…Training commences February 26

Saheed Ibrahim of Owena Press Limited, publisher of The Hope Newspaper has been selected for the Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking Fellowship for journalists in West Africa.

Ibrahim, will join other journalists selected across print, online and broadcast media for the 6 months fellowship holding between March 1 and August 2024.

Supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the prestigious programme named after a Professor of Journalism and founder of Media Foundation for West Africa, Prof. Kwame Karikari, will provide fellows with a valuable opportunity to engage in a rigorous four-day training exercise conducted by top-class professionals.

The four-day training preceding the fellowship began on Monday February 26, 2024.

Journalists, who typically focus on day-to-day breaking news, will acquire the ability to seamlessly integrate information fact-checking and verification into their reporting through specialized training, close mentoring, and editorial support.

Speaking at the beginning of the Fellowship training, the Chief Executive Officer of Centre for Investigative Journalism, Dapo Olorunyomi, said journalism, based on factual principles, is pivotal to the success of democracy in any country.

He said journalism must play three key roles of ensuring accountability, agenda setting and gatekeeping.

While stating that “there is information warfare,” he charged the selected fellows to promote democracy through fact-checking of information to promote democracy.