By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, May 5, GNA – Journalists from the Eastern, Central, Oti, Western, and Volta regions have been trained in fact-checking methodology to assist them to combat disinformation and improve on rural development reporting.
The two-day workshop, which also touched on Reporting Techniques, was organised by Dubawa–Ghana, a fact-checking organisation, in collaboration with the Department of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, and the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication.
Held in Koforidua, the participants were taken through the modalities of identifying fake news, verifying sources, and incorporating data into reporting.
Dr Aurelia Ayisi, Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, and a facilitator, described fact-checking as the process of confirming the factual accuracy of a statement or piece of information, which plays a crucial role in promoting media literacy and combating misinformation, particularly in today’s era of information overload and fake news.
“We are now living in the digital space and it’s important that we are conversant with technology, as well as fact-check information before we publish in order to keep ourselves safe and secured in our careers,” she said.
To ensure consistency in fact-checking, she said a good report must be well researched, analytical, clear, coherent, and well written.
‘It helps people make informed decisions based on reliable and accurate information,” she said.
Dubawa-Ghana has, therefore, developed a standard to guide the fact-checking of reports that include; “title, claim, verdict, full text, verification and conclusion.”
Dr Ayisi highlighted the endemic nature of information disorder and said misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information constituted some of the conditions of information disorder.
She called for media literacy and critical thinking skills to combat information disorder and promote a healthy information ecosystem.
It was important to educate the people on how to identify and verify credible sources of information in addition to developing fact-checking skills to prevent the spread of false information.
She recommended that journalist and media organisations should take responsibility in addressing information disorder by implementing measures to curb the dissemination of misleading content.
Dr Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, also a Lecturer at the Department of Communication Studies, urged the media and the public to be wary of cyber security crimes.
She warned that information requiring a password could be found on devices such as computers and mobile phones, and that “if we do not exercise caution, we risk becoming victims of fraudsters and kidnappers.”
Media representatives of the Ghana News Agency, UTV, Ananse FM, Look FM, Daily Graphic, Joy News, and Radio Ahanta left the workshop equipped with new strategies to better serve their communities and provide accurate and reliable news.
GNA