•As EU, NGE task media professionals on misinformation, disinformation
Nigerian editors have agreed to set up Fact-Check Desks in their various newsrooms as a measure to tackle fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Rising from a one-day workshop organised by the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos on Friday, the editors said that having Fact-Check Desks would help media organisations verify news hints, with a view to publishing only accurate information.
A statement jointly signed by the President of the NGE, Mr Eze Anaba, and Secretary, Mr Onuoha Ukeh, outlined other key decisions taken at the end of the workshop, including a directive to media organisations to organise trainings for their newsroom managers and line editors on fact-checking, while the NGE would set up disinformation counter groups across its zonal structures, ahead of the 2027 general election.
Participants also resolved that media organisations should collaborate and reach out to one another to verify information, and also to check the quality of their Online Editors to ensure that experienced and well grounded journalists man the position.
They also agreed that the Guild should use its bigger platforms to address issues bordering on fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Speaking earlier at the workshop, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot and the NGE President, Mr Anaba, said that newsroom managers should acquire the skills and tools for fact-checking as a way to arrest fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Mignot said that the EU was taking a multi-pronged approach to address the threats posed by misleading information, which he described as a “danger to democracy and public trust.”
Said he: “The European Union is actively working to combat disinformation and promote media literacy, with fact-checking playing a crucial role in these efforts.
“Our choice of collaborating with the Nigerian Guild of Editors on this programme is part and parcel of this general effort.
“We recognise the critical role of editors as the last line in the gate-keeping process. The editor is ultimately responsible for what is pushed into the public space as content.”
The EU ambassador warned that the spread of misleading information – whether unintentional or deliberate, posed a threat to democratic governance and public trust.
Citing a July 2024 European Parliament Report, Mignot noted that 85 per cent of people globally worry about disinformation’s impact, while 38 per cent of EU citizens now see it as a threat to democracy.
“For media professionals, particularly editors, the implications are far reaching because misleading information erodes not only the credibility of the message, but also that of the messenger and the institution,” he stated.
“If we want to remain credible and reliable, we have to fact-check to ensure that the information we spread is accurate.”
Mignot noted that advancements in technology had made it easier to generate and disseminate deceptive content that is increasingly difficult to distinguish from factual information. He drew attention to Nigeria’s unique challenges, referencing a 2020 report by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), warning that disinformation had exacerbated long-standing ethnic and religious tensions in the country.
“The report points out that both falsehoods and accurate information can now spread faster and in a multitude of formats, including text, audio, images, memes, and videos, all thanks to technology,” Mignot said.
Despite the challenges, the ambassador argued that the evolving information landscape presents an opportunity for traditional media to reclaim its relevance.
He said: “Media must remain reliable, they must be fact-checkers and make sure in particular that the research for the scoop does not beat the research for the truth.
“A literate public is much more empowered to be able to assess the information they are exposed to, identify sources they can trust, and make well-informed decisions, participate in debates and shape policies that affect them.”
Mignot outlined the EU’s on-going efforts to counter these threats globally, including the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), the Rapid Alert System (RAS), and the EUvsDisinfo platform.
“We support fact-checkers and researchers working to debunk disinformation and foster collaboration among them. Our previous work with Nigeria’s foremost fact-checking platform, Dubawa, is an example,” he said.
Other interventions cited by the ambassador include direct training support for Nigerian journalists, including visits to Europe and Ukraine, and active engagement with students and civil society organisations.
In his welcome remarks at the workshop, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Anaba, described the workshop as timely and critical, while highlighting the dangers of fake news and misinformation.
“The deliberate spread of false information, whether through disinformation, misinformation, or fabricated news, not only undermines public trust, but also threatens social cohesion, democratic governance, and national security,” he said.
The NGE President expressed hope that the gathering would serve as a platform for building collective capacity to identify and combat false narratives.
“It is our hope that through informed discussions and shared insights, we will strengthen our individual and institutional capacities to identify, counter, and prevent the spread of false narratives,” Anaba said.
The EU/NGE workshop for editors had two resources persons: Three topics were treated at the programme by Mr Azu Isiekwene, Senior Vice Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, LEADERSHIP Newspapers and Dr David Ajikobi, Executive Director, Africa Check.
The resource persons treated such topics as: Principles of Fact-Checking: Understanding the Role of Editors in Fact-checking And the Principles of Accuracy, Fairness, and Transparency; Identifying Misinformation and Disinformation: Analysing Examples of Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake News and Fact-Checking Tools and Resources: Overview of Fact-checking Tools; Analysing Complex Fact-checking Scenarios.
The training highlighted the dangers of misinformation and disinformation in today’s digital age.
It identified the impact of misinformation as damage to credibility of media organisations, distortion of reality and threat to democracy.
