WPFD: Journalists trained on misinformation, disinformation, and fake news
Several Media practitioners have been sensitized on the negative impacts of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.
This was on the occasion of the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day in Cameroon on May 3 at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication.
The seminar which took place under the theme ” Disinformation, a hindrance to the rights of Citizens to have access to the right information, was chaired by the Minister of Post and Telecommunication, Minette Libom Li Likeng.
The minister said they recognize that Journalists have a key role to play in the organization of society by avoiding fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.
“We are therefore here to help Journalists to do their Job by giving them the right information to make them be able to differentiate between misinformation and the truth” She stated.
According to Yerima Kini Nsom, Bureau Chief of The Post Newspaper in Yaounde, Journalists should be steadfast in ensuring that anything that goes to the public is verified and trusted.
“Journalists should show that responsibility of great magnitude to fight against the ill on misinformation and disinformation. They can do this by discipline and verification of facts. Journalists should be doubting Thomases, it’s not enough to see issues being published on social media that one should think it is the truth. We should always verify our sources in order to avoid fake news” He said.
He further recalled to media men to ” Always check and check and if in doubts kill the story. Always verify if the person giving you that information has the authority of intellectual capacity to give you that information”
” It was an enriching experience, I leave this seminar more aware of the dangers of social media, and I have to take every piece of information I come across with a pinch of salt. I leave here like a doubting Thomas to question every piece of information I come across before disseminating and passing across to the public” a participant, Isaac NGONG KUM said.
Before the end of the seminar, there was a working session where Journalists had an exchange with experts for a better understanding of these concepts. Awarding of Certificates to participants thereafter.
Organized under the sponsorship of MINPOSTEL by the Association Media, Mediation and Citizenship, this event is in line with actions taken by the government to end misinformation and fake news in the country.
