By: Modou Touray
Mr Sheriff Saidykan,the Vice- President of the Gambia Press Union pointed out that the GPU is recognises the need to tackle the increasing spread of misinformation and disinformation.He noted that this is evident through several initiatives since 2021 in the form of capacity building for journalists.
He made the statement at the launch of a Nationwide Campaign on Countering Misinformation and Disinformation in the Gambia organised by the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services,on Friday at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center.
” Towards the 2021 elections, the GPU partnered with UNESCO to provide training for journalists on understanding the information disorder and how to identify and tackle mis- and disinformation before during and after the election.
That training produced the first set of 25 journalists equipped with fact-checking knowledge and skills, and later the establishment of country’s first independent digital fact-checking platform, FactCheck Gambia.
Managed by the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication, MAJAC, FactCheck Gambia is aimed at curbing the spread of mis – and disinformation on both traditional and social media by correcting false or misleading claims or statements.
This initiative comes at a time when the growing menace of information disorder is gradually undermining trust in the Gambian media and the country’s fledgeling democracy.
Since 2021, the GPU and its subsidiary training arm, MAJaC, have been involved in several fact-checking training for over a hundred journalists in partnership with UNESCO, IOM, and some of the leading fact-checking organisations on the continent like Africa Check and Dubawa.
These initiatives were undertaken to strengthen the media’s role in promoting accountability, transparency, and the credibility of elections and electoral processes – which contributed to the conduct of a free, fair and transparent elections in 2021 and 2022.”
Mr Saidykan asserted that The Gambia Press Union is happy to be associated with this important initiative while stressing that the initiative aims at raising awareness of the public on the dangers of misinformation and disinformation, could not have come at a better time, as we move closer to the next election cycle.
It is also noteworthy that the Gambia Government, through the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, is leading the campaign which will also equip members of the public with the necessary tips and tools to be able to identify misinformation and disinformation.
The GPU Vice President noted that such initiative will also allow citizens and residents of The Gambia to be empowered to be able to distinguish between facts that represent a true picture, and what is propaganda that is intended to mislead them.
“They will also be able to identify false information intended to cause harm.”
