The media plays a crucial role in facilitating free and fair elections in any country.

However, political journalist Jemima Beukes points out that the lack of adequate resources for media houses poses a significant challenge to their effective participation in the electoral process.

Beukes said said it was regrettable that individuals residing in rural areas are predominantly excluded by media organisations when it comes to disseminating information, particularly during election periods.

She states that this situation is primarily attributable to the lack of resources available to media organisations, which prevents them from reaching these remote areas.

"Many media houses do not prepare journalists to be able to go there. I always say the media can never be independent if journalists are not properly paid, if their working conditions are not well taken care of, or if they cannot afford a roof over their heads, because it opens the door to brown-envelope journalism, and then independence is completely gone. During elections, you will find that some political parties will have the financial muscle to recommend taking these journalists to their rallies in rural areas."

Veteran journalist Gwen Lister emphasised that soft laws are insufficient to effectively address misinformation in the media.

Soft laws refer to agreements, principles, and declarations that lack legally binding force.

"Successfully combating misinformation during elections requires a multi-faceted, whole-of-society approach. In my view, the main focus should be on the positive rather than the negative, proactively ensuring the citizens get access to good information instead of expanding huge efforts on combating misinformation once it's already out there. Also, what will help a lot are independent editorial policies. If you look at the continent, independent media are facing sustainable challenges. Even state-owned independent editorials will help foster more impartial reporting and will go a long way towards rebuilding trust in the media."

It has also been revealed that elections have become vulnerable to the influence of the internet, social media, and artificial intelligence platforms, all of which present challenges to the electoral process.

The panellists also concurred that further action is necessary to enable media organisations to effectively combat misinformation and regulate the misuse of information on social media platforms.