TECHDIGEST – A PRNigeria Reporter, Mohammad Dahiru Lawal, has won the best fact checker of the month of June in the ongoing Kwame Karikari Fact Checking and Research Fellowship at Dubawa, Premium Times Center for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ).

He won the award alongside Kaduna Daily Trust Bureau Chief, Lami Sadiq, with his winning entry being an extensive research and Fact Check on the ‘Google vs Crowwe App’ debacle which was able to debunk reports circulating in the media that the app was removed from Google’s PlayStore due to poor reviews.

In an email announcing the winners, the Editor, Mr. Kemi Busari stated that various entries for the award were received from fact- checkers on the programme with about four living upto the billing each scoring at least 68%.

“We had a very difficult tie to break and in the end, decided to award two joint winners,” he explained announcing that the winning entries are “Fact-Check: Google Did Not Delete Crowwe Due to Bad Reviews or Complaints” written by Mohammed Lawal and “2016 video recirculated to depict Nigerian Army killed dozens of bandits in Kebbi” by Lami Sadiq and both had a total score of 73 percent to edge the second placed copy by three percent and fourth by five.

He revealed that key elements in the winning entries include, “extensive use of hyperlinks, human/multiple sourcing, clear writing style and structure.”

Since June when the fellowship commenced, Mr. Dahiru’s fact checks, most of which can be read on PRNigeria’s fact checking page, has in the past three months extensively debunked misinformations in the security especially on the Nigerian Army, Navy and Department of State Service (DSS). Other areas of his coverage include technology, economy, religion and inter-ethnic relations to mention a few.

He was also a lead team mate who unraveled 101 fake news during the EndSARS protest last year.

In his remarks made available to PRNigeria, Dahiru expressed optimism that with fact checking entrenched not only in newsrooms but inculcated in Journalism practice will go a long way in restoring the dignity of information business.

“The establishment of News Desks in our various news organizations should be at the central core of this idea. I particularly look forward to an era of newsrooms with Fact Checking Desks and PRNigeria is taking that lead already,” he expressed.

Reacting to the award, the Editor in Chief, PRNigeria, Alh. Yushau Shuaib said it did not come as a surprise as PRNigeria’s mother body, Image Merchant Promotions Limited is equipped with dedicated and expert staff.

“Based on this, you will notice that fact-checking specialisation in our newsroom is taking a promising dimension and I can assure that PRNigeria will continue to be at the forefront in the fight against misinformation, disinformation and fake news,” Shauib said.

Throughout the duration of the 2021 cohort of the fellowship which ends in November, each month, one ‘Fact-check of the Month’ award will be named with a token prize to the winner in order to motivate and strengthen “fact checkers to do more,” Mr. Busari had said.

The Programme by renowned Fact-Checking and verification platform, Dubawa, under the aegis of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) is aimed at tackling misinformation and holding political elites accountable for their words and actions while expanding the reach of verified information to grassroots communities.

Recall that Mr. Dahiru who is currently the managing editor and convener of Arewa Agenda for Sustainable Development, Secretary, Nigerian Journalists for Climate Action Network (NIJOCAN), Coordinator Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR) and Reporting Fellow the International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) was overall Campus Journalist of the year 2020.

Dahiru who also bagged the best features writer award (print) emerged in a highly competitive process with contenders from University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, University of Ilorin, University of Nigeria Nsukka among other higher institutions across the country to clinch the much coveted Award.

The post PRNigeria Reporter Wins Best Fact-Checker of the Month in Kwame Karikari Fellowship appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECH DIGEST – Five non-governmental organizations and four journalists have filed a suit against the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja.

The NGO applicants are asking the Court to declare the indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria a violation of their human rights under international law, order the Government to immediately rescind the suspension order, and compensate them for the violation of their rights.

The NGO applicants in the suit are Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the International Press Centre (IPC), and Tap Initiative for Citizens Development (TICD) while the journalists are Mr. David Hundeyin, Mr. Samuel Ogundipe, Ms Blessing Oladunjoye, and Mr. Nwakamri Zakari Apollo.

The suit, lodged with number ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21 ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21, in a 73-page documentation, was filed on their behalf by Abuja-based human rights and free expression lawyer, Mrs. Mojirayo Ogunlana Nkanga, under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, and the Nigerian Constitution, among others.

They are claiming that Nigeria’s ongoing suspension of Twitter, which came into effect on or around June 4, 2021, violated their right to freedom of expression and interfered with the ability of the journalists to do their work.

The NGOs and journalists are also alleging that the general situation in Nigeria with respect to human rights, has created an environment where freedom of expression is stifled, which has contributed to creating a chilling effect on press and media freedom and which the ongoing suspension of Twitter is a continuation of.

