Accra, February 24, 2020 – Dubawa, a fact-checking platform and organisation, is set to be formally launched on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.
Over the years, especially with the advent of the internet and social media, Ghanaians have been bombarded with information often laden with untruths and propaganda aimed at influencing them to act in one way or another. This has damaging implications on journalistic processes, democracy, good governance and the general well-being of Ghanaians.
These challenges are what DUBAWA aims to help resolve through rigorous fact-checking exercises and through training. DUBAWA is a non-partisan verification and rating platform designed to help renew West African journalism through the promotion of professionalism and the culture of factual public debates that leads to the amplification of truth and accuracy in reporting.
Dubawa is not just a verification platform; it is also a repository of tools and resources that can be used by media professionals and the general public to verify information and produce fact-based reports.
DUBAWA is one of the three internationally accredited fact-checking platforms in Africa and currently has offices in Nigeria and Ghana. It is an initiative of the Premium Times Centre Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) and is a member of the International Fact-checking Network. It has three respected journalism leaders in the country on its advisory board: Professor Kwame Karikari; Professor Audrey Gadzepko; and Nana Gyan-Apenteng, former chairman of the National Media Commission.
It is expected that representatives from government, civil society organisations, the media, diplomatic agencies and political parties would grace the occasion. The event is scheduled to take place at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel at 9:00 am prompt.
The keynote speaker for the event is Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information. Ms Josephine Nkrumah, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education, will chair the event.
The launch will be followed by a three-day fact-checking training for a cross-section of editors and reporters from selected media houses across the country. The training, scheduled to take place from 26 February to 28 February, is inspired by Dubawa’s objective of ensuring fact-checking becomes a norm in newsrooms.
Participants will be taken through sessions on fact-checking methodology, data interpretation and how to use multimedia verification tools for fact-checking.
For further information, please contact www.ghana.dubawa.org, contact@dubawa.org or 0542 818 189 or @dubawaGH.
For more information:
Caroline Anipah
Programme Officer
