…Graduates 50
The fake news debunker series of the West Africa Broadcast and Media Academy (WABMA) is said to garner more attention and usage. It is also said to be set to hit the 100th edition on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
This is as the academy is said to graduate 50 successful participants in its 2025 second quarter media and communication certification courses.
These are highlights of a statement Issued by Joseph Obari, the Registrar of the academy, quoting Ken Ike Okere, the Rector.
The statement admitted that in an era of worrying proliferation of fake news and a culture of poor verification, the fake news debunker series has come to be a reference point for news consumers in Nigeria and beyond.
“To deepen commitment to accurate news, the culture of verification and the promotion of media literacy, we have launched the WABMA DebunkIt Challenge for students, young journalists, and media enthusiasts in commemoration of the 100th edition of the WABMA Fake News Debunker, which started running since April 2022,” Okere was further quoted.
Competitors in the online competition are said to be facing assessment on a one-minute fact-checking video production debunking any widespread health, political, religious, gender myth or misinformation in West Africa.
Okere was said to have added that the competition aims to inspire a new generation of fact-checkers and ethical communicators, reward creativity and truth-telling through public participation in digital media.
He said that entries have been received and would be evaluated by a panel of seasoned veteran professionals to select the best three competitors who would be rewarded during the graduation ceremony for participants of the academy’s 2025 second quarter media and communication certification courses.
Tope Ojeme, a renowned Radio Nigeria broadcaster, media entrepreneur, and academic, is said to be set to deliver the keynote address, followed by a panel session of industry professionals, academics, and policy influencers on the theme, “The Future of Fact-Checking in African Media.”
The project is expected to push fact checking of news to the front burner as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital resources seem to make faking and other forms of news manipulations more rampant.