According to them, Nigeria has consented to be bound by the obligation to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression under the ICCPR and the ACHPR and therefore, any limitation imposed by the government on the right to freedom of expression can only be justifiable where the restriction is provided by law, serves a legitimate aim, and is necessary and proportionate in a democratic society.

Contending that these three conditions must all be met before any restriction on the right to freedom of expression can be considered legitimate, they noted that the suspension of Twitter is not provided by law, that there is no justification for it under Nigeria’s domestic laws, and that it was done by the government in an arbitrary manner in circumstances where there was no public or judicial oversight, transparency or accountability.

The NGOs and journalists are asking the Court to declare the indefinite suspension of Twitter a continuous violation of their human rights under international law, particularly the right to seek and receive information as well as the right to express and disseminate opinions under Article 9(1) and (2) of the African Charter; Article 19(2) of the ICCPR and the rights of journalists under Article 66(2)(c) of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty.

They are also seeking a declaration that the Government’s directive, through the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), for the deactivation of Twitter accounts in Nigeria violates their human rights under international law and that the threat by the Attorney-General of the Federation to criminally prosecute anybody found to be using Twitter in Nigeria following the suspension of the platform also violates their human rights under international law.

The NGOs and the journalists are therefore urging the court to issue orders mandating the Government to immediately take all necessary measures to rescind the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria; to take all necessary measures to guarantee non-recurrence in order to prevent the same violation occurring again in future; compelling the Government to issue adequate reparations, including restitution, compensation and measures of satisfaction to them to be specified and submitted to the court; as well as to issue an order of injunction restraining the Government, its servants and agents from imposing criminal sanctions on individuals, including the applicants, who use Twitter or any other social media service provider.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

The suit is being litigated with the support of Media Defence, a London-based NGO, which provides legal assistance to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media.

The post Five NGOs, Journalists Sue FG To ECOWAS Court Over Twitter ban appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECH DIGEST – A reporter with PRNigeria, Mohammad Dahiru Lawal has been selected for the Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Research Fellowship as part of the 2021 cohort of fact-checkers to combat misinformation in the Wes-African sub-region.

Dahiru emerged out of the top 26 successful applicants drawn from over 200 applications in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The Programme by renowned Fact-Checking and verification platform, Dubawa, under the aegis of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) is aimed at tackling misinformation and holding political elites accountable for their words and actions while expanding the reach of verified information to grassroots communities.

In her opening remarks during the induction and training excersise of the selected fellows which commenced Tuesday, the Executive Director, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Aisha Osori, noted that the Programme is fundamental owing to the fact that the world is changing and people have to change with it especially in an era of “misinformation” and “mal-information.”

“We are in a post-truth era, nothing is as it seems and truth has lost its power therefore smashing lies and disinformation with facts are the best defense,” she stated.

Also speaking, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, Executive Director for the PTCIJ, said that the Programme will equip Journalists with all the empowerment mechanisms they need to combat misinformation, disinformation and fake news in the digital era.

Earlier in a statement, Dubawa programme manager, Adedeji Adekunle, said in the training faculty for the programme are drawn from a pool of the leading global experts in the field of fact-checking who come with individual and organizational talents which includes Peter Cunliffe-Jones, founder of Africa Check, and current course co-director/researcher at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom; Youri van der Weide, researcher and trainer at the global investigative organisation, Bellingcat; and Craig Silverman, author, trainer, and the digital editor, at BuzzFeed.

Others are Prof. Kwame Karikari, former professor, School of Communications, University of Ghana, Legon and Chairman of the Board of the Daily Graphic newspaper in Accra; Dr Chido Onumah, coordinator of the African Centre for Information and Media Literacy, AFRICMIL; Kemi Busari, Editor of DUBAWA; Deji Adekunle, DUBAWA Programme Manager; Caroline Anipah, Ghana Programme Lead for DUBAWA; and Dapo Olorunyomi, Executive Director for the PTCIJ.

Dahiru who is also a reporting Fellow with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Open Contract Reporting Project (OCRP) is a final year student of the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University Kano (BUK). He is also Managing Editor of Arewa Agenda, a platform of young Northern writers advocating national unity and development.

In December 2020, he emerged overall Campus Journalist of the Year during the annual Campus Journalism and Dialogue Award Organized by Youths Digest. Dahiru also clinched the best features writer of the year (print category) at the same ceremony.

Previously, he had led the PRNigeria team that bursted 101 fake news that were propagated during the EndSARS protest in October last year.

Now in its third year, the 2021 fellowship is christened Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Research Fellowship in honour of Ghanaian Professor, Kwame Karikari.

The Kwame Karikari Fellowship is Supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the 2021 cohort will run for a period of six months.

The post PRNigeria Reporter Selected for Kwame Karikari Fact Checking Fellowship appeared first on Tech Digest News.