Africa Fact Checking Fellowship- #AFFCameroon 8th Cohort 2023
The Africa Fact Checking Fellowship- #AFFCameroon 8th Cohort 2023 has been created with the purpose of monitoring and mapping viral trends on social media that relate to the current challenges of combating “fake news” in Cameroon. The program seeks to enhance the skills of experienced professionals, in various cohorts, to effectively contribute to peace-building and social cohesion by countering disinformation and hate speech. It aims to promote fact-checking, data journalism, and digital rights for journalists, bloggers, and content creators in Africa. The program uses a blended learning model that includes webinars, practical lessons, peer-to-peer learning, and practical work in the field. Fellows will have access to a wealth of online tools and resources, as well as a network of experts and professionals from around the world.
Starting in 2017, the Anglophone conflict and the post-election crisis of 2018 have become central topics of public debate, leading to a rise in the consumption and dissemination of “fake news” in both online and traditional media. Despite the efforts of various parties, the situation has taken on alarming proportions, particularly in the context of tribalist attacks and their consequences. Fact-checking has been a longstanding practice in newsrooms. However, in recent years, there has been a surge in the verification of online information and public claims, mainly driven by the spread of fake news on social media. Unfortunately, the efforts to counter the proliferation of false information online have not been adequately covered in both online and offline media.
For the past three years, #defyhatenow Cameroon has conducted the “Africa Fact-checking Fellowship” #AFFCameroon program to provide professionals with fact-checking skills to identify online misinformation, disinformation, and misinformation. The program has directly benefited around 115 professionals from seven cohorts in various regions including Centre, Littoral, South-West, North-West, Adamawa, North, Far-North, and West. #defyhatenow Cameroon has announced a call for applications for its Africa Fact Checking Fellowship- #AFFCameroon 8th Cohort between April to June 2023. The main goal is to create a significant number of fact-checkers, advocates for accurate information, as well as defenders of digital rights, and opponents of both online and offline hate speech.
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Eligibility for the Africa Fact Checking Fellowship- #AFFCameroon 8th Cohort 2023:
- Applicants must be journalists.
- Applicants must be content creators.
- Applicants must be digital rights activists.
- Applicants must be bloggers.
- Applicants must be an opinion and community leaders.
- Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 40 years of age.
- Applicants must be living in Cameroon.
- Applicants must be fully available, understand English and French, be computer literate, and be active on social media.
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Application Deadline: April 20, 2023.
For more information about this opportunity, Visit the Official Website.