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By Chukwuma Umeorah
In an effort to tackle the rising menace of disinformation in Nigeria, stakeholders have tasked media professionals on fact-checking reports to reduce the harms on society.
The charge was made during a one-day training programme organised for journalists by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), in collaboration with the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), in Lagos on Friday, with the theme “Combating Disinformation in a Digital Age: Fact-Checking for Responsible Journalism”.
The training focused on equipping journalists with the skills needed to mitigate the negative impact of disinformation in the country.
Executive director of Media Career Development Network, Lekan Otufodunrin, one of the facilitators, stressed the critical importance of fact-checking in an era where the information space lacked sufficient regulation. He highlighted the potential harm caused by misinformation and disinformation, emphasizing that individuals or groups may take misguided actions based on inaccurate information.
“The essence of this training is to empower journalists to appreciate the need for fact-checking and apply it to their day-to-day work so that the quality of our reports can be enhanced and evidence-based,” Otufodunrin stated, underlining the importance of providing credible and professional journalism amidst the prevalence of fake news.
Lanre Arogundade, the executive director of the International Press Centre, likewise echoed the sentiment during a session on “combating disinformation in the digital age.”
He emphasized the role of journalists as detectives of disinformation, urging them to arm themselves with knowledge and skills to analyze and verify every information before making it public.
“When we talk about fact-checking, it is essentially about verification. That duty becomes very important now that we no longer have total control of the media space. Social media now allows individuals to generate their own content and put it out there. However when it comes to public interest issues, they sometimes misinform the public and our duty as fact checkers and professional journalists is to sanitize the information space,” he said.
Arogundade further noted the potential harm caused by sharing information without reliable sources.
Head of Research and Economics at NECA, Olusola Ayodele, expressed concern over the rising spate of disinformation and fake news both in Nigeria and globally which has been worsened by technology and AI.
He highlighted NECA’s commitment to promoting positive, evidence-based communication environment conducive enough for businesses and economic growth.
He added that the training was the first in a series, with another session planned in the coming weeks. “The aim is to further equip media partners in understanding the fundamentals of industrial relations.”
The training session went beyond fact-checking, covering ethics, various tools, resources, and techniques essential for responsible journalism.
Participants were educated on navigating digital landscapes, understanding the role of social media, and recognizing manipulated contents such as deep fakes and synthetic media.
