FACTCHECK247, a fact-checking platform in Nigeria, has sensitized members of a Kwara community on the danger of information disorder and the need for a healthy information ecosystem.
The media literacy campaign aims to reduce the dissemination and impact of misinformation at grassroots level by promoting media literacy and responsible information sharing and consumption among citizens in local communities.
According to a report published by the platform, the media literacy advocacy commenced on Monday, December 4, 2023 with a visit to six wards under the Balogun Fulani Constituency in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State.
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In his opening remark, the Chief Executive Officer of The Informant247, the parent company, Salihu Shola Taofeek, stated that the advocacy is geared towards creating awareness about impacts of false information and ensuring a healthy information ecosystem.
He said the outreach aims to equip the community members with media literacy knowledge to minimize the spread of misinformation.
“The media space is awashed with different things and it’s becoming difficult to separate facts from fictions, so we believe that this enlightenment will help people to be aware of the positives and negatives that abound in the social media space,” he said.
Members of the platform took turns to enlighten the participants on the impacts of information disorder and basic verification tools. The grassroot enlightenment is one of the remarkable impacts from the Countering Misinformation and Promoting Media Literacy project (media cohort) organised by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Nigeria.
Founded in 2022, FactCheck247 is an independent subsidiary of The Informant247 to combat the spread of fake news in the digital space.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
