The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) II programme has convened stakeholders for a Technical Summit on Elevating Fact-Checking Capabilities of Journalists, aimed at strengthening media responses to misinformation and disinformation ahead of upcoming elections.
The intervention forms part of technical support measures under the Support to Media Component of the Programme, focused on enhancing media professionalism and safeguarding electoral integrity. The engagement took place in Abuja on Tuesday.
The summit examined the growing threat posed by misinformation, disinformation and malinformation to Nigeria’s democratic process. Participants observed that false narratives, manipulated content and viral falsehoods increasingly shape public discourse during elections, undermining trust in institutions, heightening political tensions and weakening confidence in electoral outcomes.
The engagement brought together fact-checking organisations, newsroom leaders, journalists and other media stakeholders to strengthen coordination in detecting, verifying and countering harmful information flows.
Discussions centred on equipping journalists with advanced verification skills, including artificial intelligence-powered fact-checking tools, digital investigative techniques, and practical approaches for debunking viral claims circulating across social media and other platforms.
Participants also engaged in practical exercises on real-time verification of digital content, aimed at improving newsroom response to fast-moving information disorders during election periods.
The summit featured the introduction of an AI Fact-Checking Tool Guide designed to support journalists and fact-checkers in adopting technology-driven approaches to identifying and addressing false information more effectively.
Strengthening fact-checking capacity was underscored as critical to protecting electoral integrity, reinforcing public trust and supporting democratic stability, particularly as information manipulation continues to pose risks to credible elections in Nigeria.
The engagement formed part of broader efforts to promote coordinated media-sector action to mitigate the impact of misinformation on Nigeria’s evolving democratic and digital landscape by the programme.
