AS part of its commitment towards increasing the need for fact-checking and reducing the menace of fake news which has become a source of misinformation and disinformation in the society, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has trained media professionals, Civil Society Organisations, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other stakeholders in the electoral process on countering fake news.
The two-day fact-checking training, held between Tuesday, January 24 and Wednesday, January 25, in Ikeja, Lagos, and supported by National Endowment for Democracy (NED) sensitized participants on the deluge of fake news and how they can be better positioned to counter through fact check.
Explaining the objectives of the training, the Communication Lead, CDD, Armsfree Ajanaku, said that fake news have a negative influence on the voting pattern of the citizens.
“Fake news if left to thrive will gain lots of traction for people that want to peddle this false news for their own good. As gatekeepers, we have the duty of stopping this information from causing social and democratic harm.
“We already have fake news about the candidates and there would be more. There would be an upsurge in misinformation as the election approaches, such as videos of violence, false statements, and several others,” he said.
Ajanaku added that, “It is appropriate that as stakeholders in the electoral process, participants be equipped with the required techniques to put a quick stop to fake news and expose the peddlers of such false claims.
“So it is only necessary that proactive approaches be discussed and put in place. As such, the CDD has set up a ‘war room’ particularly for the forthcoming election to combat any form of misinformation, and ensure Nigerians have the right information at their disposal.”
Taking participants through the technical sessions, Project Officer, Disinformation and Elections, CDD, Abiodun Banjoko, said that engaging the different stakeholders at the training was essential to build synergy, and create a team of experts that are equipped to counter any form of misinformation which would be on the increase during the elections.
“Fake news has impacted various elections in the past and we have decided to engage different stakeholders that are involved in the electoral process to help fact check and also verify claims.
“The purpose basically is to ensure that we have a group of fact checkers from different sectors and different parts of the country to work together, before, during and after elections,” he said.
Banjoko also noted that fake news can ruin a stable democracy, reason the CDD has been keen on countering fake news and disinformation.
On his part, Grant and Partnership Manager, NED, Darmian Ihekonronye, encouraged participants at the training to play effective roles in countering disinformation in their various capacities.
Speaking on their experiences at the training, some of the participants told NaijaTimes that the two-day capacity-building workshop has exposed them to different fact-checking tools.
Bashir Bello, who came in from Kano, said the training has added value to his experience and promised to use the new skill acquired to effectively counter fake news.
“I believe the fact-checking knowledge and skill will go a long way in providing effective journalism at the same time dispelling concocted disinformation and misinformation.
“I would start employing this skill in my piece and hope there would be future training of this kind,” he said.
Another participant, Ogechi, who came from Enugu commended CDD and NED for organising a training that prepared stakeholders ahead of the election.
