Premium Times Centre For Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) has urged Nigerian media practitioners to engage in fact checks before publishing to curb high level of fake news trending across the globe.
Mr. Akintunde Babatunde, Program Manager Natural Resources at the centre, made the call in Awka on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of five-day training for journalists in the South East.
He said that fake news was a reality facing the media and had damaging effects which its consequences were numerous and must be stopped
Babatunde said that PTCIJ prided itself in training journalists on the need to keep the ethics of journalism to stop propagating fake news.
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He said that the body decided to organize trainings on investigative journalism and fact checking for journalists to fight the increase of fake news across the country.
Babatunde said that the training which commenced on May 20 would end on May 26 with several topics including Criminal Justice and Anti Corruption.
He assured over 20 journalists drawn across the states of Anambra , Enugu, Delta, Abia and Imo that more topics in journalism would be taken.
He said that techniques on detecting fake news and its dangers would be exposed as well as the role expected of journalists to play to reduce dangers of fake news and other challenges facing the media practices. (NAN)
