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The Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), through its fact-checking project, ‘Dubawa’ is set to hold its second Fact-Checking Fellowship for 24 selected journalists in radio, television and new media platforms (online blogs) in Ghana and Nigeria.

The Fellowship, which would have five Ghanaian journalists participating, aims at providing an opportunity for analytic, dedicated and innovative journalists to research and write truth-based and factual stories and also institute a culture of fact-checking in newsrooms across Nigeria and Ghana.

A statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said this year’s edition would be the maiden one for the Ghana office and the second for Nigeria.

The fellows for the six-month Fellowship were selected from different geographical locations of the two countries.

The statement said the Fellowship was inspired by the need to tackle the menace of mis/dis-information in Nigeria, Ghana, and beyond, thereby creating a safer media ecosystem where truth and accuracy could thrive.

This year’s will be tailored to fighting the canker on mis/disinformation on online media, print, radio and television.

The Fellowship would be preceded by a four-day intensive training with selected journalists being taken through courses on the information disorder ecosystem, news industry transformation, research and data journalism, investigative journalism, and fact-checking/verification as an innovation to today’s journalism.

Oluwatosin Alagbe, Programme Director of PTCIJ, described the Fellowship as timely, more importantly with the outbreak of the COVID-19, saying; “There is no better time than now, during this pandemic, to consolidate and expand on the Dubawa Fellowship Programme launched in 2019.”

"The world is rife with misinformation and disinformation, and these fellows, the best in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Uganda, are saddled with the task of debunking and researching the trends.”

“They will also institute the culture of fact-checking and verification in their respective newsrooms."

Adedeji Adekunle, the Deputy Programme Director of PTCIJ, said the Fellowship was part of the Organisation's effort to innovate around information disorder.

"It has been one of our efforts to innovate around the massive information disorder problem and the rapid spread of mis/disinformation.”

"When the culture of fact-checking becomes a mainstay in mainstream journalism, the pace of the spread of rumours and hoaxes starts to reduce," he said, adding; "This year brings a lot of promise and I am optimistic about the ability of the fellows to accomplish great things and leave their mark."

Ms Caroline Anipah, Programme Officer and Editor of Dubawa (Ghana), said the programme was critical with Ghana’s 2020 general election on the horizon.

"This Fellowship is timely and important at this time when the political climate is heating up, and rumours and political misinformation is rapidly spreading,” she said.

In addition to debunking political and election-related false information, fellows also have a responsibility of ensuring that verified information gets to the people who need it the most, which are grass-root communities.

This year’s programme would be virtual due to the global pandemic and in adherence to safety rules and measures by the governments and health officials.

The Dubawa Fact-Checking Fellowship is supported by Heinrich Boll Stiftung Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, and Premium Times
Centre for Investigative Journalism.