FactSpace WA, MTN House (Accra) 8.05.2024 – FactSpace West Africa (FWA) has partnered with MTN Ghana to provide fact-checking skills to top journalists in preparation for the 2024 elections in Ghana. The two-day training took place on May 7 and 8 with the aim to equip journalists with the necessary skills to combat disinformation and misinformation that they encounter in their daily work.
The training conducted virtually and in-person at the MTN House in Accra was part of the MTN Bright Media Series, which seeks to empower journalists to become better reporters and professionals. Among the participants were journalists from Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Radio, GTV, Metro TV, Star FM, Peace FM, Daily Guide, Business and Financial Times, Techfocus, JoyNews, GhOne TV and some staff from MTN.
Rabiu Alhassan, Director of FactSpace WA, explained that the non-partisan independent organization was established to combat disinformation and misinformation in the West African region and around the world. The organization has collaborated with various entities with similar goals globally and continentally to tackle against information disorder include the infodemic that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said it had become necessary to document what is happening online to be able to make a case towards tackling mis/disinformation. He noted: “We need to document and map out how the issues play out in one level and have an impact on another level” adding that “We need to call to order, some of the internet companies because their platforms are being weaponised”.
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Participants were exposed to disinformation campaigns and the actions of trolls aimed at influencing discussions. Rabiu noted that the continent has witnessed documented disinformation campaigns, according to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies’ latest update.
Dr. Mark Duerksen, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, confirmed this and added that there were 200 documented disinformation campaigns in Africa from various countries, including Kremlin-linked actors and domestic political actors. West Africa alone has 72 campaigns.
Dr. Duerksen noted that disinformation has real consequences, including violence, rising societal mistrust, voter disagreement, polarization, and societal divisions. He urged journalists to be proactive in debunking false claims.
Eric Mugendi, Senior Editor of Africa Uncensored, engaged participants virtually and noted that the media’s greatest challenge is to learn how to deal with false information and quickly debunk it. He added that journalists needed to stay informed in the disinformation space and understand audiences to guard them against being exposed to disinformation.
Finally, Rabiu took participants through several fact-checking tools, including Google Reverse Images Search, TinEye, Yandex, InVID video verification tool, Crowdtangle, Brandwatch, Meltwater, and VirusTotal, among others.
Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, Head of Corporate Communications at MTN Ghana, encouraged participants to utilize the fact-checking skills gained during the training session and make the most out of it. He praised FactSpace West Africa for dedicating time to training Ghanaian journalists.
Georgina said, “This is a lifelong learning … you can use it to train others. If you sit and explore, within a short time will be doing as much as Rabiu is doing here. This is to tell MTN Republic to take these trainings seriously because a lot of resources are invested … and when you go back use the tool so you can master them”
The training ended with journalists sharing their excitement with the new set of tools as they geared up to fight mis- and disinformation, which often shows up before, during and after elections. With this training, Ghanaian journalists will be better equipped to report accurately and professionally, ensuring that the public receives accurate information.
“As we are in the campaign season, we see a lot of promises and speeches from politicians and out of these tools, we will be able to verify the claims they are making,” Rosemond Adjetey, a journalist at GHOne TV said.
Jibreiel Suliah, a blogger with Yekasa TV said: “I’ve learnt from the Facebook advanced search, which got me because I sincerely haven’t come across it in my entire career in social media management”.
By Julius Kofi Satsi
