The Association of Fact-Checkers of Central Africa (AFC) organized a capacity-building workshop for journalists from June 1 to 2, 2023, at the Coucherouchet Center in Bangui. This activity, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), aimed to equip participants with the tools needed to combat misinformation in the security context.
The capacity-building project for civil society to combat misinformation in Central Africa is an initiative of the AFC, intended to enhance the skills of journalists, bloggers, human rights activists, community leaders, and civil society members to identify and prevent the spread of security-related misinformation in the Central African Republic.
For this initial activity, a total of forty journalists, including at least 20 women from community radio stations and print and online media outlets, participated in this two-day workshop. The goal was to better equip them to identify and address false information related to security within their respective entities. This is a major concern for a country grappling with a security crisis.
Speaking on behalf of the High Council of Communication to open the workshop, Madame Nelly Yapandé praised AFC’s initiative and reminded media professionals of the consequences of misinformation in society. She further encouraged participants to actively contribute to mitigating and preventing the spread of this issue.
The two-day program included several modules, such as: the concept of social cohesion and living together, the role of media and social networks in social cohesion, the impact of misinformation and rumors in CAR, the typology and various forms of misinformation, including mechanisms for identifying misinformation and security-related rumors, followed by practical case studies.
These topics will help participants prepare to use best practices in fact-checking, develop stories, analyses, and factual content for publication, and effectively combat misinformation in Central Africa, where accurate information has become a matter of life and death.
Additionally, training targeting other beneficiaries, including bloggers and human rights activists, is scheduled for July 2023.
By Cynthia SANGBATE/AFC
