THE International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has partnered with the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa state, and the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe state, on countering misinformation and promoting media literacy.
The partnership culminated in a two-day training for the schools’ students November 1 to 2.
It aims to reduce the dissemination and impact of misinformation in Nigeria by promoting media literacy and responsible information sharing among citizens.
The German Embassy in Abuja supports the project.
Students were taken a thorough step-by-step guide on how to combat false news, identify phishing websites, verify images and videos.
They were also taught how to write pitches, use OSINT tools, and archive claims online, among others, at the training, which was held within the schools’ premises.
The editor of FactCheckHub, Opeyemi Kehinde, who headed the facilitators, explained what could be said to be misinformation, disinformation, and malformation. He also stressed the need to cross-check sources cited in a report.
The seminar emphasized the need to identify false news circulated on various platforms and how to fact-check using the tools available.
Facilitators at AUN include Temilade Onilede, a fact-checker and researcher of DUBAWA, Kimberly Kures, an author and content creator, and Opeyemi Kehinde, the Editor of the FactCheckHub.
Facilitators at the University of Kashere include The ICIR’s editor, Victoria Bamas, social media and engagement consultant, Esther Ilesanmi, and a researcher with Dubawa, Silas Jonathan.
Students at the event expressed gratitude to the organisers as they revealed it was an eye-opening seminar.
Head of the Department of Communication And Multimedia Design at the AUN, Joseph Sule Rishante, a professor, urged students to take advantage of every opportunity to learn.
“I’ll also want you to encourage your fellow students to participate as you never can tell how far the knowledge gained will take you”, he said.
Some of the students who spoke also noted that the seminar taught them not to be purveyors of false news and always to check sources of information obtained on social media and other platforms.
The ICIR team, led by the FactCheckHub editor, Opeyemi Kehinde, paid a courtesy visit to the vice president of academic Affairs and Provost of the AUN, Attahir Baba Yusuf, a professor.
In his address, Yusuf welcomed the team and was delighted that his school was selected as the project’s beneficiary.
He said the institution was framed on three fundamentals, which are Liberal Arts Education, Development, and Entrepreneurship.
He explained that his students were equipped with every knowledge and not restricted to their disciplines alone.
He reiterated his institution’s delight with the partnership and hoped for a sustained relationship with The ICIR.
At Kashere University, the school’s vice chancellor, Umaru Pate, a professor, visited the students during The ICIR’s Fact-checking training session.
Pate told the students, “You are lucky to be selected for this training. I regard this as a rare learning opportunity, and you would not have such detailed training in your classrooms.”
On October 30, The ICIR reported a similar partnership and training at the Federal University Lokoja, Kogi state, Hassan Usman Polytechnic, Katsina state, and Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo state.
