FactCheckAfrica trains 70 journalists, editors, bloggers ahead of Osun governorship election
FactCheckAfrica (FCA), with support from the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) Sustainability Grant, has trained 70 newsroom editors, journalists, bloggers and other information producers ahead of the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
The one-day election information integrity workshop, held on Saturday at Osogbo Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Ltd., Dada Estate, Osogbo, was designed to equip participants with practical skills to identify, verify and counter misinformation, disinformation and other forms of information disorder.
The workshop, themed, “Preparing Osun Citizens and Information Stakeholders: Gathering 70 Newsroom Editors, Journalists, Bloggers and Other Information Producers Ahead of the 2026 Governorship Election,” brought together media professionals from leading broadcast, print and digital organisations across Osun State and Nigeria.
Participants included representatives of the Nigerian Television Authority, Television Continental, Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Voice of Nigeria, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Rave FM, Western Spring Television and other radio and television stations.
The print and online media were represented by journalists from The Guardian, The Sun, The Nation, Vanguard, New Telegraph, Daily Post, BusinessDay, Business Hallmark, Champion Newspapers and the News Agency of Nigeria, among others.
Representatives of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Nigeria Union of Journalists, National Association of Women Journalists and National Orientation Agency also participated in the training.
Speaking during a session on election information disorder, an Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Fountain University, Osogbo, Dr Rasheed Adebiyi, identified misinformation, disinformation and malinformation as major forms of information disorder capable of undermining electoral integrity.
Adebiyi explained that misinformation involves the circulation of false information without an intention to cause harm, while disinformation involves the deliberate creation or dissemination of false information to cause harm.
He said malinformation involves genuine information that is deliberately presented or disseminated in a manner intended to cause harm.
The academic urged journalists to develop a strong verification culture by examining evidence, validating claims and determining whether information serves the public interest.
He warned that election misinformation could erode public trust, suppress voter participation and increase fear and tension among citizens.
“When you see news reports that make certain entities beneficiaries, you should be wary. Challenge respectfully, report harmful lies and promote accuracy,” Adebiyi said.
Fact-checking, verification
A facilitator from FactCheckAfrica, Mustapha Lawal, led a session on fact-checking and verification, exposing participants to practical techniques for establishing the authenticity and accuracy of information.
Lawal discussed source evaluation, claim assessment, reverse image searches, geolocation and other digital verification methods that journalists can use when investigating information obtained online.
He urged reporters to establish the truthfulness of claims, examine the evidence supporting them and determine whether such evidence could be independently verified.
Lawal also noted that opinions, value judgments and subjective statements generally could not be subjected to the same verification process as objective and evidence-based claims.
He encouraged journalists and other information producers to “think and verify before sharing information”, while demonstrating digital verification tools including InVID, Google Lens, TinEye and Yandex.
AI, deepfakes pose election information threat
The growing threat posed by artificial intelligence, deepfakes and synthetic media was examined by the founder of ChatVE and data scientist, Israel Olatunji Tijani.
Tijani introduced participants to AI-generated content, manipulated media and deepfakes, noting that advances in technology had made it increasingly difficult to distinguish authentic content from fabricated material.
He led participants through practical exercises on identifying different forms of information disorder and detecting potentially manipulated content.
According to him, indicators of deepfakes and manipulated content could include anatomical inconsistencies, functional implausibility, violations of physical laws involving shadows and reflections, as well as socio-cultural inconsistencies.
He stressed the need for journalists to improve their technological literacy as AI tools become increasingly capable of generating convincing fake audio, video and images that could be used to mislead voters.
Facilitator urges responsible information sharing
Another facilitator, Lukman Adeoti, addressed responsible information sharing during elections and encouraged journalists and other information producers to embrace the ọmọlúàbí code, which he associated with character, truthfulness, restraint and respect for community peace.
Adeoti also led participants through a practical exercise designed to help them apply the lessons from the workshop to real-world information scenarios.
The exercise focused on the need for journalists to pause, verify information, assess its potential consequences and make responsible editorial decisions before publishing or sharing election-related content.
Participants seek sustained engagement
Participants commended FCA for organising the training, describing it as timely and relevant to the challenges confronting journalists and other information producers ahead of the election.
Yinka Salami of Voice of Nigeria described the training as beneficial and called for continued engagement between FCA and participants beyond the election period.
“The content has been rather marvellous and beneficial,” Salami said.
He stressed the need for participants to regularly practise the AI and verification skills acquired during the training.
“The usage of these AI tools, if it is not put into practice, you are likely to abandon it. So, in a way to ensure that we all become veterans through the training you have given to us, the relationship should continue,” he said.
Similarly, Bunmi Olaseinde of the National Orientation Agency urged FCA to make the initiative a periodic programme rather than limiting it to election periods.
Olaseinde noted that the previous programme of its kind in the state was held four years ago and called for more regular capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the ability of journalists and other information stakeholders to identify, verify and counter misinformation.
The workshop is part of efforts to strengthen information integrity ahead of the 2026 Osun governorship election by equipping journalists, editors, bloggers and other information producers with practical skills to detect misinformation, verify claims, identify manipulated content and promote accurate, responsible and ethical election reporting.
