The three-day fact-checking and verification workshop, organized by Africa Check in partnership with the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) and the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), concluded on Thursday.
The training aimed to equip journalists with essential fact-checking and verification skills, particularly in preparation for the upcoming 16 September elections, a period marked by a surge in misinformation and disinformation.
One of the training facilitators, Carina Van Wyk, who is Head of Education and Training at Africa Check, encouraged participants to put the skills gained during the three-day training into practice by reporting accurately on the upcoming elections. She also urged them to share their knowledge with colleagues and within their communities.
“We want them to play an education role in making people across Malawi aware of how easy false information spreads, and also to give their audiences the tips for verifying information before sharing it,” said Van Wyk.
Van Wyk stated that Africa Check will continue collaborating with organizations across Africa, including Malawi, to ensure journalists are equipped with the skills needed to combat misinformation and disinformation before, during, and after elections.
Executive Director for PIJ, Golden Matonga, commended the workshop as one of the most impactful, noting that participants were equipped with essential skills to tackle misinformation and disinformation. He added that Africa Check, MCM, and PIJ would explore the possibility of replicating the training in the future, recognizing the ongoing need to equip more journalists with these crucial skills.
One of the participants, Anthony Manda from Transworld Radio (TWR), expressed his appreciation to the organizers for the training, stating that he has gained valuable skills to fact-check and verify information. He emphasized the importance of these skills, particularly as the country prepares for the upcoming elections in September.
“You know spreading lies may cause a lot of damage in somebody’s life even to the voters. Sometimes people do not believe what we as journalists write, but with this training we will be able to tell the audience the truth as we will be verifying all information.”
Africa Check, Africa’s first independent fact-checking organization, assesses the accuracy of claims by public figures, organizations and the media, and on social media using evidence drawn from publicly available resources and experts.
