About 30 journalists within the Western region have received training in fact-checking and verification of information in an era where information is mostly distorted before dissemination.
At a two-day training workshop for journalists, the Deputy Director of Dubawa, Caroline Anipah said, the issue of misinformation and disinformation has existed since its creation and it has become a challenge because of technological advancement and the advent of the internet.
She added that the training is necessary because of the pending elections where information disorder occurs.
The public, she mentioned considers journalists trustworthy for the information they provide, hence the need to build their capacity to avoid misinforming and disinforming their audience.
” It was important to build the skills and the capacity of journalists to be able to identify false information and to address it so that they do not become misinformers in their work.
You would agree with me that the information space is changing, every day there is a new technology and it makes the work of journalists and everyone difficult. We don’t want journalists to be the ones to be misinforming us so we need to build their skills so that they will be able to identify and tackle false information themselves,”
She revealed that similar exercises will be carried out in other parts of the country as well as other African countries.
Some of the journalists shared with the Beach Newsroom, the experiences gained from the workshop training would aid them in their work.
Journalists were educated on Digital Verification Tools, Information Disorder ecosystems, Fact-checking, and Practice Methodology in various formats.
