Abuja: Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, has issued a call to action for the media, urging them to utilize modern technology tools to identify and counter anti-democratic narratives, combat disinformation, and uphold ethical journalism. Touray made this appeal at a two-day training session for journalists focused on tackling misinformation, disinformation, and anti-democratic narratives in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the training was organized collaboratively by ECOWAS, the German development agency GIZ, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). Represented by Abdou Kolley, Director of Cabinet in his office, Touray emphasized ECOWAS’s proactive measures to empower the media and strengthen democratic principles. He highlighted the initiative’s goal to arm journalists with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively counter false narratives and enhance their capacity to identify key actors behind these information campaigns.
Touray further encouraged participants to master advanced fact-checking methodologies to verify information, ensure reporting accuracy, and utilize open source intelligence tools to analyze trends and detect disinformation. He emphasized the importance of leveraging artificial intelligence for enhanced investigative journalism, particularly in areas related to human rights violations and anti-democratic actions. Touray also called on the media to strengthen conflict-sensitive reporting to promote peace and social cohesion.
Mr Matthias Dold, Political Counselor at the German Embassy in Abuja, acknowledged the widespread challenges of misinformation and disinformation both in the West African subregion and Europe. Dold stressed the media’s crucial role in promoting peace and regional stability to combat the detrimental effects of misinformation, which can lead to discrimination, hate, or even violence. He assured that the German government remains committed to supporting ECOWAS in this initiative to create an open and responsible information sphere.
Dr Kojo Impraim of the Media Foundation for West Africa identified political, security, and information disorder crises as major challenges confronting the world. He noted the media’s role as both a critical actor of democracy and a transmitter of information disorder in the region. Impraim emphasized the need for the media to confront and address the spread of misinformation, particularly election-related misinformation, to prevent threats to peace and democracy in the ECOWAS subregion.
