Amid the flooding of fake news and vicious propaganda through different means of social media, journalists in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir are trained with techniques and tools of fact-checking.
Press Club of Jammu conducted a daylong training programme to train local journalists with technologies to provide the public with accurate and authentic information. The training programme was aimed to combat fake news and misinformation. During the programme, participants were informed about tools for visual and verification.
Dr. Rakesh Goswami GNI India training network trainer, who is Professor, and Regional Director, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Jammu conducted the training in which over 40 journalists participated.
While Dr. Goswami demonstrated new techniques to check fake news, veteran journalists informed young journalists about the ethics of checking and counter-checking information before publishing or telecasting.
The journalists were informed about methods, apps, and tools to be adopted to check facts of images, videos, and data received from different sources on social media or other means.
Participants were equipped with different tools and methodologies to deal with dis/misinformation in all its forms. Special attention was given to the different tools that journalists can use to verify different forms of information such as text, images, videos websites, locations, and social media accounts, among others.
Fake news is the bane of society, spreading misinformation
Dr. Goswami said misinformation, and disinformation are the bane of our society and have a huge cost.
"Technology has made it easier to create compelling, believable fake images. Posts that use text and visuals are more believed than textual disinformation. For the uninitiated, distinguishing between original and manipulated images is difficult. It is very important for all of us to learn about the tools and techniques of fact-checking", he said.
He further said that in the era of technology, it has become more important than ever for journalists to provide the public with accurate information, considering the flood of false information on different platforms of social media.
"This means that journalists must be equipped with skills, knowledge, and tools in fact-checking. Therefore, there is no better time than now, to hold this training," he said.
"Training will help to differentiate real and fake news"
The participants said the skills gained in this course will help them to distinguish between fake and real news. With the help of tools, which the facilitator demonstrated during the course, one can judge whether the video or image is fake or real.
The participants learned that social media is not the ultimate source of information. They have to fact-check all the information received through social media platforms.
