The design of the simulation was based on First Draft’s pre-election research of prominent misinformation relating to the election. The 2020 US elections showed us how unfounded claims of ‘election fraud’ can take off — these are by no means new, but the importation of similar narratives that question the legitimacy of electoral procedures into Australia are of great concern.
A large portion of the simulation focuses on a ‘no vax no vote’ narrative. Many of the conspiracy theories that have emerged during the pandemic follow the idea that unvaccinated people are being unfairly prosecuted, such as the idea that vaccines are a strategy to depopulate the world (they’re not), or that differential treatment of the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated constitutes ‘medical apartheid’ or is comparable to the Holocaust (it’s definitely not). A ‘no vax no vote’ narrative could undermine confidence in the electoral system, and such a narrative spreading from anti-vaccine groups is not at all inconceivable.
Another primary narrative centred on the question of foreign interference. Rumours of foreign interference, particularly from China, are already being weaponised by politicians; for example, by Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling deputy opposition leader Richard Marles a ‘Manchurian candidate’ for advocating for stronger ties between Australia and China, before later withdrawing the remark.
Unlike imposter accounts or claims of AEC bias (both of which were also included in the simulation), claims of foreign interference will not be easy to debunk. Many participants were unsure whether a simple refutation would suffice when allegations are steeped in long-running geopolitical tensions. Newsrooms preparing to cover allegations of foreign interference need to reinforce the legitimacy of our electoral processes and electoral results, while minimising the potential of racist harm directed at Chinese diaspora communities.
Stevie Zhang, First Draft research reporter