Vishvas News Organizes Workshop ‘Tools Review 2023’ for Empowering Fact-Check Community

Vishvas.News, the fact-checking and media literacy training division of Jagran New Media, organized a workshop on April 2nd, 2023, titled ‘Tools Review 2023’ to empower fact checkers with the latest tools to combat misinformation. The workshop was conducted on the occasion of International Fact Checking Day 2023 and saw participation from various South Asian Fact Checkers across the globe.

The introductory session was presided over by Mr. Rajesh Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief, Vishvas.News who addressed the participants about Vishvas.News' intervention in the realm of information literacy. The session was joined by Mr. Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy, IFCN Interim Director, and Mr. Govindraj Ethiraj, IFCN Board Member, who also shared their views on the importance of fact-checking in today's media landscape.

Rajesh Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief, Vishvas.News and Jagran New Media, said, “In recent years, concerns over the standards of journalistic integrity have risen. There have been wider shifts in news resourcing, which exerts influence on public trust in mainstream media. At Vishvas.News, we are committed to promoting information literacy and educating the media fraternity on ways to deal with ambiguity. Thus, the workshop was organized as our valiant attempt to equip fact-checkers with various tools that enhance their skills to identify and curb fake news.”

In the words of a renowned journalist Craig Silverman, "The tools and tactics used for digital manipulation and disinformation continue to evolve. It's essential that we scale fact checking and media literacy efforts to meet the needs of the public. It was an honor to help fact checkers across South Asia keep their skills and knowledge up to date, and to assist them in their efforts to provide credible information."

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy, Interim Director, IFCN, remarks, "International Fact-Checking Day reminds us of facts' vital role in informing our decisions and shaping our world. In a time when misinformation is rampant, and the facts are often obscured, we must commit ourselves to elevating the facts and promoting credible sources."

About 50 participants from IFCN-accredited organizations in South Asia gathered to foster their understanding and know-how of the specificity of disinformation, and the tools required to ascertain the factual accuracy of information. This workshop, therefore, aimed to supplement the value of existing journalism, integrating a fact-checking perspective to understand where the line lies between fact and fake news.