In line with its mission to help combat the spread of misinformation, fake news and promote a well-informed society, The Factcheck247 has began a sensitization programme for communities on the importance of media literacy.
The ‘media literacy’ advocacy which focuses on fact-checking started on Monday with a visit to the Balogun Fulani Constituency Youth Development Association(BFCYDA) in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital.
BFCYDA consists of youths across six wards under the Balogun Fulani Constituency in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State
In his opening remark, the CEO of The Informant247, Salihu Shola Taofeek stated that the advocacy is geared towards creating awareness about the consumption of media content.
While noting that the mainstream media is saturated with a lot of content, he expressed the need for a conscious approach from media users in accessing information.
“The media space is awashed with different things and it’s becoming difficult to separate facts from fictions, so we believe that this enlightenment will help people to be aware of the postives and negatives that abound in the social media space,” he said.
Members of the Factcheck247 took their turns to educate the members of the association on the importance of media literacy, skills needed for it and the understanding of the ecosystem. Participants were also exposed to basic skills and tools for fact checking information.
The facilitators also enlightened the participants on the effects of information disorder from misinformation, malinformation and disinformation.
From critical thinking to source verifiability, identification of biases, evaluation and members of the BFCYDA were exposed to some underlining factors for information circulation.
In his own remarks, the President of the association, Hassan Salaudeen Taiye commended the Factcheck247 team for the initiative and efforts in enlightening the general public on the proper usage of media space.
A highpoint of the event was the initiation of a working relationship between the association and the facilitator which is hinged on community development.
The advocacy train will on Tuesday be at Forest Suite where the facilitators will be talking to members of the ‘Gentlemen club’ on the significance of media literacy .
The Fact-check247 is an independent subsidiary of The Informant247 founded in 2022 to combat the spread of fake news in the digital space.