CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Research Fellowship
Inspired by the need to tackle and curb the rapid spread of mis- and dis-information and further expand the art and reach of verified and accurate information to rural and urban societies, to institutionalize a culture of fact-checking across the globe, and to build knowledge around the menace of information disorder in Africa, the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), through its fact-checking project, DUBAWA, is now accepting applications for her Kwame Karikari fact-checking and research fellowship.
Named after Professor Kwame Karikari, redoubtable media freedom advocate and founder of the Media Foundation for West Africa, MFWA, both the Fact-Checking and Research Fellowships are designed to promote accountability of public institutions, institutionalize the art and culture of fact-checking in newsrooms, and build knowledge around the phenomenon in the Anglophone axis of the West African sub-region. This edition of the fellowship is the third in its series.
The twin-track programme offers a six-months fellowship for journalists (fact-checkers) to incorporate fact-checking into their work; and another six-month fellowship for scholars (researchers) to conduct original research for publication in contribution to building knowledge around information disorder.
The fellowships are supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Heinrich Boll Stiftung Foundation (HBS), and they both offer a monthly stipend to cover all costs of the investigation and research project for fellows.
Fact Checks of the Week
A viral video, circulated on Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram has generated conversation on the possible inflow of refugees from Chad into Cameroon. The video, mostly without sound, shows a large number of people moving across a bridge which…
On Friday 16th April 2021, the Nigerian Army via its official Twitter handle (@HQNigerianArmy), shared a report of its victory over Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Damasak, Borno State, North-East Nigeria. The Army also posted…
Insecurity in Nigeria has become a major discourse in both the public sphere and media circle. Since 2009, security has not only taken a considerable part of the nation’s financial budget but has also taken a chunk of newspaper headlines. This reality has, however, placed security matters in the spotlight, alluring…
Tip Of The Week
#FakeNewsAlert
There’s precious little that we can do about the barrage of misinformation that we see daily, but there’s a lot we can do together if we learn to identify suspicious claims in the news and refrain from fuelling the fire by spreading them! Here are our top picks of likely-to-be-false news which [sadly] couldn’t be fact-checked.
CLAIM: “Do not sleep with your earpiece on, d battery in the phone triggers a reaction that leads to death.” SOURCE: A Screenshot on WhatsApp
A screenshot shared with Dubawa shows a picture of an earpiece plugged in a bleeding ear. Attached to this image is a caption that warns against sleeping with an earpiece as the phone’s battery triggers a reaction that leads to death.
Questions to ask yourself: Who is the source? How credible is he/she? Is there a study backing this claim? What is the connection between an earpiece plugged in a phone and the phone’s battery? What kind of reaction does the phone battery cause?
What you should do: Verify before sharing.
Other Fact Checks
- CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Research Fellowship
- Nigerian Army shares old pictures to depict recent victory on terrorists
- Can excessive bathing be harmful to your body? Here’s what experts say
- You can be on the US Watchlist and not be aware. Here’s how and why
- Viral video of soldiers flogging suspected bandits filmed in Zamfara, not along the Ife-Ibadan road
- Video purportedly showing Chadians crossing Ngueli bridge into Cameroon geo-located false
- Nigeria parliament fooled by satire website’s frivolous claim on penis export to China
