Spain Embassy trains 35 Nigerian journalists, fact-checkers

The Embassy of Spain in Nigeria through Casa África, European Union and Cooperation has organized a three-day training for Nigerian journalists and fact-checkers on ways to implement AI in their duty.

The training which was organized in conjunction with Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), through its verification platform Dubawa, offered courses in information verification and digital cybersecurity for Nigerian journalists.

The courses included the participation of two specialized trainers from the Spanish media outlets Maldita.es and Newtral, who shared their knowledge and experience with Dubawa fact-checkers and with other journalists interested in fact-checking.

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One of the courses was advanced and aimed exclusively at the Dubawa fact-checkers, learnt to apply Artificial Intelligence systems to their information verification processes.

The journalists were trained taught to understand how new AI tools work and how to use them to detect and debunk misinformation.

The Director General of Casa África, José Segura Clavell, said the initiative was part of the #PeriodismoÁfrica program of Casa África, which seeks to bring Africa and Spain closer together through educational, economic, cultural and informative activities.

“For 15 years, Casa África has been fighting against stereotypes in the narratives about the African continent and supporting the role of journalism as a powerful tool in the fight against misinformation.”

Clavell stated that the aim to take advantage of the talent and high innovation existing in the field of verification and the fight against misinformation in Spain to improve the training of African journalists, who have a huge challenge in misinformation.

He said the first two experiences were carried out in Kenya and Namibia, with great success and satisfaction from the participants.

He said Casa África planned to continue deepening the program with a follow up in Madrid on September 26-27 through the fourth meeting of Journalists Africa-Spain and will focus on both misinformation and narratives about Africa in Spain and Europe.

“We are very proud to collaborate with our Nigerian partners in this training program that aims to strengthen the capacities of African journalists in fact-checking and digital security. We believe that these skills are essential for a quality journalism that can inform citizens and combat misinformation that can undermine democracy and human rights.”

The Executive Director of CJID, Dr. Tobi Oluwatola, said: “AI and its new iteration of large language models have changed the world in ways we do not fully comprehend yet. It is critical that Journalists are able to explain and leverage them for democratic purposes such as verification and digital literacy.”

On his part, Ambassador of Spain to Nigeria, Juan Sell, said Spain is holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU this Semester.

“Among our priorities there is certainly the support of a free, independent, trustworthy and competent media, in Africa and elsewhere, as it is a prerequisite for a thriving and inclusive democracy. Casa Africa is hitting the bulls-eye by bringing the most specialized fact checkers of Spain to train Nigerian journalists and partnering with Dubawa, an already reputed platform in the field of nowadays essential fight against disinformation.”

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