MONROVIA – As part of its efforts to combat disinformation and support information integrity in Liberia through media literacy and training, Local Voices Liberia has successfully concluded a fact-checking symposium for over 50 journalism students of the Peter Quaqua School of Journalism in Monrovia.
As future journalists, the participants’ skills and knowledge were enhanced in fact-checking and information integrity, and they were exposed to a panel discussion featuring themes on the significance of fact-checking in promoting Liberia’s democracy.
Held on August 29, in the auditorium of Faith Foundation School at Harvest Intercontinental Ministry in Congo Town, the symposium is part of the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP) implemented by Internews with funding by the European Union to promote information integrity and strengthen Liberia’s democracy.
Atty. Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, Executive Director of Local Voices Liberia, described the symposium as an “opportunity for journalism students to get basic knowledge about fact-checking to improve the information ecosystem”.
“As journalists-in-training, you are expected to begin cultivating the necessary fact-checking skills that improve the quality of journalism in Liberia, and this is a great opportunity to learn about the importance of fact-checking in information sharing,” Atty. Senkpeni told the participants at the beginning of the one-day event.
“You all need to cultivate the skill of fact checking so that you can combat disinformation to ensure our democracy is strengthened because you all know how powerful information can be and in a democratic country like ours.”
Also speaking, Ms. Rita Jlogbe, Journalism Program Officer at Internews, emphasized the importance of the symposium, urging students to seize the opportunity and serve as ambassadors of fact-checking to help prevent the spread of misleading information in the public sphere.
“We, as young people, are like the forerunners of today’s world; we are the ones who are mostly using social media. The moment we come across information on social media, whether it is true or not, we share without verifying, especially if it is saying share with three or five hundred people and win this x-amount of money,” Ms. Jlogbe stressed while cautioning the journalism students to be careful about the danger of disinformation.
In addition to a lecture on fact-checking and verification, the symposium also featured an engaging panel discussion with three distinguished speakers sharing insights on how fact-checking strengthens democracy, promotes accountability, and upholds information integrity in Liberia.
Moderated by professional broadcaster Varflay Kamara of ELBC, the discussion featured: Atty. Al-Varney Rogers, a Liberian Journalist and Media Lawyer; Ms. Ruth Gbato, a communication professional with experience in information integrity, and Amos Williams, a Liberian Diplomat.
The three speakers shared their perspectives on how disinformation undermines the stability of democratic societies, drawing on the Liberian context to highlight factors that often fuel the spread of distorted information. The panelists also examined the legal framework governing free speech and suggested practical guidance on how journalists can guard against being misled by orchestrated disinformation campaigns.
The session generated strong interest from students, many of whom actively engaged with the panel by asking questions about the media’s role in countering disinformation and exploring ways students themselves can contribute to tackling the challenge.
The August 29th symposium marks the fifth in a series of symposia organized by Local Voices Liberia aimed at educating students and the public about the threat of disinformation and how to counter this threat by fact-checking and media literacy to strengthen Liberia’s democracy.
LVL is expected to conduct several more symposiums targeting Journalism students of universities and journalism schools across the country.
