Rabat Hosts International Fact-Checking Seminar to Combat Fake News

Rabat, Morocco – Fouad Arif, Director General of the Moroccan Press Agency (MAP) and president of the Atlantic Federation of African Press (FAAPA), opened a training seminar on Monday aimed at equipping journalists with fact-checking skills to combat the spread of fake news. The five-day seminar, running from April 22 to 26, 2024, focuses on the theme “Fact-Checking: Detection of fake news in media content”.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the seminar involves 25 journalists from various African news agencies and emphasizes the need for vigilance in the process of news collection, processing, and dissemination. The training is structured to bolster the journalists’ theoretical knowledge and practical skills in verifying information. Arif underscored the role of social networks in amplifying the spread of misinformation and highlighted the importance of fact-checking as a countermeasure.

The seminar will feature instructions from four experts, including Tilado Apollinaire Abga, editor-in-chief of the AIB. Participants represent a diverse linguistic group including Portuguese, English, French, and Arabic speakers. Arif expressed his hope that the training would foster the creation of an active network of fact-checkers among African press agencies, and eventually lead to the development of a fact-checking guide for journalists across the continent.

FAAPA, established in October 2014, aims to promote cooperation and exchange of experiences in the fields of information, training, and multimedia among press agencies.