On Day 3 of the masterclass on “Fact-Checking: Countering Fake News in Modern Media for supporting Democracies,” participants learned about online fact-checking tools. The five-day masterclass, supported by US Mission Pakistan in partnership with the Pakistan US Alumni Network (PUAN), is being held at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University).
The day started with a session by Mr. Khalid Khattak, Founder of Data Stories, who presented an overall perspective of fact-checking in Pakistan. Mr. Nick Hersh, US Embassy spokesperson, joined via video link and talked about Pak-US bilateral relations. He stressed upon the need to identify and combat localized patterns of disinformation and urged the journalists to play a positive role in promoting democracy.
Dr. Rahman Ullah Khan, Chairman Department of Mass Communication, KUST, led a session on local media production and fact-checking in KPK. He presented a case study of how newspapers, local radio stations, and television stations in KPK are countering fake news. Mr. Iftikhar Firdous and Mr. Nizamuddin Salarzai conducted an informative session on how independent fact-checking organizations such as Soch Factcheck go about the process of debunking fake news. They shared different online tools that can be used by journalists to identify false information.
Mr. Ikram Barkat, DG Operations PEMRA, presented a view from the government in his session. He discussed about the initiatives taken by PEMRA to ensure the dissemination of authentic and verified information through electronic media. The day ended with a panel discussion moderated by Ms. Rachel Hasan, Chairperson Department of Mass Communication, FCCU. The discussion revolved around Freedom of Expression and Control. Discussants included Professor Dr. Bushra Hamud ur Rehman and Prof. Dr. Savera Shami from Punjab University, veteran journalist Mr. Khawar Naeem Hashmi, and Syed Saqib Saleem and Mehwish Batool from FCCU.
Follow the link to see pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/PakUSAlumni/photos/pcb.8217522821621069/8217503144956370/
