On Tuesday, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR) has commenced a three-day training program in Abuja.
The training, “Countering Misinformation and Promoting Media Literacy in Nigeria Project,” brings together journalists from 30 media organizations across the country was held in Abuja between Tuesday, October 10 and Thursday October 12, and supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
This project focuses on enhancing media literacy and fostering responsible information sharing among citizens.
Journalists participating in the program come from diverse backgrounds, including print, online, and broadcast media, representing 30 organizations from all six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
Executive Director of the ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan, in his Opening Remark, emphasized the crucial role of the media in combating misinformation in Nigeria.
Aiyetan, represented by Opeyemi Kehinde, the editor of FactCheckhub, highlighted the significance of training journalists to effectively tackle the challenges posed by misinformation in the country.
The initiative aims to equip media professionals with the necessary skills to counter the dissemination and impact of false information, playing a vital role in promoting accurate reporting and media literacy among the Nigerian populace.
The German Embassy’s first Secretary of Political Affairs in Nigeria, Mathias Dold, in his Welcome Address, stated that “The EU Election Observation Mission concluded in its final report documented a large amount of misleading content allegedly produced by political camps and various individuals, regularly targeted actors across the political system”
“In addition, influential members of leading parties regularly spread unverified or even false information targeting the opponents, while critical reporting was at times also referred to as ‘fake news’ by some political actors. This worsened an already opaque information environment.” – Dold said
He encourages participants to apply the knowledge gained from the training for the betterment of society