The Worldwide Heart for Journalists’ (ICFJ) Disarming Disinformation initiative is a three-year program, supported by the Scripps Howard Fund, that goals to sluggish the unfold of disinformation by a number of packages comparable to investigative journalism, capability constructing and media literacy training. ICFJ partnered with MediaWise from the Poynter Institute to develop and ship media literacy programming.
The media literacy training of trainers program accepted world members for 2 totally different cohorts. The members are neighborhood leaders who will educate others on the significance of media literacy and the right way to apply these expertise in actual life. The article under is one among 5 influence tales chosen from the primary cohort in celebration of media literacy week.
For 3 years, Mariama Danso and the group she leads, Fact Check Center – The Gambia, have promoted media literacy amongst younger adults to fight mis- and disinformation within the Banjul area of The Gambia. She and her outlet discovered it troublesome to succeed in youthful college college students, nevertheless, because of monetary limitations and a scarcity of entry to varsities within the area.
In 2023, Danso took half in ICFJ’s media literacy coaching of trainers, run in partnership with MediaWise, in Nairobi, Kenya. Throughout the coaching, she realized new methods to succeed in various audiences, taking into consideration their distinctive contexts and pursuits. “This program taught me the right way to develop my coaching from scratch,” Danso mentioned. “It taught me to suppose first of who my viewers is, what points have an effect on them (and) what points they’re thinking about.”
After the workshop, Danso acquired a grant to conduct media literacy trainings of her personal for secondary college college students throughout The Gambia.
She held her first coaching in Might at Mayork Senior Secondary College within the West Coast Area, for 40 college students over two days. The college gave her entry to a educating house, and supplied meals for the scholars and lodging for her crew. Danso additionally used her grant funds to cowl the scholars’ transportation prices to attend the coaching. “All classes had a token of appreciation,” she mentioned. “I made positive to not point out to (college students) that there was a token to cowl for his or her transportation as a approach of guaranteeing they weren’t collaborating due to (it).”
That very same month, Danso additionally led a coaching on the SomaFM 88.8 neighborhood radio station through which she mentioned rip-off funding alternatives for farmers, false profiles of political figures and misinformation that individuals unfold unknowingly. “This program needs to be a steady program,” mentioned one listener. “I’ve realized from (Danso)’s dialogue that I’ve been spreading malinformation all these previous years, however I by no means knew about it.”
Danso held workshops for one more 60 college students throughout the nation within the months that adopted. As we speak, she trains individuals of all ages on media literacy, together with schoolteachers.
Danso started her trainings for the scholars by having them fill out a questionnaire to study their private experiences with, and assess their data about, disinformation, fact-checking and extra. “The time period(s), disinformation, misinformation and media literacy, (have been) new to all my members regardless of most of them gaining access to the web,” mentioned Danso.
Photograph of Mariama Danso educating college students. (Courtesy: Reality Examine Heart- The Gambia)
The questionnaire additionally helped her determine examples of disinformation content material that may resonate with the scholars. “They have been stunned at the truth that most of them (had) come throughout the primary examples I shared with them. (Virtually) 90% of them clearly instructed me, ‘Oh we shared this data with our associates,’” she mentioned.
Her workshops have been interactive, supposed to maintain the scholars continually engaged. In a single train, for instance, Danso shared a chunk of disinformation she designed concerning the college students’ college, requested them to evaluate its veracity and clarify how they reached their conclusions.
Simply over half of The Gambia’s inhabitants makes use of the web, based on 2022 data from the World Financial institution. Addressing false rumors that unfold offline, because of this, is vital.
“Three to 5 college students stood out throughout (one) session — they’d no cellphone, no social media,” mentioned Danso. This was a chance to show college students about rumors or disinformation that unfold by “Kaa am na,” or word-of-mouth gossip. “What do you do with the knowledge your pal provides you as ‘Kaa’?’” Danso requested. “Generally you don’t belief the supply of the knowledge,” answered one pupil. One other mentioned, “Generally you belief the knowledge a bit of however not the supply.”
The responses led to a dialog concerning the kernel of truth theory. “In each rumor, there’s a trace of reality,” Danso instructed the scholars. “Moments (when) we’ve got real-life conversations about false data and data spreading by phrase of mouth, members give me one of the best of them.”
Her efforts on the Da Vinci College in Sukuta, specifically, had encouraging impacts. “Instantly after the coaching ended, the scholars and the principal requested a press membership, so that they (may) hold their fellow college students knowledgeable,” she mentioned. Danso’s crew agreed to assist set it up, as a venue for college kids to enhance their writing and reporting expertise.
To at the present time, the scholars within the press membership keep in contact with Danso by WhatsApp. “Even after the coaching classes, I’m requested, ‘How do (we) change into reporters, or reality checkers?’” she mentioned. College students additionally ask for reporting recommendation and assist verifying particular content material.
Photograph of Mariama Danso presenting on the radio station. (Courtesy: Reality Examine Heart- The Gambia)
Danso envisions a future through which media literacy is an integral a part of training in The Gambia. “I like the concept of coaching,” she mentioned. “The cycle of coaching continues for me with the intention of reaching extra colleges to supply extra coaching.”
Her core message within the trainings stays clear: Confirm earlier than you share. “Everybody ought to make sure of what they’re sharing in any type,” she mentioned. “That, for me, is with the ability to be answerable to any data you share.”
