麻豆约拍

With mis- and disinformation an increasing problem in Sierra Leone - with a young society rapidly coming online - we worked to train 60 journalists, bloggers, and social media influencers to recognise and tackle information disorder.

Our training focused on empowering content creators and journalists to tackle and spot fake news.

In autumn 2024, 25 senior and mid-career journalists, bloggers, and influencers from different parts of the country took part in advanced training for 22 days, in a mix of in-person and online sessions conducted by two international 麻豆约拍 trainers, Marie Helly and Lazar 膶ovs.

A further 35 journalists and bloggers from Freetown and other regions were also trained by two participants in our advanced training, creating a 'multiplier effect'.

"I came into the training with an expectation to 'add on knowledge'. So far so good. The bar has been set higher. As it becomes more difficult to navigate through the many information disorders, so are more tools being introduced to aid a fact checker鈥檚 quest to provide sanity in the media. I have garnered a boost in confidence in carrying out my work. The training has introduced me to explore new tools and new ways of telling the story."

"We live in a world where information is power. Anything we say or put out on the internet has the potential to change the course of history. As bloggers and storytellers, we have the responsibility to ensure our stories are true before we click publish or post. The 麻豆约拍 Media Action training program on enhancing media capacity to tackle misinformation and hate speech has given me the opportunity to explore new tools for fact-checking stories before publication. Special thanks to 麻豆约拍 Media Action, its partners, and the trainees for empowering me with these tools."

"We are living in an era where misinformation and disinformation have become significant challenges. Many journalists focus on being the first to publish a story, often neglecting the core principles of journalism: accuracy, balance, and credibility. This highlights the importance of continuous training. This particular training has expanded my understanding of OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) tools, which I previously had limited knowledge of, and will greatly enhance my work as a journalist."

鈥淗aving gone through the 麻豆约拍 Media Action Advanced Digital Media Literacy and Fact-Checking course I feel fully capacitated with the essential tools and skills to identify and counter mis- and disinformation. As I continue my journalistic work I will be harnessing these powerful tools, enabling me to tell engaging and impactful stories."

Our Enhancing media capacity to tackle mis- and disinformation project is supported by UNDP.