MONROVIA – Local Voices Liberia successfully conducted a fact-checking symposium for over 75 journalism students and faculty members of the Department of Communication and Media Studies (DCMS) at the University of Liberia.
Hosted in the theater of the Fendell Campus on February 28, the symposium is part of the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP) implemented by Internews with funding from the European Union to enhance information integrity as a means of strengthening Liberia’s democracy.
Speaking at the start of the symposium, Mr. Euriahs Togar, Chairman of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, commended Local Voices Liberia for collaborating with the department to host the symposium while emphasizing the importance of equipping students with essential fact-checking knowledge and skills.
Mr. Togar also stressed the importance of incorporating fact-checking into the DCMS curriculum, adding that “we will continue to work with LVL to introduce fact-checking as a stand-alone course in the near future”.
Daniel Ankrah moderates the panel discussion with three panelists (L-R): Wremongar Joe, Lisa Diasay, and Al-Varney Rogers
Also speaking, Ms. Rita Jlogbe, Journalism Program Officer at Internews, underscored the importance of the symposium by encouraging students to maximize the opportunity and become ambassadors of fact-checking to prevent the spread of misleading information in the public space.
“Disinformation undermines democracy, and its masterminds often target young people, exploiting their energy and vulnerability,” Ms. Jlogbe said. “This is why it is important for you students to understand how to verify information before consuming or sharing it.”
In addition to a PowerPoint presentation on fact-checking and verification, the symposium also featured an intriguing panel discussion on the theme “Stopping Disinformation to Enhance Democracy – What Students Need to Know.”
Moderated by broadcaster and communication professional Daniel Ankrah, the discussion featured three distinguished Liberian media professionals: Atty. Al-Varney Rogers, a Liberian Journalist and Media Lawyer; Ms. Lisa Diasay, President of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia; and Wremongar B. Joe, a communication and media practitioner.
During the discussion, the panelists give their perspectives on how disinformation can undermine the stability of a democratic country, providing the Liberian context of the factors that often trigger disinformation, the legal framework that limits free speech, and how students can avoid being misled by purveyors of disinformation campaigns.
Over 75 journalism students attended the fact checking symposium on February 28
The students showed massive interest during the discussion, with many asking questions about the role of the media in countering disinformation and how students can tackle disinformation as well.
The EU-funded Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP) seeks to promote freedom of expression by enhancing media professionalism, improving the quality of information, and fostering human rights and democracy.
As part of this initiative, Internews is also collaborating with three universities – the University of Liberia (UL), the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), and the United Methodist University (UMU) as well as the Peter Quaqua School of Journalism.
Under this partnership, Liberia-specific investigative journalism and fact-checking manuals will be integrated into the curricula of these institutions. Outstanding journalism students from these universities would receive mentorship and mini-reporting grants to conduct fact-checking and investigative journalism as part of their coursework.
According to Jerry Gaye, LVL’s Fact-checking Desk Coordinator, the February 28th symposium marks the second in a series of symposiums aimed at educating students and the public about the threat of disinformation and how they can counter this threat by fact-checking and media literacy to strengthen Liberia’s democracy.
LVL is expected to conduct over 15 symposiums targeting Journalism students of universities and journalism schools across the country.
“This is not the only symposium we have to conduct under the Liberia Media Empowerment Project, we will also visit the other universities and journalism schools. My understanding is that we have about 20 of these activities to be implemented in Monrovia and its environs”, he explained.
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