Terra Africa Project: Guinean beneficiary journalists trained in Fact-checking

Information disorder remains a major challenge for information professionals in Guinea. To raise awareness and prepare them for the issues linked to disinformation, the journalists benefiting from the “Terra Africa” project followed training in fact-checking from March 25 to 29 in Conakry. Thus, these journalists were equipped with fact-checking processes.

Around ten journalists benefiting from the project Terra AFRICA supported by CFI Media, funded by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, have been trained in fact-checking. Over five days, they learned to recognize false information, verify its accuracy using verification tools, understand the motivations of their authors, what their objectives and consequences are and also methodologies to adopt to successfully deconstruct them.

Priority areas

The objective of fact-checking is to bring together factual and objective elements to verify the veracity of the facts or the accuracy of the figures presented. Sometimes photos or videos are taken out of context. Hence the need to check the facts.“The idea is to offer content that is as complete as possible, that is to say, to question their own relationship as a journalist to the news. See if they get more information on social networks or traditional media via word of mouth, etc. It was also to question the sources of disinformation, who are at the helm of disinformation. Another challenge was to question how we distinguish beliefs, prejudices, stereotypes and what constitutes disinformation. And then we spent time handling the tools that allow us to do solid verification work.explains Noélie Coudurier, trainer.

 An opportunity for beneficiaries

Beneficiary journalists claim to have acquired knowledge of fact-checking techniques.“I had a lot of knowledge about fact-checking, particularly about the verification procedure that we called methodology, other things that I had in this training were the fact-checking tools,”testifies BoeBoe Beavogui, journalist at Guinéeline.com. Like BoeBoe Beavogui, the beneficiary journalists are very satisfied with the techniques acquired in the fight against disinformation in Guinea.

Shared experiences

The session was supported by the intervention of fact-checking journalists, notably from AFP factuel and structures such as Ablogui and Guinée Check. It allowed participants to understand the extent of disinformation in the Guinean media landscape.

Train to better protect the environment 

This umpteenth training is part of the program of a series of training courses linked to the issues of climate change and the environment as part of the “Terra Africa” project. The beneficiary journalists have once again strengthened their capacities through this fact-checking training.“Overall, there is an evolution today when they are able to translate things in a very concrete way and with a certain knowledge of these things. Second thing that I notice is that the writing has evolved because they write with knowledge of the causes and above all the approaches to processing this information are clarified.says Dr Bangaly Camara, local expert on the project in Guinea.

Ibrahima Sory BAH