Dead Sea, Jordan – Amidst the growing spread of misinformation, the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) network held an intensive masterclass titled “Verification for Journalists: How to Detect Fake Content” during its 17th annual forum. This masterclass comes in collaboration with NIJ (Norwegian Institute of Journalism). Norwegian fact-checking expert Silje Førsund provided hands-on training to empower journalists in identifying, analyzing, and countering fake content using the latest verification tools and techniques.
17 investigative journalists from 8 Arab countries (30% females) participated in this masterclass.
The two-day masterclass with a total of 6 hours focused on equipping participants with practical skills for verifying information. The training included using advanced tools such as InVID and Google Fact-Check Explorer and implementing a 5-step verification methodology that includes source tracing, detecting manipulation, and verifying multimedia content.
Silje Førsund, journalist and head of verification at Faktisk.no, previously worked as an investigative journalist at Dagbladet. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in European politics. Førsund has also given numerous lectures on topics such as information verification, open source intelligence (OSINT), source criticism, artificial intelligence, and disinformation.
This masterclass comes at a critical time when misinformation is rampant, highlighting the crucial role of journalists in combating this phenomenon. Through this initiative, ARIJ aims to strengthen journalistic integrity and enable journalists to produce accurate, evidence-based reports, especially in the context of conflict reporting.
Amal Guenine (Female, Morocco)
Amal Guenine shared her excitement about discovering two innovative tools that were entirely new to her, highlighting the unique insights she gained through the experience.
Sohad Khodary (Female, Egypt)
Sohad Khodary, an Egyptian journalist, expressed her enthusiasm for the comprehensive training program. She emphasized the significant benefits she derived from the sessions, underscoring their impact on her professional growth.
ARIJ and NIJ have collaborated for over 10 years, working on numerous projects that have benefited countless journalists. This partnership has contributed to enhancing their skills and knowledge, enabling them to apply what they’ve learned in their work and grow from entry-level journalists to more skilled and advanced practitioners in the field of journalism.
