Africa Fact Checking Fellowship- #AFFCameroon 8th Cohort: Call for Applications.

Since 2017 the Anglophone conflict and the 2018 post-election crisis crystallize the public debate and increase consumption and spread of ‘fake news’ online and in traditional media. Despite the efforts of various actors, the situation is taking alarming proportions in the context of tribalist attacks and their offshoots.

Yet fact-checking is not new in the newsroom. In recent years, there has been an increase in the verification of online information and public claims due to the proliferation of fake news on social media. This desire to combat the proliferation of ‘fake’ news online is underreported in online and offline media.

It is in this context that #defyhatenow Cameroon has for the past three years, run the “Africa Fact-checking Fellowship” #AFFCameroon programme, which aims to equip professionals with fact-checking skills to recognise misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation online. To date, seven cohorts of approximately 115 professionals from the Centre, Littoral, South-West, North-West, Adamawa, North, Far-North, and West have directly benefited from the fellowship.

Following this, #defyhatenow Cameroon is initiating a call for applications for its eighth cohort of professionals from April to June 2023. The objective is to establish a critical mass of fact-checkers, right information advocates, online and offline hate speech, and digital rights defenders.

The Africa Fact-checking Fellowship – #AFFCameroon is designed to track and map viral trends on social media related to current challenges of ‘fake news’ in Cameroon. Through its different cohorts, #AFFCameroon aims to enhance the skills of experienced professionals to effectively contribute to peace building and social cohesion through combating disinformation and hate speech.It intends to promote fact-checking, data journalism and digital rights towards journalists, bloggers and content creators in Africa. The program is based on a blended learning model using webinars, practical lessons, peer-to-peer learning and on-the-ground practical work. Fellows will have access to a rich set of online tools and resources as well as a network of experts and professionals from around the world.