ECOWAS partners MFWA to train journalists on information integrity, sensitive reporting 

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged journalists in the subregion to project the truth at all times and help promote information integrity.

The call follows a two-day capacity-building programme organised in Accra to strengthen information integrity.

The initiative was held in collaboration with the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) with support from the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ).

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday, September 29, ECOWAS Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, stressed the importance of accurate, verified, and balanced journalism in the face of rising misinformation and disinformation.

“As journalists, you carry the heavy burden of safeguarding public trust and ensuring that citizens have access to accurate, verified and balanced information. Without safeguarding the integrity of information, our democracy is weakened, public confidence erodes and social cohesion is threatened,” he said.

The training, facilitated by officials from the MFWA, exposed journalists to strategies for identifying and countering bad actors in the media and information ecosystem.

It also covered practical approaches to investigating and exposing human rights violations and conflict-sensitive reporting.

The training also touched on fact-checking, the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools, and digital security to ensure the protection of information and journalists’ work.

The programme, which follows similar sessions in The Gambia and Sierra Leone, also highlighted the need for media and information literacy, particularly in identifying and countering deepfakes and information disorder.

The journalists, numbering about 45 from both state and private media houses, were urged to use the knowledge gained effectively in ways that protect ECOWAS and its member states.