Stewards or Manipulators? Knowledge Brokers’ Complex Positionality in Combating the COVID-19 Infodemic in Malawi

Abstract

In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of misinformation has become a significant challenge, undermining public health efforts and causing confusion among the general population. Amidst this infodemic, knowledge brokers have emerged as crucial figures in combating the proliferation of false and misleading information. These individuals serve as vital intermediaries, bridging the gap between the scientific community and the broader society, ensuring that accurate and reliable information reaches the public. The paper explored 72 knowledge brokers' experiences and challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine science communication through the qualitative descriptive exploratory method, in Malawi. The findings revealed ineffective government engagement with communities, which side-lined knowledge brokers, enabled vaccine doubts; religious and political figures' worldviews shaped COVID-19 narratives; and digital illiteracy overwhelmed brokers. These deficiencies left brokers vulnerable to myths about the pandemic and vaccines, which they propagated. Key challenges arose for knowledge brokers trying to navigate conflicting information needs. For instance, political interference and digital noise obstructed brokers from analysing issues fairly to serve their communities. Still, knowledge brokers became vital as local fact-checkers. Their unique position bridging online/offline spheres was core to brokers' positionality, blending interpersonal credibility with virtual content interpretation. This paper proposes guidelines for community-rooted communication intermediaries to strengthen crisis resilience by diagnosing systemic constraints, mitigation strategies, and ethical imperatives. It reveals potential amidst pitfalls for contextual knowledge brokers promoting sound interpretations of science. Ultimately, substantive broker training and mentoring are essential to optimize roles while avoiding the spread of inadvertent misinformation.