Edo Journalists Acquire Training On Fact-Checking, Digital Skills By DUBAWA
By Simeon OSAJIE
In a bid to ensuring an unbiased reportage in the forthcoming Edo 2024 Governorship Election, a non-governmental organization, DUBAWA in partnership with Google News Initiative recently trained Journalists on basics of fact-checking and digital skills.
The intensive training was organized with the aim of building participants’ capability in digital journalism skills, verification, and fact-checking journalism.
Declaring the two days training open, in Benin City, Edo State capital, the Program Officer, DUBAWA Nigeria, Ms. Temilade Onilade noted that the organization’s goal is to empower Journalists with digital skills and fact-checking tools to reduce the flood of fake news and misleading information which has often times cause tension that leads to crisis.
In his opening remarks, the Deputy Director, Accountability Project of CJID, Mboho Eno, who spoke for the Director of Programme, Akintunde Babatunde, revealed that the organization has trained over 5,000 journalists across the West African sub region, with ongoing projects in more than 10 African countries.
Eno who recalled that lots of misinformation flew around during the last general elections in Nigeria, urged journalists to help debunk falsehood and misinformation, in view of the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.
The resource persons who took their turns to deliver their lectures are the Deputy Director, Accountability Project of the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, Mr. Mbohor Eno, Director of Programmes, Akintunde Babatunde, Audience Engagement, Lateef Sanni, basically dwell on how Journalists can carry out fact-checking on stories, videos and images before putting them out for public consumption.
According to Ms. Temilade, as the society is evolving, Journalists must have an open mind and move with time. She further stressed that Journalists must desist from old practices that have not helped to improve the Profession and embrace better and innovative approaches that would help to reduce misleading and fake information.
Decrying how the public has lost trust and confidence on the Media Industry due to the influx of new media where uncensored news materials are chunk out on a daily basis, Mr. Mboho Eno stressed that Journalists have a major role to play to change the narrative and engineer Peace in the country.
Speaking on how Journalists can fact-check doctored images and videos, the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analyst (DAIDAC), Silas Jonathan revealed technics and methods that could help reporters to fact check stories before publishing them.
He pointed out that the only way media houses can be distinguished is when they carry out proper fact checking on stories and images and report facts to the public.
Highpoint of the event was the interactive section where Journalists asked questions from the resource persons.
Speaking after the two days training exercise, some participants expressed their satisfaction and appeal that such training should be sustained.
