…As EU, NGE task media on misinformation, disinformation
Nigerian editors have agreed to set up fact-check desks in their various newsrooms as a measure to tackle fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Rising from a one-day workshop organised by the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos on Thursday, the editors said having Fact-Check Desks would help media organisations verify news hints, with the view to publishing only accurate information.
According to a statement signed by its President, Eze Anaba, and Secretary, Onuoga Ukeh, and released Friday, other key decisions taken at the end of the workshop include: media organisations should organise training for their newsroom managers and line editors on fact-checking.
The statement indicated further that the Guild should set up disinformation counter groups across its zonal structures, ahead of the 2027 general elections, while media organisations should collaborate and reach out to each other to verify information.
“Furthermore, media organisations should look at the quality of their online editors to ensure that experienced and well-grounded journalists man the position, while the Guild should use other of its bigger platforms to address issues bordering on fake news, misinformation and disinformation,” it said.
Speaking earlier, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Gautier Mignot, and the NGE President, Mr. Eze Anaba, said that newsroom managers should acquire the skills and tools for fact-checking as a way to arresting fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Mignot said the EU was taking a multi-pronged approach to address the threats posed by misleading information, describing it as “anger to democracy and public trust.”
He said advancements in technology had made it easier to generate and disseminate deceptive content that was increasingly difficult to distinguish from factual information.
In his welcome remarks, Anaba noted that the workshop was timely and critical, while highlighting the dangers of fake news and misinformation.
Anaba expressed the hope that the gathering would serve as a platform for building collective capacity to identify and combat false narratives.