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.
Since 2016, the Anglophone conflict in the North West and South West Regions and the 2018 post-election crisis in the country have crystallised public debates and increased 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 dis/misinformation 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 program, which aims to equip professionals with fact-checking skills to recognise misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation online. Eight cohorts of approximately 145 professionals from the Centre, Littoral, South-West, North-West, Adamawa, North, Far-North, and West Regions have benefited directly from the fellowship.
Following this, #defyhatenow Cameroon is initiating a call for applications for its ninth cohort of professionals from October to December 2023. The objective is to establish a critical mass of fact-checkers, right information advocates, on/offline hate speech and digital rights defenders.
Requirements
- Journalists
- Bloggers
- Digital Content creators
- Digital rights activists and/defenders
- Community-based organisation
- Opinion and community leaders
Age
- Between 20 and 40 years old
Place of Residence
- All regions of Cameroon
Conditions
- Be available throughout the training
- Understand English and French
- Own a working smartphone and laptop
- Be computer literate,
- Active on social media handles.
N.B.: Selected applicants will be notified by email of their selection for the program by 13 October 2023.
Method of Application
For More Information,
Visit the Official Webpage
Application Deadline: October 8, 2023.
