Knowledge mobilization in an era of dis- and misinformation

My aim in this short essay is to provoke thoughts about, and commitment to addressing a major need in the research-policy connection in Nigeria and Africa. Academics, policy actors and other stakeholders largely agree that research evidence is important in the process and product of policy making and implementation. Stories – some real, others imagined – expressing the failure of policy that are not evidence-driven are many. Those lamenting the policy irrelevance of many academic research or the impracticability of research recommendations are many as well. Knowledge mobilization is the way to a more evidence-informed policy making and implementation. Desirable as knowledge mobilization is, the prevalence of mis-information and dis-information imposes certain additional tasks on knowledge mobilisers and knowledge users. In this short essay, I briefly explain what knowledge mobilization is and the additional complications that existing information environment brings upon it. Key Words: Knowledge Mobilization, Academic Research, Policy Actors, Misinformation, Disinformation JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 14, No. 1, Special Issue 2, June 2022, pp. 26-29 © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). About the author *Ayobami Ojebode, Ph.D. is a Professor of Applied Communication at the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Article Citation Ojebode, A. (2022). Knowledge mobilization in an era of dis- and misinformation. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 14 (1, SP. 2): 26-29. Full Article Words: 2,090 Pages: 4 To access full article, click on download.