Journalists from various media outlets across Malawi participated in a two-day Media Literacy training organized by Africa Check in collaboration with the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) and the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ). The training aimed to provide participants with essential guidelines for running effective media literacy campaigns, as well as strategies for building partnerships and distributing campaign content.
In his opening remarks, MCM Executive Director Moses Kaufa emphasized the importance for this training at the time Malawi is expected to go to polls on 16 September this year. He emphasized that in an era of readily accessible information, the ability to critically analyze, evaluate, and engage with media content has become increasingly crucial.
Kaufa urged participants to be aware of how misinformation, disinformation, and divided narratives can influence the democratic process, particularly with the upcoming electoral season. He advised them to empower themselves and their communities with the skills to discern reliable and accurate information.
“We have already seen this because the electoral process has already started. We have already gone through the voter registration process, now we are in the process of voter transfers, so this is a very critical moment for us and one of the reasons why we must equip ourselves and our communities with the skills to discern credible information.”
Lastly, the Executive Director of MCM encouraged the journalists participating in the training to engage actively and effectively, as this marks the first time they are addressing the challenges posed by technological platforms that compete with established, credible media outlets.
PIJ Board Chairperson McDonald Chapalapata shared sentiments with Kaufa. Chapalapata highlighted that, as an investigative unit, they are committed to fact-checking, believing that investigative journalism plays a vital role in strengthening democracy by providing accurate, well-researched information to counter false claims. He commended the organizers of the training, emphasizing that the platform will be instrumental in addressing the growing issues of disinformation and misinformation, particularly with the upcoming elections in September this year.
The training guided participants through the process of developing an effective media campaign, including identifying the necessary resources and measuring campaign success. Key topics included conceptualizing media literacy, setting SMART objectives, analyzing target demographics, and designing effective content dissemination strategies. Participants engaged in brainstorming sessions to explore ways to create impactful media literacy campaigns during the election period in Malawi.
