Debunking disinfo is key to strengthen democracy: US Diplomat

Hyderabad: The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Osmania University, in association with the US Consulate General Hyderabad, organised the workshop and conference on Monday. During the workshop, Frankie Sturm, Public Diplomacy Officer at the United States Consulate General Hyderabad, described how disinformation posed a threat to democracy and how journalists can combat disinformation for the benefit of their readers and viewers. About 35 Urdu journalists are being trained on how to debunk disinformation. Around 40 Telugu TV journalists were successfully trained and certified in the first phase.

"Accurate information is a pillar of democracy, and journalists play a critical role in providing accurate information to the public. I'm grateful to Osmania University for organizing this excellent programme for Urdu journalists and I'm confident the ultimate result is a stronger and more accurate information environment." Sturm said.

Sneha Mehra, DCP (Cyber Crime), Hyderabad, said anonymity on social media and lack of sufficient resources to counter misinformation were harming people's understanding. Media literacy and transparency from the government can help the situation, but we really need the accountability of social media users and more independent fact checks."

Prof Stevenson Kohir, Head, Department of Journalism, Osmania University, said, it envisaged to empower Urdu journalists with fact checking skills, tools, and techniques to prevent misinformation from creeping into the mainstream media while they report the news.

The project in blended mode was for 40 hours and had 35 TV journalists from mainstream Urdu channels and digital platforms.