IPC Fact-check Training Participant Bags International Award

IPC Fact-check Training Participant Bags International Award

It was a moment of encomiums and celebration in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Thursday at the African Fact-Checking Awards Gala Dinner, when one of the participants of a fact-checking training programme organised by the International Press Centre, Rita Enemuru emerged as the winner of the student journalists’ category of the Africa Fact-Checking Awards.

It was a moment of encomiums and celebration in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Thursday at the African Fact-Checking Awards Gala Dinner, when one of the participants of a fact-checking training programme organised by the International Press Centre, Rita Enemuru emerged as the winner of the student journalists’ category of the Africa Fact-Checking Awards.

The award presentation climaxed end of the 2024 Africa Facts Summit, which took place in Ghana between October 9 and 10, 2024. Ms. Enemuru participated in one of the training programmes held in February 2024, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Ms. Enemuru, a reporter and fact-checker with Stonix News and a final-year student in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, received the award out of 123 entries in the same category for her fact-check on “Claim That Federal Government Has Mandated DNA Test For Newborns Is False, Misleading,” which was written to correct the Nigeria’s information disorder regarding the DNA test controversy in households.

Speaking with NDR after receiving her award, Ms. Enemuru said the honour will serve as a motivation to do more as a media practitioner and a fact checker, as she anticipates doing more. “The award will motivate me to do more. I know that being referred to as an award-winning journalist is not an easy feat to achieve so I believe that it will open more opportunities for me as a media practitioner and as a fact-checker. The goal is to do more and be more.

Rita Enumuru was recently introduced to fact-checking in February 2024 while participating in a training run by the International Press Centre in Rivers State for journalists in the South East and South South of the country, where she got her first-ever practical knowledge on the application of fact-checking skills. The training was supported by the European Union (EU) as part of component -4 of the EU-SDGN, which aims to combat information disorder in the nation.

The fact-checking training also emphasised the significance of fact-checking in investigative journalism and how it could afford journalists opportunities both in local and international organisations and for lovers of good journalism. The participants were also equipped with needed tools to do quality fact-checking, such as Deeptrace, TinEye, Osintessentials, and InVid, among others.

Recognising the impact of the IPC-facilitated training, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the training and how the application of the knowledge gained in the programme has taken her beyond the country’s borders to win an award.

“The IPC fact-checking training held in Port Harcourt in February introduced me to fact-checking as I began checking for false and misleading claims on social media. So, I am grateful for the knowledge gathered in that training. I am excited that the knowledge I got from the training paid off by giving me not only my first award but an international award.

Speaking more about the lesson fact-checking has taught her as a journalist, Ms. Enemuru clarified that journalists are not supposed to spread false information to the public. “To me, journalism is not just about dishing out timely information to the public but it’s all about giving them accurate information and that is what fact-checking has taught me”, she concluded.

Posts Carousel

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

Latest Posts

Top Authors

Most Commented

Featured Videos