PESHAWAR: Director General Press Information Department, Ashfaq Ahmad Khalil on Thursday emphasised the importance of fact-checking for journalists to provide the public with reliable and truthful information.
He was addressing the concluding session of the two-day training on ‘News authenticity and tools to counter the fake news, anti-state propaganda and blasphemy’ attended by journalists and students of mass communication. DG PID urged journalists to apply their acquired fact-checking skills in their respective fields.
He highlighted the significance of utilizing online fact-checking tools before publishing content, emphasizing that journalists could enhance their professional skills and earn a better livelihood by ensuring the accuracy of their reports.
The DG PID also emphasized the need to create informative video content and effectively address a wide range of misinformation, from everyday rumours to organized disinformation campaigns.
The resource person for the training encouraged participants to conduct thorough investigations and employ fact-checking methods when reporting on such cases.
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of avoiding plagiarism in journalistic writing and provided insights on how journalists could promote their content on digital media platforms through effective content management.