At the Atlantic Federation of African News Agencies (FAAPA) awards ceremony on Thursday in Rabat, a group of African journalists participating in a seminar hosted by the federation announced the formation of the Network of African Press Agency Fact-Checker Journalists (RJF-FAAPA) to verify facts and source check, to combat the spread of misinformation in African media, according to a statement released by FAAPA.
The RJF-FAAPA plans to collaborate with FAAPA member agencies to combat misinformation by creating a specialized platform for verifying information and multimedia content and developing a fact-checking guide for African news agencies.
Jean-Bedel Ndandula from the Congolese News Agency (ACP), who was appointed as Coordinator of RJF-FAAPA, commended the high level of commitment of trainers and participants at the seminar, particularly during theoretical and practical workshops.
“The creation of the Network is a significant landmark as FAAPA member press agencies will now work together to combat misinformation and support democracy and peace in Africa,” he stated.
Attending the seminar as a trainer, Xavier Messé A Tiati, a Cameroonian journalist and media expert, commended the technological advancements and professionalism of the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) in Africa and the agency’s continuous efforts to share its experience and know-how with FAAPA’s member agencies.
“Morocco has long attempted to advance African countries’ health, security, and economies,” Tiati said. “Today, within the framework of FAAPA, this exchange of knowledge has expanded to encompass information and journalism.”
The seminar, entitled “Fact-Checking: Detecting Fake News in Media Content,” was held April 22-26 at the Training Center for African Journalists (CAFJ) in Rabat. Attended by 24 journalists, the five-day event covered various aspects of the topic, including the history of fake news and the emergence of fact-checking, the objectives of verification, and the challenges of fact-checking, tools, techniques, and methodologies.
Created in 2014 and chaired by the current Head of MAP, Fouad Arif, FAAPA is a professional platform for addressing the role of African news agencies in the 21st century and beyond. Comprised of 30 news agencies and professional groups, its purpose is to promote cooperation and dialog between agencies in all areas of common interest, including information, training, and multimedia content.