Monrovia – On January 21, Local Voices Liberia (LVL), a prominent media organization focused on fact-checking, media literacy, and promoting information integrity, signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Communication and Media Studies (DCMS) of the University of Liberia (UL) to integrate fact-checking into journalism courses at the University.
The MOU, which is expected to last for three years, aims to enhance fact-checking practices through media literacy, ethical journalism, practical training, and the infusion of fact-checking as a stand-alone course in the department’s curriculum.
During the signing ceremony at UL’s Fendell Campus on Tuesday, Atty. Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, Executive Director of LVL, expressed optimism about the partnership.
“I think this is the beginning of a new dawn, especially when it comes to expanding the culture of fact-checking in our country,” he said.
Atty. Senkpeni said introducing fact-checking at the University of Liberia underscores LVL’s commitment to strengthening Liberia’s information ecosystem media and fostering quality journalism.
“With this initiative, Local Voices Liberia and this department (DCMS) will work diligently to provide essential fact-checking knowledge,” he added, acknowledging the DCMS’ recognition of LVL’s efforts in combating misinformation and welcomed the collaboration formalized through the MOU.
For his part, Mr. Euriahs Togar, Chairman of DCMS at UL, praised LVL’s dedication to information integrity in Liberia and also expressed optimism about the potential impact of the partnership.
Mr. Togar emphasized the importance of equipping students with the necessary fact-checking knowledge and skills, adding, “That’s why we are very interested in collaborating with you through this MOU; it represents the first step in a long journey.”
Under the MOU, DCMS will facilitate active student participation in fact-checking training sessions and symposiums that will see students of the Department acquire new skills in fact-checking and verification.
DCMS will work with the UL faculty to integrate fact-checking into the curriculum as a stand-alone course for DCMS students.
For their part, LVL will introduce tailored training programs for students starting this semester. Lectures will cover topics like an introduction to fact-checking, the five core principles of fact-checking, and image verification, amongst others.
The signing of the agreement follows a successful Fact-Checking Symposium hosted by LVL Fact Checking Desk for journalism students at the United Methodist University (UMU) on January 17, 2024.
The symposium is organized as part of the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), implemented by Internews with funding from the European Union.
The symposium, which was held in the auditorium of the College of West Africa (CWA), brought together over 60 students including members of the CWA Press Club.
The event also featured a panel discussion featuring the theme, “Stopping Disinformation to Enhance Democracy – What Students Need to Know”.
The panel discussion was moderated by popular talk show host Julis Jeh and brought together three prominent professionals as panelists – Atty. Facia B. Harris, a lawyer and feminist, Ms. Vickjune Excel Wutoh, an activist, and Mr. Nat Bayjay, Deputy Minister for Technical Services at the Ministry of Information.
The symposium marked the first in a series of events aimed at equipping students and the public with skills to critically evaluate information before consumption as a means of enhancing Liberia’s democracy.
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