Nigerian editors have agreed to set up fact-checking desk 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-checking desk would help media organisations verify news hints, with the view to publishing only accurate information.
Other key decisions taken at the end of the workshop include:
- Media organisations should organise trainings for their newsroom managers and line editors on fact-checking
- That the Guild should set up disinformation counter groups across its zonal structures, ahead of 2027 general election
- Media organisations should collaborate and reach out to each other to verify information
- Media organisations should look at the quality of their online editors to ensure that experienced and well grounded journalist man the position
- The Guild should use other of its bigger platforms to address issues bordering on fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
At the workshop, EU’s Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Gautier Mignot and the NGE President, Mr. Eze Anaba, said that newsroom managers should acquire the skills and tools for fact-checking as a way to arresting 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’.
According to him, ‘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 gatekeeping 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% of people globally worry about disinformation’s impact, while 38% 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 state. “If we want to remain credible and reliable, we have to fact-check to ensure that the information we spread is accurate’, he said.
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, warning that disinformation had exacerbated long-standing ethnic and religious tensions in the country.
‘Although what the report describes as Nigeria’s big, strong, unimaginatively creative, but invisible rumour mill has always been there, it 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 presented 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 ongoing efforts to counter these threats globally, including the European Digital Media Observatory, the Rapid Alert System, 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-check 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.
Anaba had described the workshop as timely and critical, while highlighting the dangers of fake news and misformation.
‘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 person. Three topics were treated at the programme by Senior Vice Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, LEADERSHIP newspapers, Mr. Azu Isiekwene; and Executive Director, Africa Check, Dr. David Ajikobi.
The resource persons treated: “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, Desinformation and Fake News” and “Fact-Checking Tools and Resources: Overview of Fact-checking Tools; Analyzing 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 organizations, distortion of reality and threat to democracy.
