With less than 12 days until the forthcoming November 11th Governorship Election in Bayelsa State, the International Press Centre (IPC), supported by the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), has commenced the training of 27 journalists on the use of fact-checking tools to aid credible electoral information dissemination and combat the spread of fake news during and after the polls.
According to the organisers, the two-day fact-checking workshop that kicks off the iVerify project of the IPC is aimed at helping journalists identify how electoral disinformation and fake news are major threats to the ability of citizens to have the right information during electoral processes and elections, therefore also constituting threats to democracy.
Addressing participants at the workshop, IPC’s Programme Manager, Mrs Stella Nwofia, said the iVerify project is enabling IPC to continue with its mission of promoting good journalism through best practices in ensuring the factual accuracy of news.
According to her, the objective of the training is to equip the journalists with the requisite skills and knowledge to enhance the integrity of information on the electoral processes in the respective states, especially the campaigns, the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and post-election democratic accountability and governance issues.
She said, “The workshops are also building the skills of the journalists on how to use fact-checking tools for the purpose of combating the menace of false information during the electioneering period while also introducing them to the workings of the iVerify system and their likely role.”
Earlier in his opening address, Mr Matthew Alao, Team Lead, Governance, Peace, and Security of UNDP Nigeria, said, “Electoral disinformation and fake news in general are major threats to the ability of citizens to have the right information during electoral processes and elections, therefore also constituting threats to democracy.”
In a statement issued shortly after the opening day of the workshop, the Communications Officer of the IPC, Olutoyin Ayoade, said, “About 80 journalists from the print, electronic, and online media in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states have started receiving training on fact-checking to aid the credibility of electoral information as the states are set to hold an off-cycle governorship election on November 11, 2023.
“27 male and female journalists from Kogi State participated in the first leg of the training in Abuja, FCT, on October 27 and 28, while another 27 from Bayelsa State are currently attending the workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. 27 journalists from Imo State will be trained later in the week.
“The focus of the presentations at the workshops is: The Art of Questioning in Journalism and Being Detectives of Misinformation by Mr. Taiwo Obe, founder of the Journalism Clinic; and Fact-Checking of Information to Promote Ethical Integrity by Mr. David Ajikobi, Nigerian Editor of Africa Check.
“And Combating Electoral Information Disorder or Fake News: The INEC Experience by Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, and The Dangers of Information Disorder or Fake News to Peace Building and Conflict Resolution by Dr. Emmanuel Mamman, Director of Conflict Prevention, Management, and Resolution at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
“Media professional organisations collaborating with IPC on the iVerify project and who nominated some of the participants include the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).”
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