Africa Check, a not-for-profit fact-checking organisation in Africa has trained radio journalists in Kenya on Fact-Checking technics.
The training conducted online by four staff of the organisation had about twenty-five participants, mostly from community radio stations.
Sylvia Makinia, a researcher said the training was necessary considering the widespread of fake news in the country.
“We are living in a time when there is a lot of fake news around us. Especially with the coronavirus pandemic, so many people are spreading a lot of misinformation and thus there is a need for us to counter that.
“That’s why we organised the training to equip radio journalists with tools to verify the information before releasing it because you realise that most people use the information that’s out there to make major decisions,” she said.
She said that the organisation checks claims made by public figures and/or bodies, and which can affect most people.
“Before I do fact-check, I first ask myself, What will happen if I don’t do the fact test? How many people are going to be affected and how? Thus, we fact check on claims touching on many people,” she said.
During the training, the journalists were taught how to do fact-checking for photos, statements/claims and videos and how to get credible online data among other skills.
David Chibeu, who works at Radio Mitume lauded the training and the instructors.
“I got to learn about very serious things such as how to know if an image has been edited, and how to recognise fake or false sources,” he said.
Tabitha Rotich who works for Royal Media Services said the training was timely especially with the increased use of social media.
“You realise that nowadays most people consume news through social media. And on social media, there is no standard measure of operation, thus false news abound. Thus, we as journalists should learn to set the standard by releasing verified information to the public. I know there is always the urge to break the news, but it’s better to be late and get it right,” she said.
She added that she learnt how to use modern technology to verify the information. “I learnt tips on reverse image search using engines such as Tiny Eye and Yandex, which I didn’t know before. It was a great learning moment for me. I wish that the training sessions could happen more regularly,” she said.
Africa Check has been conducting training sessions across Africa with more plans for future training.
This upcoming Kenyan journalist is doing great. I like his writing style. He’s not only good in writing but also in radio feature production.